By: Emily Eitzman / USAFF Technical Director / emilyeitzman.com
July 23, 2023
The United States Football Federation (USAFF) was formed in November of 2022 with a hefty but imperative goal in mind: provide every female amputee the opportunity to play amputee soccer. While the organization has a special focus on women as there are currently much fewer female amputee soccer teams as there are male teams, the organization works to provide every individual access to the game.
The organization has made immense strides towards its goals. On a national scale, USAFF has held two amputee soccer camps in Frisco, Texas. With such great success at the first camp, it was inevitable to find a number of returning players at the second camp. These camps included an appearance from Dee Malchow, a cofounder of amputee soccer in Seattle, Washington, in addition to the attendance of numerous Amputee Football World Cup players, Lonestar Adaptive Soccer athletes, Miracle League players, and the FC Dallas coaching staff. USAFF has plans to continue providing amputee soccer camps across the country with a camp currently scheduled in Oregon later this year and much more on the horizon. Furthermore, USAFF is proud to have partnered with Miracle League, which is another organization breaking down the barriers to adaptive sports.
While USAFF has already done great work to increase awareness for amputee soccer in the United States, USAFF has not limited all that they are doing to the national level. Members of USAFF went to Barranquilla, Colombia and Ciudad Valles, San Luis Potosí, Mexico earlier this year to help run their first ever women-focused amputee soccer camps. These camps were both successful with a turnout in Colombia which included a warm embrace and press conference by the First Lady of Colombia. Prior to 2023, USAFF representatives partnered with Operation Go Quickly where they held a soccer camp in Sierra Leone, West Africa, with over 40 attendees from 5 countries. USAFF will also be headed to many other countries in the 2023-2024 season including, but not limited to, Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, and Guatemala.
These are only some of the impacts USAFF has made. With passionate and determined board members, unwavering support from collaborating organizations, and the exceptional dedication and work ethic of the athletes, the amputee soccer community can look forward to exponential growth for the sport and a world where amputee soccer and able-bodied soccer no longer bear such differences with regards to access.
USAFF extends great thanks and appreciation to all who have helped make the above accomplishments possible.