US Youth Soccer

FRISCO, Texas (November 27, 2023) – One week after announcing the recipients of its regional awards, US Youth Soccer is thrilled to share this year’s national award winners.

Each of US Youth Soccer’s four regions (East, Midwest, South and Far West) had a State Association with a national winner, acting as a testament to the many strong nominations submitted this year. The following individuals stood out throughout a weeks-long voting process that started at the state-wide level.

national award winners

Administrator of the Year	Rob Martella (North Texas)
Boys Competitive Coach of the Year	Trent Heil (Michigan)
Boys Recreation Coach of the Year	Nate Testman (West Virginia)
Girls Competitive Coach of the Year	Simon Davis (Ohio)
Girls Recreation Coach of the Year	Lloyd McIntyre (West Virginia)
TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year	Emma Coughenour (Wyoming)
TOPSoccer Coach of the Year	Brooklyn Turner (Wisconsin)
Volunteer of the Year	Dana Santilli (Massachusetts)
Young Female Referee of the Year	Kayla Romine (Virginia)
Young Male Referee of the Year	John Allen (West Virginia)

Each recipient has been invited to attend US Youth Soccer’s 2024 awards event, “The Ball.” Held in Anaheim, California, The Ball will take place on January 12, 2024, in conjunction with the USYS Workshop at the United Soccer Coaches Convention.

About US Youth Soccer

US Youth Soccer, the largest youth sport organization in the country, is on a mission to provide world-class support, resources, and leadership, helping every member fulfill their goals on and off the field of play. US Youth Soccer registers nearly 2.5 million players annually. Through its programming, resources and leadership, US Youth Soccer is advancing the game for its 54 Member State Associations, 10,000 clubs and leagues and nearly 1 million administrators, coaches, and volunteers. US Youth Soccer connects families and communities to the power of sports and its shared love of soccer. US Youth Soccer provides a path for every player, offering programs that provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game.

-USYS-

FRISCO, Texas (November 20, 2023) – US Youth Soccer (USYS) announced today the regional recipients of its annual awards. Nineteen different State Associations from across the country were represented with a regional award winner, showcasing the true scope of USYS.

Following a voting process that started at the state-wide level, the following candidates will now be considered for the national honor in each respective category.

East region

Administrator of the Year	Terry Reed (Delaware)
Boys Competitive Coach of the Year	Kevin Skarupa (New Hampshire)
Boys Recreation Coach of the Year	Nate Testman (West Virginia)
Girls Competitive Coach of the Year	Kyle Courteau (Massachusetts)
Girls Recreation Coach of the Year	Lloyd McIntyre (West Virginia)
TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year	Matt Rosenthal (New Jersey)
TOPSoccer Coach of the Year	Timothy Schwabenbaurer (Eastern New York)
Volunteer of the Year	Dana Santilli (Massachusetts)
Young Female Referee of the Year	Kayla Romine (Virginia)
Young Male Referee of the Year	John Allen (West Virginia)

MIDWEST region

Administrator of the Year	Brittany Monroe (Kentucky)
Boys Competitive Coach of the Year	Trent Heil (Michigan)
Boys Recreation Coach of the Year	Joseph Schmidt (Ohio)
Girls Competitive Coach of the Year	Simon Davis (Ohio)
Girls Recreation Coach of the Year	Christina Fidkowski (Michigan)
TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year	Rayna Young (Wisconsin)
TOPSoccer Coach of the Year	Brooklyn Turner (Wisconsin)
Volunteer of the Year	Tracy Black (Kentucky)
Young Female Referee of the Year	Alexis Pickerel (Michigan)
Young Male Referee of the Year	Jack Ryan (Wisconsin)

SOUTH region

Administrator of the Year	Rob Martella (North Texas)
Boys Competitive Coach of the Year	Cesar Salinas (Tennessee)
Boys Recreation Coach of the Year	Jeremy Lansing (Tennessee)
Girls Competitive Coach of the Year	Gentry Johnson (Mississippi)
Girls Recreation Coach of the Year	Edith Verastegui (North Texas)
TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year	Ashlyn Oglesby (North Texas)
TOPSoccer Coach of the Year	Elizabeth Warlick (Tennessee)
Volunteer of the Year	Rufus Woodard (Tennessee)
Young Female Referee of the Year	Janna McNulty (Lousiana)
Young Male Referee of the Year	Edson Lopez (North Texas)

WEST region

Administrator of the Year	Trent Hultman (Wyoming)
Boys Competitive Coach of the Year	David Ferguson (Wyoming)
Boys Recreation Coach of the Year	Thomas Adu (Wyoming)
Girls Competitive Coach of the Year	Brian Hokanson (Wyoming)
Girls Recreation Coach of the Year	Vic Bonilla (New Mexico)
TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year	Emma Coughenour (Wyoming)
TOPSoccer Coach of the Year	Stacey Umbach (Wyoming)
Volunteer of the Year	Jim Handy (Washington)
Young Female Referee of the Year	Ingrid Yan (Washington)
Young Male Referee of the Year	Jacob Dirks (Arizona)

National winners will be announced later this month, and each recipient will be honored at the 2024 US Youth Soccer awards event, “The Ball.” Set to be held on January 12, 2024, The Ball will be held in Anaheim, California, in conjunction with the USYS Workshop at the United Soccer Coaches Convention.

About US Youth Soccer

US Youth Soccer, the largest youth sport organization in the country, is on a mission to provide world-class support, resources, and leadership, helping every member fulfill their goals on and off the field of play. US Youth Soccer registers nearly 2.5 million players annually. Through its programming, resources and leadership, US Youth Soccer is advancing the game for its 54 Member State Associations, 10,000 clubs and leagues and nearly 1 million administrators, coaches, and volunteers. US Youth Soccer connects families and communities to the power of sports and its shared love of soccer. US Youth Soccer provides a path for every player, offering programs that provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game.

FRISCO, Texas (October 12, 2023) – US Youth Soccer (USYS) is thrilled to kick off its year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary by revealing the full slate of major events for the 2023-24 season.

The event schedule, which features competition in five U.S. time zones, includes National Championship Series, Presidents Cup and National League events, plus USYS Olympic Development Program (ODP) teams playing in established tournaments against club and international teams for the second-straight year.

Headlining the list is a return to the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kan., for National Presidents Cup and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., for Nationals to close down our championship season.

• National League Elite 64 Playoffs: Legacy Park in Mesa, Ariz., from November 3-6, 2023, and November 10-13, 2023.

• National League Conference Playoffs: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., from December 1-4, 2023, and December 8-11, 2023.

• Olympic Development Program (ODP) Interregionals: ChampionsGate Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., from January 18-22, 2024 (Girls), and January 24-28, 2024 (Boys).

• National League Elite 64 Playoffs: Austin Tindall Sports Complex and ChampionsGate Sports Complex in Greater Orlando, Fla., from January 19-23, 2024, and January 26-30, 2024.

• National League P.R.O.: Tournament Sportsplex of Tampa Bay in Tampa, Fla., from February 23-27, 2024.

• Dallas Cup (ODP): Multiple facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, from March 23-31, 2024.

• Easter International Cup (ODP): Multiple facilities in Greater Orlando, Fla., from March 27-30, 2024.

• National League P.R.O.: SoCal Sports Complex in Oceanside, Calif., from May 3-7, 2024.

• Eastern Presidents Cup: Shawnee Sports Complex in Charleston, W.Va., and the Barboursville Soccer Complex in Barboursville, W.VA., from June 14-18, 2024.

• Midwest Presidents Cup: Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, S.D., from June 14-18, 2024.

• Southern Presidents Cup: Russell Creek Park in Plano, Texas, from June 14-18, 2024.

• Far West Presidents Cup: Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah, from June 14-18, 2024.

• Midwest Regional Championships: Garmin Olathe Soccer Complex in Olathe, Kan., and Schools Overland Park Soccer Complex in Overland Park, Kan., from June 21-26, 2024.

• Southern Regional Championships: Tournament Sportsplex of Tampa Bay in Tampa, Fla., and the Lake Myrtle Soccer Complex in Auburndale, Fla., from June 21-27, 2024.

• Far West Regional Championships: Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii, from June 21-27, 2024.

• Eastern Regional Championships: Shawnee Sports Complex in Charleston, W.Va., and the Barboursville Soccer Complex in Barboursville, W.Va., from June 27 – July 3, 2024.

• National Presidents Cup: Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kan., from July 12-16, 2024.

• National Championships: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., from July 23-28, 2024.

There will be much to recognize in 2024, whether it be the newly-crowned champions of Presidents Cup and our National Championships or USYS’ anniversary. As the calendar gets ready to flip, US Youth Soccer is excited to embark on a year-round celebration commemorating its 50 years of growing the game by revealing new, branded marks for the landmark.

The 50th anniversary marks include primarily blue and primarily red versions of the shield logo, as well as one where the “50” is gold in a nod to the golden anniversary.

US Youth Soccer was founded in 1974 and features 2.5 million players participating annually. Its mission is “To provide world-class support, resources, and leadership, helping every member fulfill their goals on and off the field of play.”

USYS also unveiled a campaign slogan “It Starts with US | Youth Soccer,” where the “US” serves as a double entendre, representing both the word “us” and the United States portion of the organizational name.

Video reveal of new campaign slogan and 50th-anniversary mark can be found here.

“We are proud to celebrate our 50th anniversary and thank the millions of players who have donned the USYS shield over the last five decades,” said US Youth Soccer CEO Skip Gilbert.

“We recognize those who founded our wonderful organization and the executives at our national office and the State Associations who made — and continue to make — US Youth Soccer what it is today. Most, we want to acknowledge past and present players, coaches, volunteers, parents and family members who are the lifeblood of our organization.”

About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer)

US Youth Soccer, the largest youth sport organization in the country, is on a mission to provide world-class support, resources, and leadership, helping every member fulfill their goals on and off the field of play. US Youth Soccer registers nearly 2.5 million players annually. Through its programming, resources and leadership, US Youth Soccer is advancing the game for its 54 Member State Associations, 10,000 clubs and leagues and one million administrators, coaches, and volunteers. US Youth Soccer connects families and communities to the power of sports and its shared love of soccer. US Youth Soccer provides a path for every player, coach and referee offering programs that provide a fun, safe and healthy environment at every level of the game.

-USYS-