USYF Builds Strong Foundation For Growth
Youth Soccer News – Youth Futsal Spotlight: United States Youth Futsal is a leader in youth futsal in the USA and their goal is to expand the fast-paced, 5 a-side-game of futsal across the USA.
Often what slows growth is a lack of true leadership on the pitch, or in this case, on the futsal courts. To resolve this, U.S. Youth Futsal has restructured its 50,000+ player association into a network of eight regions, each geographically focused to support the growth of the game with a director who either played on the U.S. Futsal National Team or has years of experience as a highly trained futsal coach.
“U.S. Youth Futsal is the premier leader in player development for futsal in the United States — and we are futsal specific,” said Jon Parry, Executive Director and founder of USYF.
“We complement youth soccer and provide a compelling player development environment. The best professional soccer players in the world, including Ronaldo, Messi, Ronaldinho, Xavi, Pele and Neymar have credited futsal to developing their skills,” said Parry who is also the MLS’ Sporting Kansas City long time Academy Director, an organization well respected for developing youth players into professional soccer players.
“If we want today’s American youth players to compete successfully in upcoming FIFA World Cups, we need to create training opportunities to enable them to take their game to the next level,” says Parry.
“Our goal is to use futsal to develop players who can compete at the highest levels of futsal and soccer in the world,” said Parry/ “USYF’s new regional structure will provide greater leadership and support as we meet the needs of our 115 existing and upcoming expansion leagues and all work together to develop world class players.”
Ever since 1994, U.S Youth Futsal has been raising the bar in youth futsal and has leagues in more than 30 states.
In July, USYF announced its Player Safety Initiatives to create the safest possible environment for all its players, mandating the U.S. Center for SafeSport course for its coaches and volunteers as well as requiring top-level, national background checks for anyone working directly with players.
“USYF provides the best possible futsal environment and when a player registers with USYF, there is now comprehensive and multi-level support. We will now deliver a more consistent player development experience for all our 50,000 plus players across the USA,” said Parry.
| Region | Director | States | |
| Region I | Sean Bowers | Southwest | Arizona, Eastern Nevada, Hawaii, New Mexico, Southern California, Utah |
| Region II | James Kavanagh | Northwest | Alaska, Northern California, Western Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming |
| Region III | Brian Catrine | Central | Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas |
| Region IV | Keith Tozer | Midwest | Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin |
| Region V | Otto Orf | Great Lakes | Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, Western New York |
| Region VI | Soorena Farboodmanesh | Northeast | Connecticut, Eastern New York, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| Region VII | Lee Tschantret | Atlantic | Delaware, DC, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey |
| Region VIII | Joe Farrell | Southeast | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia |
Working with Keith Tozer, Sean Bowers, Otto Orf, Lee Tschantret and the many former professional U.S. Futsal National team players who are league and region directors, USYF looks to expand its reach in America.
U.S. Youth Futsal Regional Directors Say:
“The new U.S. Youth Futsal Regional structure provides for immense potential,” said Keith Tozer, former Head Coach of U.S. Futsal National Team. “With this professional management plan, USYF now has the strong foundation to achieve both a high level of player development and increase participation in futsal.”
“It is my goal to bring futsal to our entire region as a tool to develop players who will be able to compete at the highest levels of futsal and soccer in the world,” says Sean Bowers, USYF Region I Director and longtime former captain of the U.S. Futsal National Team.
“The new USYF Regional structure is another exciting development for the sport of futsal in the USA and demonstrates again how USYF continues to lead the way with the evolution of the game in this country,” says James Kavanagh, Region II Director.
“The new USYF Regional structure is another positive example of USYF investing in the long term growth of Futsal,” says Brian Catrine, Region III Director. “The new structure will provide significantly more resources to help develop new leagues, provide more support to our existing partners, and continue its industry leading education and identification programs.”
“As USYF looks to expand its programming to allow more players to compete at the highest level of youth futsal, it is critical that we have the support of highly experienced leaders in the game of futsal,” says Otto Orf, USYF Region V Director.
“The USYF Regional Directors understand the needs of their regions more than anyone else — having years of experience working with USYF’s programs,” says Soorena Farboodmanesh, USYF Region VI Director. “Now, with this highly professional structure, Region Directors will be able to help USYF Leagues grow futsal in their states.”
“Futsal is the common thread that links most of the greatest players in the world,” says Lee Tschantret, former Captain of the U.S. Futsal National Team.
“Like the other Regional Directors, I am excited to promote and develop Futsal in my area as Region VII Director. I know what a positive impact this sport has had on my soccer career and want to help establish Futsal as the defacto sport for all soccer players,” said Tschantret.
“At USYF, we want every player to discover how important futsal is for player development. The USYF Regional structure now provides a consistent and dedicated focus on establishing the best player development environments and offer a proven pathway for success,” says Joe Farrell, Region VIII Director.
“Our organization serves many stakeholders — including participating players, the coaches who understand the value of futsal, the parents looking to improve their children’s skills, and the Directors of the 115+ USYF affiliated leagues and academies,” says John Sciore, USYF Director of Development.
“We realize the growth requires clear leadership. No other organization does more to promote the game of futsal or provide opportunities for its players,” said Parry.
Related Futsal News: SEAN BOWERS ON HOW FUTSAL HELPED HIS MLS CAREER
