CHICAGO (Feb. 14, 2020)—As part of its continued efforts to reduce barriers to coaching education, U.S. Soccer has launched new Grassroots coaching education courses in Spanish. Minnesota Youth Soccer and U.S. Club Soccer will host the first Spanish Grassroots in-person courses this month.

Spanish Grassroots in-person courses will be held for 4v4, 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11 licenses. They will be hosted and organized by U.S. Soccer member associations. The new courses come after months of development and collaboration with Spanish-speaking coach educators and seek to make U.S. Soccer Coaching Education accessible to more communities.

In response to feedback from its members, U.S. Soccer began the process of building the new Spanish-language course in Sept. 2018. Leaders at member organizations guided the process, spearheaded by Sammy and Sebastian Geraldo (South Texas Youth Soccer Association), Alex Pavon (Illinois Youth Soccer Association) and Alex Perez (North Texas Soccer Association).

“We’re excited to announce these courses, as they will help us reach more coaches and impact more players across the country,” said U.S. Soccer Director of Coaching Education Barry Pauwels. “Our goal is that licensed coaches are available for every player in every community. This is a step in the right direction, and we look forward to expanding this initiative in the future.”

U.S. Soccer Grassroots coaching courses serve as the foundation of the Federation’s Coaching Education Pathway. Licenses at this level help coaches ensure fun, enjoyable and developmentally appropriate environments for their players.

• READ: U.S. Soccer Begins Launch of New Grassroots Coaching Pathway

Following their initial launch, the Spanish-language courses will continue to grow and improve with feedback from members across the country. The in-person Grassroots courses serve as a first step for U.S. Soccer Coaching Education programming in Spanish, and the department aims to continue growing its courses for Spanish speakers in the coming years.

“We believe in providing low-barrier coaching education opportunities to coaches,” said U.S. Soccer Grassroots Coach Educator Zac Crawford. “Every player has a right to be coached by a licensed coach who creates safe, fun learning environments where players can develop to their full potential.”

The in-person Grassroots courses will be run by U.S. Soccer member organizations across the country. For more information on the courses, please contact your local member organization, or follow these step-by-step directions to search for a course.