“We need to make sure this Federation is for everyone, not just the people at the top”

Chris Kessell announced his intention to run for Vice President of the United States Soccer Federation on November 30th. The Vice Presidential election had run a little under the radar compared to the high profile election for the Federation’s President but it is swiftly approaching. The deadline for interested candidates to declare interest and provide the 3 required Letters of Nomination to the Federation is December 18th. The field has been decidedly thin so Kessell’s announcement has started the build-up to the election in earnest.

While the announcement of Kessell’s candidacy was met with ringing endorsements from those who know him in West Virginia and indeed those contacts he has made through a long-standing impact on the sector of social media affectionately known as “Soccer Twitter,” it’s understandable that many associated with the game on a National level might ask, “Who?”

“I will be viewed by some people as, ‘This is just some guy from West Virginia who is trying to rock the boat’”

This will likely be the view of some of USSF’s board but Chris is anything but “just some guy.” Chris may be one of the foremost examples of leadership at the grassroots level in the country. He is the President of West Side Soccer Club, a club that provides playing and coaching opportunities to kids and adults in Charleston. As part of that he has run a coaching education and mentorship program at the club. This issue is one of the first on Chris’ platform in this election.

“Right now, we have a coaching licensure program masquerading as coaching education,” Chris wrote in his platform announcement. We are often guilty of conflating the two in coaching discussions in the US. Those coaches with the higher licenses are automatically seen as having received coaching education but the two are actually separate. He is calling for improved coaching education for those volunteer coaches that are so important at the grassroots level.