Miriam Hickey: “I look forward to working with the Girls’ Academy directors and staff, our technical advisors, youth national team staff, and the entire soccer community to set standards that will produce the next generations of world-class players.” (Photo courtesy of U.S. Soccer)

U.S. Soccer Thursday announced the hiring of Miriam Hickey as the director of the Girls’ Development Academy.

As director, Hickey will oversee all technical aspects of the Girls’ Development Academy. The addition of the girls’ program into the Development Academy infrastructure is one of U.S. Soccer’s latest initiatives to help develop world-class coaches, players and referees in the United States.

Hickey joins U.S. Soccer after working as a women’s football instructor for FIFA, a national development officer for the Netherlands Football Federation and most recently as the girls’ director of coaching at Troy Soccer Club in Michigan.

“The Boys Development Academy has set the standard for youth development in this country and I am honored and excited for the opportunity to lead the Girls’ Development Academy,” Hickey said. “I look forward to working with the Girls’ Academy directors and staff, our technical advisors, youth national team staff, and the entire soccer community to set standards that will produce the next generations of world-class players.”

A professional with more than 25 years of experience developing players and coaches at the club, collegiate and national team levels, Hickey brings a superior level of knowledge of the current international standards for elite female youth player development. Her past experience includes:

* U.S. Soccer: A Aicense and National Girls TC Staff Coach

* FIFA women’s football instructor

* 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup technical study group

* 2016 Olympic Games – technical scouting SAFA

* 2016 FIFA Women’s Under-17 World Cup technical study group

* Girls club director in U.S. for more than 10 years

* Eight years in the technical department of the Netherlands Football Federation

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.