US Soccer announced last week that they are launching a committee called the NextGen College Soccer Committee (NCS). Its primary purpose is to integrate the college level more broadly into the US Soccer ecosystem. The NCS will have members from diverse backgrounds, including higher education, sports, business, and philanthropy.
Based on the announcement, the committee has two goals to work on. First, they aim to publish a white paper that will include recommendations for men’s and women’s college soccer. The goal is for this paper to be published by the beginning of the 2025 college season.
The NCS’s second goal is engagement. The committee intends to work with the colleges that are interested in the solutions the white paper comes up with. The timeline for implementing this second step is the 2026-27 season.
The committee will include 17 members with Dan Helfrich as the committee chair. Helfrich is a US Soccer Leadership Advisory Group member and a former CEO of Deloitte Consulting LLP.
This announcement preluded the start of a new Women’s College Talent ID camp run by US Soccer, which is currently in its fourth of five days.
This recent announcement shows US Soccer is interested in investing more time and money into growing the college pathway. This could benefit not only the players, but the entire sport in the US, from coaching, scouting, and on. This could provide a massive benefit to American soccer, as the college soccer space is extensive.
