The FIFA Forward Development Programme is underpinning the U.S. Soccer Federation’s (USSF) push to reinforce football’s foundations across the United States by providing significant funding for the Innovate to Grow (ITG) initiative. The FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ and the FIFA World Cup 26™ – the latter co-hosted with North American neighbours Canada and Mexico – will both be staged in the U.S. and are expected to give significant impetus to the growth of football in the country. That increased exposure to the game will assist ITG in its mission to ensure the long-term health of the beautiful game in the U.S. as it seeks to strengthen football’s grassroots by providing funding for nationwide amateur USSF member organisations, young male and female players, and amateur coaches and referees. “The ITG programme embodies USSF and FIFA’s commitment to empowering the federation’s membership, recognising their essential role in advancing football across the USA,” said FIFA Lead of the Regional Office based in Panama, José Alfonso Rodríguez. “By fostering new and innovative programs, the aim is to enhance participation and inspire a thriving football community for generations to come.” “U.S. Soccer established the Innovate to Grow program in 2017 to support our members in developing innovative programming to increase participation,” explained Melissa Radke, U.S. Soccer Director of Member Strategy. “FIFA recognising the importance of investing in our members through this program and supporting it with FIFA Forward funds has provided additional validation of the impact that U.S. Soccer member organisations have with their participants and programming every day.”

FIFA Forward is providing USD 3 million of the USD 3.334 million cost of the current phase of the initiative, which runs from August 2023 through to February 2027. Of the 27 projects representing 25 USSF member associations that will receive ITG funding, eight are first-time recipients, while all align with U.S. Soccer’s philosophies on player development, coaching and player safety. ITG, which allows for proposals of new programmes or scaling up existing programmes piloted within the past three years, focuses on four strategic areas: increasing youth and adult participation, improving retention rates, removing social and economic barriers to access in underserved and unaffiliated organisations in both rural and urban areas, and encouraging diverse forms of play. Many programmes are integrated with the education system, such as the Indianapolis Public Schools Futsal programme, part of a statewide push to bring the world’s game to the backyards of more than 1.1 million school-age children living in Indiana.

“To be aligned with FIFA and U.S. Soccer in this worthy mission, and to have the support of the national and international stewards of our sport is immeasurable,” said Dave Guthrie, Indiana Soccer Executive Director. “The resources provided will assist Indiana Soccer in reaching every school-aged child in Indiana with the beautiful game.” One of 16 FIFA World Cup 26 Host Cities, Atlanta will stage eight games during the tournament, which – with 48 teams representing all six global football confederations – will be the most inclusive in history. Inclusion and opening up access to the game to give every child the opportunity to play was the sentiment at the heart of the ITG project in the city. “The support of FIFA and U.S. Soccer in providing us this grant has made it possible to see our vision of bringing more soccer to more kids in more communities come to life. We’re currently at 13 different locations in and around Atlanta – all communities where traditional youth soccer is very difficult to access,” said Dan Howald, Senior Director of Program Implementation at the American Youth Soccer Organization, which has teamed up with Georgia Soccer to deliver the project.

“We are so grateful for the opportunity to achieve what we’ve set out to do, and we’re proud to be doing our part to nurture new excitement about soccer ahead of the [FIFA] World Cup in 2026.” Improving referee and coaching education resources and capacity-building is another important facet of the initiative. In Illinois, ITG funding enabled the Illinois Youth Soccer Association to cover the cost of registration for the USSF’s First-Time Referee Course in February 2024 as well as half of the cost of the 10-piece referee starter kit for 13-17 year-olds. Working with the Illinois Soccer Referee Committee and local clubs, this led to 300 players being registered as USSF referees by 1 October this year. “FIFA’s support has made a tremendous impact on grassroots soccer by encouraging us to create and implement new ideas that will cultivate a nurturing soccer environment,” said Mary Jane Bender, Illinois Youth Soccer Association Executive Director. “It also proves that FIFA is a viable, caring organisation that understands and supports our reality and helps us develop solutions for a better soccer experience.”

“The ITG programme paves the way for member organisations of USSF to launch fresh initiatives that not only engage but also expand the traditional reach, searching also to prioritise community growth,” concluded Rodríguez, who saw for himself the benefits of the ITG initiatives in Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Chicago. “All in all, after visiting some of the local initiatives, the programme is more than just funding – it’s an investment in innovation, participation, and a shared commitment to the game.”