U.S. Soccer Announces Landmark $30 Million Donation for Women’s Program

Photo © REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo

U.S. Soccer Announces Landmark $30 Million Donation for Women’s Program

Women’s soccer mogul Michele Kang has pledged $30 million to U.S. Soccer, the largest donation ever directed for the organization’s girls and women’s programs.

The donation over the next five years will help grow competitive opportunities for girls and professional development for female players, as well as women in coaching and referee roles.

“Michele Kang’s gift will transform soccer for women and girls in the United States,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “It will impact generations of women and girls in our game.”

“I know firsthand the power soccer can have in someone’s life and thanks to Michele, we will be able to provide more support and opportunities for women and girls.”

The donation comes just months after the United States collected their fifth Olympic gold, a return to form for one of the most dominant teams following their disappointing showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Speaking on the investment in U.S. women’s soccer, Kang said the investment would offer a holistic approach to talent development, doubling the number of national team camps and developing a digital talent identification platform to ensure “no talented player is overlooked.”

She said the U.S. cannot maintain dominance without major changes to their youth system, which she compared unfavorably to those in England and France, even as the sport surges in popularity in the states.

"(NWSL owners) all came in specifically to invest and grow this sport and we have been doing that. So the results are, I have to say, pretty spectacular in terms of just viewership growing, the attendance growing," she told reporters in New York.

"But this is not going to be permanent unless the entire sort of the pyramid structure and the ecosystem is there."

Her investment will also go towards developing more licensed female coaches, with the goal to double the number from 40,000 to 80,000 in

the United States, and training more female referees.

"Women's sports have been undervalued and overlooked for far too long," Kang said.

"I am committed to raising the standard of excellence in women’s soccer—both on and off the pitch—by delivering the resources female athletes need to reach their full potential."

A long-time champion of women’s soccer, Kang is the owner of three teams spanning the U.S. and Europe— the Washington Spirit, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, and the London City Lionesses. Similarly, last year, Kang founded the first multi-team women’s football organization—Kynisca Sports

International, Ltd.—an organization dedicated to uplifting women in sport by providing them with the infrastructure and means necessary for their success.

“With the necessary backing, Kynisca aims to inspire young girls to pursue their dreams and embrace a career in football on a scale and level of professional success that should not be reserved only for their male peers,” Kang said. “We will provide opportunities for girls and women worldwide to access high-level sport, reach their potential under the best conditions, and play football in the clubs of the global elite.”

(Source: Reuters)