CHICAGO (May 10, 2024) – The U.S. Soccer Board of Directors held its second quarterly meeting of 2024 on Friday. The meeting was held virtually and the open session was streamed live to the public.
Five new members of the Board of Directors joined for their first meeting:
- Rick Buiteweg – Youth Council
- Nathán Goldberg Crenier – Vice President
- Mark Johnson – Independent Director
- Fritz Marth – Adult Council
- Amanda Vandervort – Pro Council
Buiteweg joins as Youth Council representative after spending over 15 years serving in various roles at AYSO, while Goldber Crenier joins the board after being elected as U.S. Soccer Vice President at the Federation’s Annual General Meeting in February.
Johnson joined as Independent Director, replacing Lisa Carnoy following her three terms in the role. Johnson is a Co-Founder and the Managing Partner of Astra Capital Management and brings 22 years of investment experience in communications and technology.
Marth is the current Vice President of United States Adult Soccer Association. As a long-serving member of the soccer community, he previously served as U.S. Adult Soccer’s National Cups Commissioner and as the Regional Director of U.S. Adult Soccer’s Region 1.
Lastly, Vandervort serves as President of the USL Super League and joins the Board as the United Soccer Leagues’ representative on the Pro Council, replacing Garrison Mason.
The open session featured an update on the Federation’s five strategic pillars: grow the game, foster the best playing environments, develop winning teams, grow the soccer economy to fuel reinvestment and create a world-class organization.
BELOW ARE OTHER TOPICS THAT WERE DISCUSSED BY THE BOARD IN THE PUBLIC AND EXECUTIVE SESSIONS:
- U.S. Soccer is projected to end FY24 $3.9M better than projected and $35.5M better than the previous year.
- U.S. Soccer’s shifted focus toward co-hosting the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup alongside Mexico, calling for a more equitable tournament projected to be the largest women’s sporting event in history.
- U.S. Soccer’s Safeguarding efforts, including the recent beta launch of its Safe Soccer Clearance Program and upcoming initiatives to prevent referee abuse.
- As part of its commitment to grow the game and celebrate it in all its forms, U.S. Soccer announced a historic doubleheader featuring the U.S. Deaf Women’s National Team and the U.S. Women’s National Team on June 1 in Commerce City, Colo.
- As part of its commitment to Safeguarding, U.S. Soccer recently launched a beta of its Safe Soccer Clearance Program and will soon pilot its Green Whistle program to better identify and protect referees under the age of 18.
- U.S. Soccer provisionally approved three new members: US Dwarf Futbol Association, US Amputee Football Federation and Maine Soccer Association.
The next scheduled Board of Directors meeting will be held on Aug. 23 in Atlanta.
