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To make a report, either fill and submit the form below, or call the US Soccer Integrity Hotline at (312) 528-7004 to leave a voicemail Please provide as much detail in your report as possible, including contact information, should you wish to be contacted concerning your report U S Soccer does not retaliate and does not tolerate retaliation against any individual who makes a report in good faith Please see below for more information
Participants
Proud Supporter of Virginia Youth Soccer
The Virginia Youth Soccer Association welcomes back Paul
Shaw as Assistant Technical Director
VYSA is thrilled to announce the addition of Paul Shaw to its team as Assistant Technical Director. With a proven track record and hands-on experience in player development and coaching education, Paul brings valuable expertise to support the VYSA member clubs.
In this role, Shaw will be working closely with Technical Director Gordon Miller, to ensure the support of the VYSA’s commitment to innovation and excellence. Their combined experience will prove invaluable as VYSA begins to launch several initiatives in the VYSA’s new Strategic Plan.
Comment from Gordon Miller, VYSA Technical Director:
“I am pleased to have Paul Shaw join the VYSA in the role of Assistant Technical Director. Paul’s recent experiences as a head coach at the collegiate level, combined with his ongoing role as one of the top Coach Educator’s for U.S. Soccer, will add a great deal to further the technical growth and development of the game here in Virginia. Paul is a caring and exceptional teacher who guides, mentors, and develops people to become the best they can be. On a personal level, it is a real pleasure to have him rejoin the team.”
Comment from Don Rawson, VYSA Executive Director:
“Paul Shaw’s return to the VYSA Technical staff is an exciting announcement for the Virginia Youth Soccer Association and all its member clubs. As I traveled throughout Virginia over the last three years, it was clear that the clubs recalled how much they appreciated Paul’s contributions to the game and his role as a mentor to clubs while he was on the VYSA staff. Gordon and Paul are tremendous leaders and make a great team!”
Comment from Paul Shaw:
“Thank you to VYSA President Bill Phillips, Executive Director Don Rawson, and Technical Director Gordon Miller for this opportunity. Coach Miller’s leadership, passion for the game, long term vision and mentorship is top class. I look forward to helping further the development of clubs, coaches, youth and our community as part of the VYSA technical team.”
TECHNICALLEADERS
VYSA TD Day takes place next Tuesday, December 10th at Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg! Lunch will be provided.
Thank you to the three guest presenters including Jesse Marsch, Canadian Men's World Cup Team Head Coach, Sky Eddy, Soccer Parenting and The Sideline Project, and Kelvin Jones, Columbus Crew ii (MLS) Academy Director.
STATESELECTIONS
NORTHCAROLINA FRIENDLIES
Congratulations to the players selected to represent Virginia! The Official US Youth Soccer Sub regional ODP Event will take place in North Carolina on January 3-5th!
SELECTIONS ANNOUNCED
COACH FOR COMMUNITY
Coach for Community (C4C) provides coaching education resources for grassroots coaches and is intended to help increase player participation and retain players and coaches. The objective is to share best practices for player development in games and training sessions and share member benefits for the host organization.
The Virginia Youth Soccer Association C4C course is a FREE 2 hour program in the course material of your choosing. You can select the 4v4, 7v7 to 9v9, or 11v11 format. The course will have a one-hour classroom portion and one hour field session.
At the conclusion of a Coach for Community event, each person that attended will receive a $25 voucher to use when registering for an In-Person Grassroots course of their choosing.
If your club would be interested in hosting this FREE educational opportunity to your recreation coaching staff, please complete our host a course form!
S T A T E C U P
PRESENTED BY
Registration for the Spring 2025 Virginia Presidents Cup is open for boys and girls ages 11U – 14U!
The Presidents Cup provides a progressive, competitive experience of teams that might not otherwise get the opportunity to participate in a series of unique expe from t
2
REGISTER HERE
Congratulations to the VYSA Annual Award Winners! Many thanks to these individuals for their outstanding contributions to thier clubs and leagues throughout the 20232024 season! We look forward to honoring this group at the 2025 Annual Awards Gala on March 9th!
Coach of the Year Boys Competitive
Coach of the Year Boys Recreational
Coach of the Year Girls Competitive
Coach of the Year Girls Recreational
Administrator of the Year
Volunteer of the Year
Young Female Referee of the Year
Young Male Referee of the Year
TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year
TOPSoccer Coach of the Year
Dave Williams TOPSoccer Award
Manager of the Year:
Milos Draca, FFC
Daniel Velasquez – First Touch Soccer *
Tim Lenzo – Alexandria Soccer Association
Kris Newman – Richmond Kickers *
Chris Hudler – Gunston Soccer *
Alan Paez - NCSL *
Audrey Atwell *
Ben Schlenz
Olivia Fant - Culpepper Soccer Club
Fiona Kunkel - Alexandria Soccer Association
Boutia Pourhashemi & Betsy Fry
Kim Capp – FFC
Name bolded means the individual is a USYS National Award Winner
Names with a * means the individual was a USYS National Finalist
US YOUTH SOCCER'S NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to Benjamin Schlenz for being named US Youth Soccer's Young Male Referee of the Year.
USYS NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS
Congratulations to the 6 Virginia National Award finalists!
USYS NATIONAL AWARD FINALISTS
Kang’s
Philanthropic Gift of $30 Million
Over Five Years Will Create Over 100,000 New Opportunities for Women and Girls in Soccer
U.S. Soccer announced a historic gift today for its women’s and girls’ soccer programs from businesswoman, team owner, and women’s sports advocate Michele Kang. Kang has pledged to give U.S. Soccer, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, $30 million dollars over the next five years which is the largest philanthropic investment in U.S. Soccer’s women’s and girls’ programs and the most generous donation ever made to U.S. Soccer by a woman.
The investment from Kang will scale competitive opportunities for youth players, expand and improve talent identification, and fuel professional development for female players, coaches, and referees.
Creating access and opportunity for the next generation of female coaches.
History of the Program
In July 2023, the Washington Spirit announced its new Coaching Mentorship program to elevate and support female soccer coaches in the Washington, D.C. region. The mentorship program is designed to increase opportunities for female coaches, proactively develop their careers, create a coaching pipeline, and provide them a valuable professional network. The inaugural cohort included three local coaches from the Alexandria Soccer Association, DC SCORES, and the Player Progression Academy. In 2025, the program will expand to include 10 female coaches from around the DMV.
About the 2025 Program
In 2025, the program will expand to include ten mentees who will participate in the program from March to November. Throughout the program, mentees will:
• Shadow a member of the coaching staff at selected Spirit training sessions
• Participate in mentor sessions with Spirit coaches
• Complete a sport performance seminar
• Attend a chalk talk with Spirit General Manager Mark Krikorian
• Experience three Spirit matches at Audi Field during the 2025 season
The deadline to apply for the 2025 cohort is Friday, January 10.
For additional questions please contact Ana Mayoral at amayoral@washspirit.com
