The year 1941 is remembered by most Americans as the year the United States entered World War II. However, for those professionals who dedicate their lives to the sport of soccer, 1941 stands as a milestone for the sport in this country. Eleven months before that eventful Sunday morning of December 7th, a handful of insightful men created an organization that would grow to have great impact on the world of U.S. soccer. The fledgling group, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, would become the largest soccer coaching group anywhere in the world.

 

From "The First 50 Years, 1941-1991: The History of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America" by Joseph W. Bean and Timothy O. Schum.

 

From humble beginnings as an informal get-together of a handful of collegiate coaches who lingered after a meeting of the Eastern Intercollegiate Coaches Association, the NSCAA has grown into the largest organization of its kind in the United States. Starting with 80 members that year, the organization has grown to 24,000 strong. That they touch the game of soccer at every level and work with both genders makes the NSCAA unique on the American sporting landscape.

 

The initial goals of the organization, set in 1941, still define its purpose in its seventh decade. They were:

From these initial goals, the NSCAA has developed programs that establish it as a leader on the soccer landscape. Its coaching education program is considered among the finest in the world. A key component of it is the annual NSCAA Convention, billed as "The World's Largest Annual Gathering of Soccer Coaches." In addition, the extensive NSCAA awards programs recognizes the achievement of outstanding players and coaches at all levels of the game, presenting nearly 10,000 individual awards through its All-America, Scholar All-America, Team Academic Awards, Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and special organizational contribution awards such as the NSCAA Hall of Fame and the NSCAA Honor Award. The NSCAA/adidas National Rankings program recognizes outstanding teams at all levels of intercollegiate play and at the high school level. Most recently, NSCAA reached an agreement with Soccer Information Systems to offer the adidas College Soccer Scoreboard, where a network of 2,700 volunteers input schedules and results of virtually every college team in the nation, providing a single source of all intercollegiate soccer results for the growing body of fans in the U.S.

NSCAA Code of Ethics

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At its mid-year meeting in 2001, the NSCAA Board of Directors approved the following Code of Ethics and Conduct, which was implemented immediately. It is provided here as a service to our members.

1. Soccer is the players’ game. The paramount concern of coaches is the holistic development, welfare, enjoyment and safety of their players.
2. Coaches bear responsibility for teaching their players to strive for success while playing fairly, observing the Laws of the Game and the highest levels of sportsmanship.
3. Coaches shall treat officials with respect and dignity, and shall teach their players to do the same.
4. Our opponents are worthy of being treated with respect. Coaches will model such respect for opponents and expect their players to do likewise.
5. In both victory and defeat, the behavior of a coach shall model grace, dignity and composure.
6. Coaches shall adhere to the highest standards and the regulations of the institutions they represent: clubs, schools, sponsoring organizations and sports governing bodies.
7. Coaches have a responsibility to promote the interests of soccer, including treating media with courtesy, honesty and respect.
8. Coaches shall model inclusive behavior, actively supporting cultural diversity while opposing all types of discrimination, including, but not limited to, racism and sexism, at all levels of soccer.
9. Coaches are responsible for taking an active role in education about, and prevention and treatment of, drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse, both in their own lives and in the lives of their players.
10. Coaches shall refrain from all manner of personal abuse and harassment of others, whether verbal, physical, emotional or sexual, and shall oppose such abuse and harassment at all levels of soccer.
11. Coaches shall respect the declared affiliations of all players, and shall adhere to all guidelines and regulations on recruiting established by the governing bodies having oversight of their teams and leagues.
12. Coaches shall seek to honor those who uphold the highest standards and principles of soccer and shall use appropriate protocol to oppose and eliminate all behavior that brings disrepute to the sport - violence, abuse, dishonesty, disrespect and violations of the Laws of the Game and rules governing competition.

Members who have questions concerning this Code of Ethics and Conduct or who wish to become involved with the committee’s work in ethics for the sport of soccer, please contact:

 

Dr. Brian Crossman
Chair, NSCAA Ethics Committee
Covenant College
14049 Scenic Highway
Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Office Phone: 706-419-1513
Email: crossman@covenant.edu

Mission Statement

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The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) helps its members excel in their coaching careers as well as advances the coaching of soccer, thereby improving players, through a commitment to provide the best coaching education, convention, and member services and benefits to the soccer community.

 

VISION STATEMENT

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) will be the leading organization in the world dedicated to serving the needs of soccer coaches.

 

CORE VALUES

The core values of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) are a commitment to:

• Deliver value to each member that exceeds their expectations;
• Uphold a sense of family and acknowledge past contributions;
• Maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct and sportsmanship
• Fiscal responsibility;
• Meet the needs of a diverse membership;
• Serve the greater good of the game; and
• Manage the Association through teamwork and open, honest communications.

GOALS

• Be the media’s primary source on soccer coaching and player development topics in the United States.
• Provide the online resource of choice for soccer coaches.
• Provide the leadership and management to effectively implement the 2007-2012 strategic plan.
• Increase revenues from external sources five to seven percent annually and also develop external non-revenue sources.
• Increase NSCAA membership to 30,000 by 2012.
• Provide the most comprehensive soccer coaching education program in the United States.
• Enhance the reputation of the NSCAA convention as the leading event in the United States for soccer coaches.
• Offer benefits and services that members consider the most important.
• Build the NSCAA Foundation endowment to $1 million.