US Soccer's JT Batson in the World Cup and Scaling the Game

US Soccer's Summer 2024 World Cup Strategy:

• Three core objectives were pursued:
  • Position the Men's National Team (MNT) for maximum success.
  • Ensure every American could participate in the tournament, evidenced by high TV ratings and community watch parties.
  • Accelerate long-term sport growth using the 2026 World Cup (USA, Canada, Mexico), 2028 LA Olympics, and 2031 Women's World Cup as a five-year catalyst similar to the 1994-1999 era.
• The MNT adopted a new attacking culture, shifting from a defensive "hang in there" mindset to a belief that every game is winnable.
• JT Batson notes this is the first time in his 43 years that a US men's national team game was entered with universal belief in a victory.

Sustaining Growth Post-World Cup:

• US Soccer aims to translate fan engagement into structural changes, specifically lobbying for:
  • Integration of soccer into school curricula (comparable to basketball subsidies).
  • Inclusion of soccer in municipal park programs.
  • Government and corporate investment to match the three-to-five billion dollar annual spending seen in high school football.
• The organization plans to use the momentum to build systems rather than relying solely on transient event excitement.

FIFA Capital Markets and Global Expansion:

• Batson views FIFA's potential sale of a stake to private equity as an opportunity to utilize capital markets to accelerate global growth.
• Emphasis is placed on ensuring FIFA's structure maximizes positive impact on the sport's development in every country.
• The expansion to 48 teams in the World Cup is cited as a successful investment that expanded global joy and participation.

US Soccer Organizational Structure and Ambitions:

• The organization manages 27 national teams, including youth squads, disability soccer (where it is a world leader), beach soccer, and futsal.
• US Soccer defines its role as three-part:
  • High Performance: Winning world cups and global titles.
  • Ecosystem Growth: Making soccer the #1 played sport in every community.
  • Social Impact: Serving as a force for good for individuals and families.
• A transformation over the past four years included hiring high-profile coaches (Maurizio Sarri, Emma Hayes) and growing staff from a few hundred to 600 employees.
• Headquarters and the new Arthur M. Blank National Training Center are now located in Atlanta, providing a dedicated home for all 27 national teams.

Coaching and Talent Acquisition:

• Recruitment of elite coaches is driven by the opportunity to impact the entire ecosystem rather than just a single team.
• The National Training Center serves as a key recruiting tool, offering coaches the ability to "touch and feel" the sport's future.
• Coaches are selected for their high EQ, inquisitiveness, and willingness to serve the institution's mission over personal prestige.

Youth Soccer Accessibility and Reform:

• The current "travel sports" model is criticized as "insane" due to high costs and excessive time commitments, which force children to specialize too early and exclude lower-income families.
• US Soccer is prioritizing cultural and systemic changes to reduce costs and travel burdens for youth players.
• A "female lens" approach is being applied to design women's and girls' soccer ecosystems, from early childhood through to World Cup ambitions.

College Soccer Pathways:

• College soccer is identified as a uniquely American institution vital for broad participation but currently underperforming as a premier development pathway for men.
• Proposed changes for NCAA Division I men's soccer include moving to a full-year (fall/spring) calendar and reducing game frequency to one per week, allowing better balance with academics.
• The women's college pathway remains prominent but requires evolution to maintain US leadership in global player development.

Professional League Relations (MLS/NWSL):

• US Soccer views MLS, NWSL, and USL as critical financial engines for the national team ecosystem.
• The organization maintains a strategic relationship with leagues to grow the sport, quality of the player pool, and commercial markets.
• Success is framed as interdependent: National teams cannot win without successful pro leagues, and vice versa.
• US Soccer is positioned to support both leagues as they navigate leadership changes, such as Don Garber's retirement in MLS.

Leadership and Organizational Culture:

• Batson applies business principles to soccer, noting that the industry historically lacked scaled businesses, creating a need to merge soccer experts with business professionals.
• A key strategic shift is moving from conflating "authority" with "influence," acknowledging that US Soccer must lead through influence to serve the broader ecosystem.
• The organization is focusing on building one-to-one relationships with all stakeholders (fans, players, coaches, refs) to improve the consumer experience at every touchpoint.
• The "challenger" mentality is being replaced by a belief that the US has the ingredients to become one of the world's great soccer countries.

Forward-Looking Statements:

• US Soccer aims to rewire the public's perception of soccer in America, moving from a "little engine that could" to a dominant force.
• The 10-year vision includes:
  • National teams consistently winning on the global stage.
  • Great pro leagues established within the US.
  • Soccer becoming the number one played sport in every community.
• The organization believes the "best days of soccer in America" are ahead due to the caliber of talent now being recruited into the sector.