ABSTRACT
By many measures, soccer in the United States is doing well. On the tenth anniversary since the establishment of Major League Soccer in 1996, there are numerous statistics that support the claim that American soccer at the recreational, professional and international levels is in fact successful. US Youth Soccer Association claims that there are over 3.2 million registered players with the world’s largest coaching and volunteer network of 800,000 people in 2004.[ 1 ] Even more telling, the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) of America claims that as of 2002, 1.3 million more kids played soccer than Little League Baseball.[ 2 ] American youth are choosing soccer over the national pastime. Furthermore, the SGMA reveals that in 2001 over 19 million Americans were playing soccer, a 23.8 per cent increase from 1987.[ 3 ] Of the 19 million Americans playing soccer, 8,775,000 are from ages 6–11; 6, 197,000 from 12–17; 1,640,000 from 18–24; 911,000 25–34; and 1,519,000 35+.[ 4 ] This phenomenon is not restricted to either the East or West coast, as regional participation is evenly distributed: Northeast, 3,944,000; North Central 5,781,000; South, 5,788,000; and West, 3,529,000. Soccer has become the second largest participation team sport in the US after basketball, leading the SGMA to declare, ‘American soccer participation … will never again be labeled a fad. Soccer is an integral part of America’s sports landscape.’[ 5 ] According to the SGMA, ‘Soccer is the “hot” team sport,’ with an increase of 41 per cent of frequent players.[ 6 ] The greatest driver of the increase in American soccer participation is the growth in women playing soccer. American Sports Data research reveals that female players now comprise 55 per cent of frequent players in 2000, compared to only 28 per cent in 1987.[ 7 ] At the college level, soccer is the most popular sport for women on NCAA teams.[ 8 ] With increased player participation, the corporate support and media attention to professional soccer cannot be far behind.
