Sporting Director

Girls Academy; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

The Girls Academy is seeking a Sporting Director to lead and integrate sporting strategy across GA, Aspire, and Inspire in the United States. You will oversee staff, set priorities, and serve as the primary technical liaison with U.S. Soccer and partners.

You will shape competition architecture, player pathways, coach and scout development, and ensure alignment with club standards and organizational priorities. Regular travel and strong executive leadership are essential.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of progressive soccer experience with leadership responsibility.
• Deep understanding of U.S. youth soccer, the girls’ and women’s game.
• Ability to connect technical strategy with competition, club standards, membership, pathways, and priorities.
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of sporting strategy across GA, Aspire, and Inspire.
• Establish a connected technical framework across clubs, competition, people development, and player pathways.
• Advise the Commissioner and Board on significant sporting priorities, risks, opportunities, and decisions.
• Lead the Sporting Department with clear functional ownership, annual priorities, accountability, and cross-functional coordination.
• Use data, technical expertise, and knowledge of the national landscape to guide decisions.

Skills

Leadership

Strategy

Data analysis

Executive communication

People leadership

Decision making

Education

Soccer leadership experience

Understanding of U.S. youth soccer

Tools

Microsoft Office

Data platforms

Job description

The Sporting Director is the Girls Academy’s senior soccer and technical leader, responsible for setting and integrating sporting strategy across GA, Aspire, and Inspire. Reporting to the Commissioner, this role leads the Sporting Department and connects club standards, competition, coach development, Talent ID, and player pathways into one development system. The Sporting

Director oversees three full-time staff including the Director of League Competitions, Sporting Administrator, and Program Coordinator and is responsible for setting goals, supporting staff development, and managing performance. The Sporting Director serves as a primary technical representative with U.S. Soccer and other strategic soccer partners. The role sets direction, standards, priorities, and decision frameworks while leading functional owners responsible for day-to-day execution. It requires technical credibility, strategic judgment, people leadership, and the ability to turn vision into repeatable systems and measurable outcomes.*

Responsibilities

Sporting Strategy and Technical Leadership

• Lead development and execution of sporting strategy across GA, Aspire, and Inspire.
• Establish a connected technical framework across clubs, competition, people development, and player pathways.
• Advise the Commissioner and Board on significant sporting priorities, risks, opportunities, and decisions.
• Lead the Sporting Department with clear functional ownership, annual priorities, accountability, and cross-functional coordination.
• Use data, technical expertise, and knowledge of the national landscape to guide decisions.

U.S. Soccer and Strategic Relationships

• Serve as senior sporting liaison with U.S. Soccer on player identification, coach and scout education, standards, and development initiatives.
• Track developments in girls’ and women’s soccer and advise organizational leadership on positioning.
• Build technical relationships across youth, collegiate, professional, federation, and international soccer.
• Represent the Girls Academy in technical discussions, working groups, events, and partnerships.

Competition Architecture and Sporting Standards

• Set the philosophy and structure connecting league competition, events, qualification pathways, Champions Cup, and postseason play.
• Ensure competition supports player and club development, competitive balance, and meaningful progression.
• Oversee competition intelligence, performance benchmarks, flighting methods, and analysis of competitive health.
• Partner with the Director of League Competitions, Administration and Compliance on policy, standards, significant exceptions, and improvement.

Club Development and Membership Strategy

• Own the sporting framework and standards used to assess, support, develop, retain, progress, or remove members.
• Guide sporting strategy for recruitment, evaluation, onboarding, annual review, corrective action, and tier progression.
• Ground club decisions in consistent evidence, including profiles, performance data, standards monitoring, and development plans.
• Provide senior sporting input on consequential membership decisions while functional staff manage the year-round operating cycle.

Talent ID and Elite Player Pathways

• Set Talent ID and elite pathway strategy across identification, evaluation, tracking, exposure, and advancement.
• Oversee regional Talent ID, the scout network, player evaluation standards, and longitudinal player intelligence.
• Connect GA pathways with U.S. Soccer, college recruiting, representative opportunities, and professional and international pathways.
• Ensure pathway programming is intentional, measurable, and connected to the broader development model.

Coach, Director and Scout Development

• Set development strategy for coaches, technical leaders, and scouts.
• Guide licensing standards, development plans, the Coach Credential, continuing education, U.S. Soccer opportunities, and Talent Scout development.
• Ensure education improves league standards and players’ daily environments.
• Partner with staff and external experts on a coherent year-round development pathway.

First Year Outcomes

• Present a club sporting standards framework for member clubs, including how clubs are assessed, supported, and considered for tier progression.
• Implement a regional Talent ID structure, with consistent scouting criteria, player tracking, and a defined process for coordinating with US Soccer
• Establish an annual coach, technical leader, and scout education calendar that builds on the existing Coach Credential, and Talent Scout Course
• Provide the Commissioner with a quarterly sporting report on club standards, competition quality, Talent ID, education participation, and player advancement.

Department Leadership, Data and Integration

• Lead and develop Sporting staff; establish decision rights, reporting, and escalation pathways.
• Set an annual operating rhythm with priorities, dashboards, review cycles, and follow-through.
• Use competition, club, player, and people-development data consistently to guide decisions and measure progress.
• Guide technology and data partners so their systems support sporting strategy.
• Partner with Marketing and Communications to communicate sporting priorities, player advancement, competition, education, and membership pathways.

Required Qualifications

Education and Technical Background

• Girls’ or Women’s soccer leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Credibility in elite youth, collegiate, professional, federation, or comparable soccer environments.

Experience and Capabilities

• At least 10 years of progressive soccer experience, including substantial leadership responsibility.
• Deep understanding of U.S. youth soccer, the girls’ and women’s game, player pathways, and national structures.
• Experience leading people, strategy, and multiple programs at meaningful scale.
• Ability to connect technical strategy with competition, club standards, membership, player pathways, and organizational priorities.
• Strong executive communication and relationship skills with clubs, coaches, federation personnel, college and professional stakeholders, committees, and boards.
• Ability to use performance data and competitive intelligence to support sound technical judgment.
• Sound judgment in sensitive and confidential matters.
• Strong organization, analysis, problem solving, and decision making; self-directed, collaborative, and adaptable.

Knowledge and Skills

• Elite youth player development and the girls’ and women’s soccer landscape.
• U.S. Soccer ecosystem, national player pathway, coach education, and talent identification.
• Competition design, sporting standards, and club development.
• Scouting, player evaluation, and college and professional pathways.
• People leadership, organizational design, and cross-functional management.
• Data analysis, performance intelligence, and technology-supported decisions.
• Executive communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management.
• Microsoft Office and relevant soccer, collaboration, and data platforms.

Additional Requirements

• Required travel to GA events, club visits, industry meetings, and partner engagements.
• Regular evening and weekend work.
• Other duties as assigned.

About the Girls Academy

The Girls Academy is a national youth development platform for elite female soccer players in the United States. Our member clubs share a collective vision and actively engage players in shaping the league. We pursue excellence in coaching, competition, and regional and national showcase events.

We cultivate an environment that empowers each player to reach her potential as an athlete and person, and to build a lifelong love of the game through competition, showcases, and camaraderie.

The Girls Academy is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the communities we serve.