The United States Soccer Federation has launched the Safe Soccer program, which will require a comprehensive vetting process of sports persons, as the federation continues to investigate misconduct by coaches in the National Women’s Soccer League.
The SAFE Soccer program has been announced on Monday to reorganize the criteria for participation in sports from youth level to professional leagues. This will include security training, background checks and annual reviews.
Its app will start with a pilot program involving US soccer staff, but will eventually expand to “all participants in the soccer ecosystem,” the federation announced. This process is believed to take years.
“We want to make sure that we remove bad actors from the game. But we also want to make sure that we encourage, inspire and reward the people who are doing the right thing.”
Both US Soccer and the NWSL have vowed to implement the recommendations of two scathing reports on systemic abuse and misconduct in the country’s top professional league.
US Soccer in October asked Attorney General Sally Q. published their results of the investigation led by Yates. Another report commissioned by the NWSL was published by the players’ union in December. Both are looking to expand and adopt measures to ensure the safety of players in the new year.
Man Shim and Sinead Farrelly, both NWSL players, publicly accused coach Paul Riley of sexual harassment and coercion in 2021. He was one of five of 10 coaches in the league who were fired or resigned that year due to allegations of improper conduct. Riley denied the allegations.
