As an overweight asthmatic when I was growing up, I was almost certainly one of the least fit soccer player to grace the fields of Fairfield, CT (if only there was a video to share with you). I don’t remember having a particular affinity for soccer, but all of my friends played, so I played too; in fact, it seems like most kids play soccer growing up now. That’s a big achievement for a sport that has to compete with more entrenched sports like baseball, football, and basketball. Much of the success of soccer can be attributed to U.S. Soccer, the sport’s national governing body. One of the major successes of U.S. Soccer was to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 1994. The World Cup generated quite a surplus, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation was started in 1995 as the charitable arm of soccer in the United States to put that surplus to good use.

Kick Off Your Career

The U.S. Soccer Foundation’s mission is “to enhance, assist and grow the sport of soccer in the United States.” I think this mission statement sells them short; they’re not only promoting the sport, but also improving the lives of people through their charitable programs. The Foundation has programs like Passback – a nationwide soccer uniform and equipment collection and distribution program to help players in disadvantaged communities; Build a Field – a project in conjunction with FieldTurf to build a total of 50 All Conditions Fields; and Soccer United Recovery Fund, established in September 2005 to help rebuild soccer programs and facilities in Gulf Coast communities affected by the three massive hurricanes of 2005 (hopefully they’ll be expanding this program). The Foundation isn’t just about expanding the reach of soccer. Soccer is a vehicle for them to achieve the same goals as many other charities that affect disadvantaged youth.

Right now, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has one job opening that we think might be a good fit for a new college grad. It’s a position as a Grant Assistant. They say that their ideal candidate has 2 years of experience in a non-profit, but we think that they’ll change their definition of “ideal candidate” when they meet one of our readers. The job description sounds about as entry level as you can get, so we don’t think that it’s a stretch for new grads to apply for this one. If you love soccer and want to work at a non-profit, give it a look. The U.S. Soccer is located in Washington, DC, and you can apply by sending a cover letter and resume to search@ussoccerfoundation.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• USSoccerFoundation.org
• Jobs at the U.S. Soccer Foundation
• About the US Soccer Foundation
• U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Mission
• U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Annual Reports

Were you a better soccer player than I was growing up?

We've identified U.S. Soccer Foundation as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• all employers
• grant writing
• non-profit
• sports
• Washington DC

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One response to “U.S. Soccer Foundation”

1. Joshua Lanshe says:

   June 22, 2009 at 9:13 pm

   I wanted to know if there are any of the entry-level Grant Assistant positions in NYC? I am a soon-to-be College graduate from the University of Washington-Bothell, with a degree in Global Studies and hopefully complete my minor in Human Rights. I played soccer my whole life and played a year of Division I NCAA at St.Francis College. I really think I can bring a lot to U.S. Soccer because I lived overseas in Malaysia, Korea and China; I believe this sets me apart because I am a very adaptable person. I hope there are some positions in NYC and that I can continue working with the sport I love. Thank you so much for your time!

   Joshua Lanshe

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