All soccer participants should have access to safe, fun, dynamic and inclusive environments designed to help them learn, grow and fall in love with the sport. 

Our coaches and referees are critical to healthy soccer environments. Their leadership creates a positive space for participants and their communities, yet many face barriers to participation. We are committed to increasing the number of coaches and referees across all levels of the game (grassroots, youth, adult, collegiate, high school, professional, etc.) by reducing barriers to participation, ensuring access to robust educational tools and deepening and strengthening development pathways. There is no question that the continued participation and passion of quality coaches and referees are key to the future success and sustainability of our sport. 

We will partner with our members to address the specific barriers facing referees, including extensive abuse, and the unique barriers facing coaches, including educational access. To increase the number and quality of our referees and coaches, U.S. Soccer will democratize access to information, generating and curating high quality soccer knowledge that will be available to all in our ecosystem.

Ensuring our sport is safe for all involved remains a non-negotiable standard. We’ll continue to develop and invest in our Safe Soccer Clearance Program, which will positively impact the broad sporting landscape, so participants are safe both on and off the field.

In the long-term, we will examine creative uses of technology, the curation of culturally inclusive content and more to ensure we have a great environment to enable more participants to join and stay in soccer.