Missouri Youth Soccer Association

With our expertise and influence, we are in a unique position to serve the most youth, most effectively. MYSA is a fully-operational 501c3 that serves 30,000 youth annually and expands beyond that with influence and impact. We are growing and putting resources forward to increase our impact in providing positive experiences for players, coaches, referees, and parents across the state.

The outreach projects of our organization serve to provide:
1. Scholarships for players from low-socioeconomic income families to participate in the Olympic Development Program for exposure to opportunities to continue their education and soccer careers
2. Ways for youth of low socioeconomic resource to develop alongside their peers in the sport to receive the benefits developmental benefits of safe and effective learning environments.
3. Free coaching education in collaboration with the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer to provide League America Coaching Education for recreational coaches in 14 leagues and 10 free Coaching U courses for 150+ coaches each year in collaboration with STL CITY SC.
4. Assistance for Soccer for Success (in-school and after-school soccer programs) and TOPSoccer (adapted ability soccer programs) sites of the state for developing, expanding, and implementing programming
5. Connect urban, rural, and adapted soccer programs throughout the state as a means of collaboration and resource sharing
6. Advocating and collaborating for mini-pitch development so youth in underserved areas have a safe space to express themselves and connect with peers in their community through soccer
7. Spearheading the development of resources for coaches, players, referees, and parents in League America aimed at revitalizing recreational soccer across the country through CONNECTION, HONOR, and DEVELOPMENT.

For our outreach programming, impact for youth who cannot afford to play or are otherwise excluded from the pay-to-play system are our focus.

We are continually building and sharing resources aimed at empower coaches to provide safe, effective, and fun learning experiences for players at the grassroots level (base of the development pyramid). Too often, money is invested up to more and more competitive efforts to grow sport. We are investing down to the base of the pyramid to care for the greatest number of coaches, players, referees, and parents and to assist in the facilitation of positive and quality first experiences in sport for youth across our state that will empower and fortify their lives, highlighting the strengths of sport and seeing out the vision of what sport can be!

For our adapted soccer environments, youth who are excluded from standard recreational and competitive soccer experiences due to differences in intellectual, emotional, and/or physical ability are connected to adapted soccer programming, such as the Special Needs Soccer Association (SPENSA). For our rural environments, players who are out of the service area for participation in larger city leagues are served through coaching education to develop their coaches in providing safe, effective learning environments and support in the development of their programming.

Soccer is a game for all, and we aim to serve all entrusted to our care with the lens we know best: soccer!