Ed Foster-Simeon to receive 2020 Honorary All-America Award from United Soccer Coaches

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – United Soccer Coaches announced that U.S. Soccer Foundation President & CEO Ed Foster-Simeon has been selected to receive the association’s 2020 Honorary All-America Award.

Foster-Simeon will be presented the award at the association’s All-America Ceremony taking place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16 during the United Soccer Coaches Digital Convention.

“Ed Foster-Simeon’s meaningful service to both soccer interests and the country, and successful leadership across several arenas of soccer and public life establish him as an exemplary Honorary All-American,” said Kevin Sims, United Soccer Coaches President. “The work of the U.S. Soccer Foundation is impacting lives positively where the need is greatest. United Soccer Coaches proudly celebrates his exceptional contributions.”

A champion of soccer as a vehicle for youth development and social change, Ed Foster-Simeon has been President and CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation since May 2008. He has more than three decades of experience at the local, state, and national level of the game and has been an active member of the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Board of Directors since 2004.

Under his leadership, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has become a nationally recognized leader in sports-based youth development. The organization places a special emphasis on programs that improve health and social outcomes among children in underserved communities. To date, the Foundation has engaged 300,000 children in Soccer for Success, its program proven to help children establish healthy habits and develop critical life skills through the game. The Foundation has also installed 380 mini-pitches nationwide in an effort to provide more kids safe places to play in communities that often lack recreational facilities or fields. One of these mini-pitches was donated by the Foundation, MUSCO Lighting and United Soccer Coaches to the City of Baltimore at last year’s Convention.

In 2019, the U.S. Soccer Foundation was given the Role Model Award by Football is More, a global non-profit foundation. The foundation’s work was also recognized with the 2010 Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy, which is presented by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans. The foundation’s work also earned a prestigious Social Innovation Fund award in the Healthy Futures portfolio and multiple Justice Department Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Multi-State Mentoring awards.

Prior to joining the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Foster-Simeon served as Deputy Managing Editor at USA TODAY where he was responsible for Washington, Political and Foreign news operations. At the grassroots level, he is a former Vice President of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association and past president of Prince William Soccer, Inc. in Northern Virginia. In 2011, Foster-Simeon was awarded a Community Leadership Award from the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) and in 2017 he was inducted into the Virginia-DC Soccer Hall of Fame.

A U.S. Navy veteran, Foster-Simeon serves as a Trustee of the NAACP Foundation.

Each year, the United Soccer Coaches Honorary All-America Award is presented to a person or persons who have brought particular distinction and/or attention to the sport of soccer through their efforts within and beyond the boundaries of the sport. Among past recipients, the categories of persons recognized have included astronauts, entertainers, politicians, military personnel, administrators and other individuals connected to the game. Visit UnitedSoccerCoaches.org to learn more.