Despite our growing soccer culture, participation in soccer in the United States has been stagnant for the past decade.
U.S. Soccer found that almost half of kids ages 9-11 are likely to quit playing soccer within the next year; and participation drops dramatically, with around 70% of children quitting by age 14. Amongst Black and Hispanic children, we’ve seen significant barriers to access. We’re committed to tackling these critical challenges head on.
We want to grow participation, increase retention and ensure lifelong connections to the game – whether that be through lifelong play, coaching, refereeing or supporting the game as a dedicated fan.
Together, we will encourage, enable and celebrate all forms of play – flexible, structured, adapted, informal, formal, grassroots, recreational, amateur and professional. We’ll work in partnership with our members and external partners to impact players on fields (and in back yards, parks, playgrounds, courts, beaches and stadiums) across America.
Great work is already happening across the country led by U.S. Soccer members and other soccer programs alike. We need to support and amplify these programs to accelerate the growth of the game.
Soccer impacts the health and happiness of millions of Americans of all ages every day. We’re challenging ourselves to impact exponentially more lives through the beautiful game in the years ahead.
