Soccer Culture

Compass Minerals National Performance Center to continue hosting high-level coaching courses

Pinnacle exterior - Sporting KC and U.S. Soccer

U.S. Soccer has announced that the application window for 2021-22 A-Youth and B license coaching courses will open on May 6, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. CT.


Female candidates accepted into A-Youth and B courses will have 50-percent of their tuition waived thanks to the Jill Ellis Scholarship Fund, established in fall 2019.


As coaching courses and in-person education resumes, additional information will be provided regarding in-person safety protocols and requirements. As always, U.S. Soccer’s top priority is the health and safety of its players, coaches and staff. The Federation is committed to following the health practices outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and the  U.S. Soccer Return to Play protocols.


As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a new reality in how U.S. Soccer approaches education. While the Federation has made shifts to integrate online and blended learning opportunities over the past few years, the current circumstances have offered an opportunity to reimagine how coaching education could operate in the future.


In-person interaction, an important standard of education, will now be supported with greater remote interaction during the development periods between in-person meetings. An increase in virtual education allows for greater retention of course material, additional time to incorporate and test concepts in candidates' own environments, more intentional field work during in-person meetings and fewer in-person days required.


As in years past, the A-Youth license course will have three in-person meetings over a 10-month period. The first meeting is scheduled for this fall with the next two meetings set for 2022. The in-person meetings will be shortened to three nights and class size will be reduced to follow safety recommendations. The first and third in-person meetings are planned to be held at the National Development Center, located within Compass Minerals National Performance Center in Kansas City, Kan. The second meeting will be organized in regional markets.


The B license course will be organized over a six-month period, with only one in-person meeting in 2021. For 2022, the B course will operate over six months and have two in-person meetings.


The application window will run from May 6-20. Interested applicants should review the course details and pre-application checklist in the bullet points below. All applications must be submitted through the U.S. Soccer Learning Center.



Participants in U.S. Soccer Coaching Education courses will have the opportunity to earn a nationally-recognized license from U.S. Soccer, a FIFA national association member and the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States.


A-Senior Courses will be offered in early 2022. More details about those courses will be announced later this year. For details on other U.S. Soccer Coaching Education courses please visit the Learning Center and review the information under “Available Courses” or check out our FAQ  page.