U.S. Soccer Announces Application Window for 2021-22 Academy Director Course

CHICAGO (May 28, 2021) – U.S. Soccer has announced that the application window for the 2021-22 Academy Director (AD) course will open on June 2 at 12:00 p.m. CT and run through June 16.

As coaching courses and in-person education resumes, additional information will be provided regarding in-person safety protocols and requirements. As always, U.S. Soccer’s top priority is the health and safety of its players, coaches and staff. The Federation is committed to following the health practices outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Soccer Return to Play protocols.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a new reality in how U.S. Soccer approaches education. While the Federation has made shifts to integrate online and blended learning opportunities over the past few years, the current circumstances have offered an opportunity to reimagine how coaching education could operate in the future.

In-person interaction, an important standard of education, will now be supported with greater remote interaction during the development periods between in-person meetings. An increase in virtual education allows for greater retention of course material, additional time to incorporate and test concepts in candidates' own environments, more intentional field work during in-person meetings and fewer in-person days required.

To align with the new realities of education, the AD course will incorporate additional virtual learning touchpoints during the 2021-22 course. Virtual learning will offer more opportunities for candidates to interact as a class and eliminate some face-to-face meetings in order to reduce travel expenses and time away from clubs. The AD course will take place over a 10-month period (Aug. 2021 to June 2022). In addition to virtual learning, there are three planned in-person meetings, each over a four-day period. The first meeting is scheduled for this fall, with the next two meetings set for 2022. Additional details will be provided in the coming months.

“We are in the process of completing virtual courses that began last fall,” said U.S. Soccer Director of Coaching Education Didier Chambaron. “While we are certain that in-person education is vital for the development process, we are pleased with how courses have progressed over these past months and know that we can apply some of the best practices as we move ahead. Education will be different in the future and we believe that’s for the better. As education evolves, we need to continue to evolve.”

The application window will run from June 2-16. Interested applicants should review the course details and pre-application checklist in the bullet points below and allow enough time to complete the necessary steps. All applications must be submitted through the U.S. Soccer Learning Center.

More details about future courses will be announced later this year. For details on other U.S. Soccer Coaching Education courses please visit theLearning Center and review the information under Available Courses or check out the FAQ page.