An open letter from US Youth Soccer CEO Skip Gilbert: Greetings from Frisco, Texas – the home of US Youth Soccer. This year marks US Youth Soccer’s 50ᵗʰ anniversary. As proud as we are of our legacy, the start of 2024 also marked the beginnings of meaningful change. Earlier this spring, we began an earnest, in-depth evaluation of our National Championships, presented by New York Life. We achieved a significant degree of consensus – near unanimity – among our 54-member State Associations with our plans to reimagine our signature championship. We are thrilled to implement these exciting change ..read more

The new non-profit entity will help provide sports organizations across Ohio with risk management services to help them run their organizations more safely and efficiently. MAINEVILLE, Ohio (January 25, 2024) – Ohio Soccer Association (OSA) today announced the formation of a new non-profit subsidiary called The Ohio Sports Association (TOSA). The new subsidiary will provide youth sports organizations (of all types) across Ohio with various risk management services to help them run more efficiently and safely.  According to Gordon Henderson, CEO of Ohio Soccer Association, “The whole con ..read more

ANAHEIM, California (January 17, 2024) – Ohio Soccer Association (OSA) is pleased to announce that Simon Davis and Dr. Tom Turner were awarded the US Youth Soccer (USYS) National Girls Competitive Coach of the Year and the 2024 Dr. Thomas Fleck Award, respectively. Both were presented with their award during the USYS Awards Gala in Anaheim this past weekend. Davis has been coaching for more than 20 years.  In 2023, he helped guide the Columbus United G10 Lions to the treble – an Ohio State Cup Championship, Midwest Regional Championship, and the clubs first-ever national title last summ ..read more

MAINEVILLE, Ohio (January 17, 2024) – The United States Consortium of State Associations (USCSA) is excited to announce it has launched operations. Led by its Legacy Members from seven US Youth Soccer State Associations, its vision is to create a highly functioning network of state associations that will grow soccer participation by: Working collaboratively with US Soccer, US Youth Soccer, State Associations and other Organizational Members of US Soccer. Revolutionizing how State Associations interact. Focusing on developing processes that can expand influence. Grow soccer participation. Re ..read more

Two weeks of exciting action in the US Youth Soccer National League Conference Playoffs resulted in 20 Ohio teams progressing to the next round of qualification for the National Championships. All games took place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. Under the new format, teams who finish 1-3 in their four-team group advance to National League P.R.O., where they will be placed in groups with the teams who qualify from the Elite 64 Playoffs in January. There are three different pools and a team’s allocation to a pool is dependent on their final position in their Conference ..read more

Making sense of the alphabet soup of league options in Ohio. We get it. It can be hard to remember if you’re playing GLC or CvC, MVYSA or NWOYSL, ODL or OSSL. Is your league even a member of Ohio Soccer Association (OSA)? There seems to be an endless cauldron of league soup in youth soccer that can be hard to decipher. Each league offers something a little different so, as a coach, what is the right league for my team? Do you want a league that focuses on performance or development, or both? What are your league options within OSA or US Youth Soccer, either local, statewide, or regional? And ..read more

Whether you are new to coaching or have done it for many seasons, OSA is here to help make your life easier. Here are a few resources that are easy to use with your team! Coaches can plan effective, age-appropriate, expert-backed soccer practices in seconds with the MOJO app, which you can download for free. The MOJO app features 150+ soccer activities built with and backed by US Youth Soccer, OSA, United Soccer Coaches, and even FC Barcelona. This free app provides you with the tools you need to communicate more effectively with your team, including group messaging, calendars, pho ..read more

MAINEVILLE, Ohio (August 14, 2023) – Ohio Soccer Association (OSA) is excited to welcome Lori Williams as the newest addition to its Board of Directors. Williams, who resides in the greater Toledo area, will fill the vacant District I Representative seat. “Lori is a strong addition to our Board,” said Gordon Henderson, OSA CEO. “She brings over twenty years of experience in our sport and her work in the education sector with youth and parents is something we are keen to utilize. We are excited to work with her.” Williams is currently the Assistant Principal at Anthony Wayne Junior High Sc ..read more

ORLANDO – For the second straight year, at least one team from Ohio has won a national championship. Fourteen (14) teams from across Ohio qualified to participate in the 2023 US Youth Soccer National Championships at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida in July. Qualification occurs via participation in the National League path or the NCS path (State Cup, Midwest Regional Championships). In addition, the Columbus United G10 Toffees qualified for the National Presidents Cup – a separate but intense event – by virtue of winning the Ohio Presidents Cup (state) and the Midwe ..read more

Ohio Olympic Development Program (ODP) player Shelby Vaughn (2005, North FC) was in Texas this week to participate in the prestigious Dallas Cup after receiving the call-up to the 2005 Girls ODP National team. Vaughn, who will play collegiality at Michigan State University, is one of 16 players from around the country selected to the national team in her age group. Each selected player has moved through the different phases of the ODP program in their state, and often over the course of multiple seasons. Vaughn, for example, has participated in ODP for several years, which has seen her progr ..read more