Four months after Sally Q. Yates released her independent investigation concerning allegations of abuse and misconduct across the NWSL, U.S. Soccer announced its plans to implement Yates’s recommendations. These include new and expanded safeguarding measures, from vetting of coaches to policy reform and more. U.S. Soccer has also promised annual public reports on safeguarding. Here’s what you need to know:
- U.S. Soccer is introducing the “Safe Soccer” framework, which will take a more proactive approach to vetting individuals wishing to participate: Instead of trying to identify and remove bad actors once they’re in the system, U.S. Soccer will instead green-light people via what it calls a “thorough, continuous vetting system.”
- The implementation committee, along with the established task force on pro league standards, has proposed amendments to those standards that would require sanctioned leagues and their respective teams to employ player safety officers, compile annual safeguarding reports, conduct annual training and player feedback surveys and more.
- And notably, one of those proposed changes to the pro league standards would “prohibit the use of non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements used to shield information about abuse allegations,”…
