GROW THE GAME

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.

ACCELERATED INITIATIVES

While we work diligently with our membership and stakeholders over the next several months and into the 2024 Annual General Meeting on long-term planning, we are accelerating select initiatives to drive immediate impact against our strategic pillars. We will provide updates in the months ahead regarding the progress of these accelerated initiatives and will keep our community informed of additional progress made in advancing our strategic pillars.

WORLD CUP 2026 LEGACY

FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America has the potential to transform the trajectory of soccer in the U.S. forever. To capitalize on this incredible opportunity, we will be launching a legacy platform in 2024 designed in partnership with our members and the entire soccer ecosystem. The platform will engage national, regional and local stakeholders to drive grassroots participation, engage and cultivate a new generation of fans and unlock new funding to ensure that we make the most of this unprecedented opportunity.

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