CHARLESTON, S.C. (Sept. 4, 2018) - As the latest offering from US Club Soccer’s cornerstone long-term player development initiative, the application to become an official Players First-licensed club will go live on October 15.

With the addition of club licensing, Players First goes beyond its foundation of a philosophy and multitude of resources. In six weeks, it will also provide an official stamp of approval for Players First-licensed clubs to publicly show they meet the necessary standards. Quite simply, these clubs will have proven they are consistently putting their players first in everyday and long-term goals.

• Calendar of upcoming events and courses

To lead up to the license availability, US Club Soccer is preparing an abundance of articles and live video content from Players First partners and experts to be released over five weeks with each week themed as a Players First pillar. The offerings will be released as follows:

• Week of September 4: Parent Engagement & Education – featuring webinars to be streamed on Facebook Live and hosted by Soccer Parent Resource Center and Positive Coaching Alliance, with more materials from SCOUTINGZONE and Player’s Health
• Week of September 10: Player Development – featuring TopYa! and SCOUTINGZONE on Facebook Live, and media from Beast Mode Soccer and Counting Stars Worldwide
• Week of September 17: Coaching Development – featuring Facebook Live webinars from Beyond Pulse, and more content from SportSessionPlanner and Fit For 90
• Week of September 24: Club Development – featuring LaLiga and Kimet Sport streaming on Facebook Live, and more from World Football Academy and SportSessionPlanner
• Week of October 1: Player Health & Safety – Dev Mishra, of Sideline Sports Doc, and Holly Silvers, of 11+, will co-host a Facebook Live episode, plus content from Fit For 90’s John Cone and Positive Coaching Alliance

All live videos will be streamed on US Club Soccer’s Facebook page. Featured articles and other media, as well as the Players First club licensing application, will be available on usclubsoccer.org.

ABOUT US CLUB SOCCER:

A National Association member of the U.S. Soccer Federation, US Club Soccer fosters the growth and development of soccer clubs in order to create the best possible environment for players of all ages.

Anchored by Players First and its five pillars of Club Development, Coaching Development, Player Development, Parent Engagement & Education and Player Health & Safety, US Club Soccer offers registration, league- and cup-based competition platforms, player identification and a variety of other programming, resources and services.

US Club Soccer is sponsored by Nike and supported by LaLiga through a technical partnership.