United Soccer Coaches

What United Soccer Coaches does

United Soccer Coaches, founded in 1941 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is a nonprofit membership association serving more than 30,000 soccer coaches across the United States. Its core customer base is segmented horizontally across coaching levels — Youth, High School, College, and Professional — with primary revenue-generating segments being Youth, High School, and College coaches. The organization delivers a multi-product portfolio: annual memberships (recurring subscription), coaching education diplomas (National, Advanced National, Premier, and Goalkeeping levels delivered in-person), an eLearning platform and The Training Ground resource library (powered by StreamLXP), awards and rankings programs (All-America teams, weekly rankings, Coaches of the Year at every level), the annual United Soccer Coaches Convention, the Soccer Journal publication, a podcast, a career center, and merchandise via the Lightning Store and soccer.com partnership.

The business model derives revenue from five streams: membership dues (subscription/recurring), coaching course registrations (one-time/transactional), convention and event attendance (professional services), merchandise sales (hardware sales through owned store and soccer.com), and donations through the CoachesGive Foundation (affiliate referral). Go-to-market is community-led — acquisition and retention depend on the annual convention, the 30 Under 30 mentorship program, member networking, and partnership channels with adidas, soccer.com, the New York Red Bulls, AYSO, the Scottish Football Association, and others. Technology infrastructure is straightforward: a member portal (hub.unitedsoccercoaches.org), an eLearning platform, a digital resource library, and a partnership-driven e-commerce storefront. No AI/ML capabilities, mobile apps, or API products are in evidence.

The organization carries no disclosed funding, no parent company, and no M&A activity — it operates as an independent nonprofit with member governance. Key historical events include partnership formations with AYSO (2018) and MOCSA (2018) for Safe Sport compliance training, the Scottish FA partnership (2019), the NY Red Bulls three-year renewal (2019), the launch of the 30 Under 30 Program (2013), and a recent strategic alignment with IWSOC for women's college soccer (2026). Previously known as the National Soccer Coaches Association, the rebrand reflects an 80+ year operating history that few competitors in U.S. soccer coaching education can match.

Name

United Soccer Coaches

Legal name

United Soccer Coaches

Website

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

United Soccer Coaches, founded in 1941, is a nonprofit membership association serving more than 30,000 soccer coaches in the United States across youth, high school, college, and professional levels. It delivers coaching education diplomas, awards and rankings programs, an annual convention, the Soccer Journal publication, and professional development resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Coaching Association Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Team & Club Coaching (seasonal team coaching) (HSADAEAF)

Keywords

• Coaching education programs
• Membership association services
• Soccer coaching credentials
• Coaching awards programs
• Professional development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to resources, education, awards, rankings, and networking
2. Coaching Education Courses: Revenue from coaching courses including National, Advanced National, Premier, and Goalkeeping Diplomas
3. Convention and Events: Annual United Soccer Coaches Convention and regional events
4. Merchandise Sales: Online store sales through Lightning Store and Soccer.com partnership
5. Donations and Fundraising: Foundation donations including For the Good of the Game Fund and named memorial funds

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

United Soccer Coaches is a nonprofit membership-based professional association that serves soccer coaches across youth, high school, college, and professional levels. Its core offerings include tiered membership programs, in-person and online coaching diploma courses (National, Advanced National, Premier, Goalkeeping), an annual convention, awards and rankings programs, the Soccer Journal publication, an eLearning platform, and career resources for coaches.

Product overview

United Soccer Coaches operates as a membership-based professional association offering a unified platform of services for soccer coaches. The core offerings include membership programs at multiple levels (youth, high school, college, professional), coaching education through in-person diplomas and eLearning, awards and rankings programs, an annual convention, the Soccer Journal publication, a podcast, and career services. Products are interconnected through the membership program, which provides access to education courses, award nominations, convention discounts, and networking opportunities across all coaching levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Soccer Journal: Official publication of United Soccer Coaches covering all aspects of coaching soccer.
• 30 Under 30 Program
• United Soccer Coaches Convention
• United Soccer Coaches Foundation

Products and services

• Membership Program
• Coaching Education Courses and Diplomas
• Annual United Soccer Coaches Convention
• Awards and Rankings Programs
• Soccer Journal
• 30 Under 30 Program
• Career Center
• Lightning Store

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 coaches served through resources and training programs

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Scottish Football AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2019Exclusive coaching education experience in Scotland where candidates attend the Scottish FA C License course
• New York Red BullscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2019Three-year partnership renewal keeping Red Bulls Youth Programs as exclusive provider of United Soccer Coaches programs and education content
• LA Galaxy Orange CountyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2019Newest Elite Member Club Program partnership through collaborative partnership
• American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2018Education Partnership including endorsement between two organizations' coaching education pathways, certification reciprocity, AYSO field and lecture sessions at United Soccer Coaches Convention, and DOC Diploma Course participation
• Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2018Partnership to develop educational resources and training programs on sexual abuse and assault for over 30,000 soccer coaches nationwide, made possible through NFL grant via Raliance
• adidascoreGTM or Marketing Partneradidas is a partner/sponsor of United Soccer Coaches, visible in the partners section with logo placement
• NGI (Next Generation Institute)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNGI logo appears in partners section of the website
• soccer.comcoreGTM or Marketing Partnersoccer.com is a partner with merchandise store integration. Gear available through soccer.com/club/#/16007178/fanwear
• Intercollegiate Women's Soccer Organization for Coaches (IWSOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alignment establishing distinct but collaborative roles in support of women's college soccer, reflecting evolving needs and clear distinction between leadership/representation and broader professional association

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• U.S. Soccer Federation: National governing body for soccer in the United States that issues its own coaching licenses and grassroots programming. Most directly competitive to USC because USSF's coaching certifications can substitute for USC diplomas and are required for many competitive environments.
• American Football Coaches Association (AFCA): National membership association for American football coaches offering coaching education, awards, and an annual convention — directly analogous in structure, revenue model, and mission to United Soccer Coaches, simply in a different sport.
• American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO): Large national youth soccer organization with its own coach education pathways that has formal certification reciprocity with USC. Directly comparable as a soccer-coach-facing organization serving the same youth ecosystem.
• National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA): Membership association for collegiate wrestling coaches providing education, awards, and convention programming. Structurally near-identical to USC as a sport-specific coaches association, enabling direct cross-sport benchmarking of membership and convention economics.
• Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA): National nonprofit developing positive coaching practices through workshops and resources for youth and high school sports coaches. Comparable mission around coach development and culture, and a potential partner or substitute provider of coach education.

Broad incumbents

• USA Hockey: National governing body for U.S. hockey that runs its own coaching education program (CEP) alongside broader sport governance. Comparable because it issues coaching certifications at scale across a youth-to-elite pipeline analogous to USC's diploma ladder.
• National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS): Governing body for high school athletics in the U.S., issuing coaching certifications required for many high school coaching roles. Directly competes with USC in the high school coach credentialing and awards space.
• USA Volleyball: National governing body for volleyball that operates its own coach certification, education, and awards programs. Comparable in running a vertical sport-coach ecosystem with membership, education, and events.

Others

• Judi Rever Coaching / NSCAA (legacy): NSCAA was the prior name of United Soccer Coaches itself (renamed in 2017). Listed as an 'other' peer for historical context on how USC evolved and consolidated the prior national soccer coaches association.

Regional players

• Scottish Football Association: National governing body of Scottish football with a coaching license pathway that USC partners with for exclusive education experiences in Scotland. Comparable as a coaching-certification authority in a different geography, and a potential model for USC's international expansion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UnitedCoaches
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/UnitedSoccerCoaches
• Facebookfacebook.com/UnitedSoccerCoaches
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unitedsoccercoaches
• Instagraminstagram.com/unitedsoccercoaches

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United Soccer Coaches