The USL Super League's first-ever president is a Tucson resident and Sabino High School graduate.
Amanda Vandervort will run the second-division women’s soccer league when it kicks off in 2023, the USL Super League announced Tuesday. She comes from Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels (FIFPro), where she served as the Chief Women's Football Officer. She co-authored the 2020 Raising Our Game Report, an overview on the growing women’s soccer industry. Before that, she served as Major League Soccer's vice president in charge of customer-relationship management and social media and vice president of fan engagement .
The USL Super League said Vandervort will will "lead all aspects of USL’s distinct youth-to-professional women’s soccer pathway, creating thousands of opportunities for players, fans, coaches and staff in the women’s game. Vandervort will work with communities, players, clubs, owners and partners to build the USL Super League into a financially sustainable, globally recognized sports entity."
“It’s such an exciting privilege to be in this position,” Vandervort said. “Together we’ll build a competitive environment for elite women players, coaches and referees at the professional level. We'll create opportunities for fans to experience the women’s game in their local communities and provide value to those investing in this high-growth platform. I’m excited to be helping the USL realize the Super League’s potential and drive the women’s game forward.”
A state championship goalkeeper at Sabino and a member of the Star's All-Southern Arizona team in 1997, Vandervort played collegiately at Wyoming before going into coaching. She coached New York University's women's soccer team for four years, and has also run youth and adult teams.
It's unclear what the creation of the USL Super League means for FC Tucson's women's team, which has played in the Women's Premier Soccer League since its founding in 2015. An FC Tucson women's team spokesperson said the club is "committed to the WPSL in 2022 and defending our championship. We are looking all our options for the future as we are committed to growing women's soccer in Southern Arizona."
