Q: How are the U.S. men’s and women’s national soccer teams funded and how much are the players paid?
—Shiras Guion, Canton
A: The U.S. Soccer Federation, which was founded in 1913, funds the national teams and takes in revenue through a variety of ways. These include (The Washington Post reported):
- Sponsorship deals with corporations, including an extension with Nike that runs through 2022.
- Broadcast rights to matches
- Home matches
- Player and membership registration
- Referee registration
- Coaching programs and schools
The U.S. Soccer Federation is projected to have $91 million in revenue for the 2016 fiscal year, which ends next March, Crain’s Chicago Business reported in June.
Many of the U.S. national team members play professional soccer, either in the U.S. or internationally and sign deals worth various amounts.
Players who made last year’s U.S. men’s World Cup team were paid $76,000, SI.com reported in May 2014.
Three U.S. women’s team members were among the federation’s top 10 highest-paid employees — making between $272,913 and $282,564 that year — after they finished second in the 2011 World Cup, according to tax records.
U.S. women’s team player Alex Morgan also reportedly makes $3 million a year from various sponsorship and endorsement deals, including Nike, Coca-Cola and Nationwide.
Other U.S. men and women players also have sponsorship and endorsement deals.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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