KANSAS CITY, Mo. – With growing concerns across the country surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19), including on many college campuses, and for the safety of soccer coaches and student-athletes, United Soccer Coaches has canceled its 2020 Open Training Week, it was announced on Tuesday.
The event was scheduled for April 13-19.
“With nearly 200 programs and teams expected to host Open Training Week events and thousands of our members expected to attend, we had to put safety first,” United Soccer Coaches CEO Lynn Berling-Manuel said in a statement. “The operating phrase here for everyone is, ‘with an abundance of caution’. This is just the right thing to do now.”
Open Training Week provides soccer coaches from all levels and backgrounds the opportunity to experience new environments, observe high-level training sessions, and learn from one another. United Soccer Coaches member coaches at the men’s and women’s college and professional levels across the country welcome local members and their guests to attend a practice.
United Soccer Coaches is exploring options to reschedule the event later in 2020. This year’s Open Training Week was dedicated to Charlie Slagle, a 20-year head coach at Davidson College and past president of United Soccer Coaches who passed away in 2019.