The United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer, abbreviated USYS) is the largest youth affiliate and member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body for soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer includes 54 State Associations, one per state except for California, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, which each have two State Associations. US Youth Soccer is a non-profit organization.
The US Youth Soccer membership is divided into four geographic regions; Eastern, Midwest, Southern and Far West.
History
The association was founded in 1974 with 100,000 registered players.[1][2] Its founding chairman was Donald Greer, who served in the role until 1984 and was also vice president of the U.S. Soccer Federation from 1972 to 1984.[3] Greer's co-founders included Karl Grosch and Robert Nessler.[4]
By the early 1990s, USYS counted more than 1 million players,[5] and by 2006 it counted more than 3 million registered players.[1]
Programs
USYS created the Olympic Development Program (ODP) in 1977. As of April2023[update], USYS continues to operate the ODP.[6]
ODP works with state soccer associations to identify high-level youth soccer talent via age-grouped tryouts, then selects players for regional development programs and national camps.[6]
In August 2022, US Youth Soccer was among the defendants named in a lawsuit brought by a former youth player alleging that organizational negligence contributed to her sexual assault by a youth soccer coach.[15]
Notable alumni
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