The U.S. Soccer Federation experienced a significant financial shift in fiscal year 2024, with both increased revenue through sponsorships and a sharp decrease in legal fees. According to the federation’s latest tax return, it spent $5.1 million on outside lawyers in FY24, a notable reduction from the more than $9 million spent in each of the two previous fiscal years and a dramatic drop from the $19 million paid out in FY20.
This downward trend in litigation expenses factored into U.S. Soccer’s ability to end the latest fiscal year nearly $6 million in the black, marking the first time since 2018 that the organization has posted a positive financial result.
Meanwhile, U.S. Soccer generated $196 million in total revenue, roughly half of which ($102 million) came from sponsorships. That was a dramatic increase from the $32 million in sponsorship money the federation earned the year before.
Overseeing its turnaround is U.S. Soccer’s third-year CEO and secretary general, JT Batson, who earned $805,240 in compensation for FY24. That was notably less than what his predecessor, William Wilson, received in 2023.
As reported by Sportico last week, Batson’s leadership has set U.S. Soccer on a course for new initiatives, including a potential significant financial involvement in reforming collegiate men’s soccer. At the same time, the organization has undergone a reorganization over the last year as it plans to relocate its headquarters from Chicago to suburban Atlanta by 2026. In October, The Athletic reported that U.S. Soccer laid off 30 employees.
On the spending side, the federation reported allocating $121 million to its national teams in FY24, $8.9 million to coach training and $4.6 million to its referee program. Additionally, the organization paid $4.1 million to MLS’ marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing, and $3.1 million to outside legal counsel Latham & Watkins.
In addition to Batson’s compensation, U.S. Soccer’s latest tax return also reflects payments made under its legacy deferred compensation plan to former CEOs and secretaries general. Dan Flynn, who led the organization from 2000 to 2019, received $1.56 million, while Hank Steinbrecher, who served from 1990 to 2000, was paid $940,848.
Wilson, who succeeded Flynn, led the federation for just over two-and-a-half years before resigning ahead of the 2022 World Cup to take a position as chief corporate development officer at Galway Holdings. Batson, a former tech entrepreneur, was appointed as his successor, in part to stabilize an organization plagued by legal controversies.
In 2019, U.S. Soccer was sued by members of the U.S. Women’s National Team for gender discrimination, claiming they were paid less than their male counterparts. The case was settled in 2022, with U.S. Soccer agreeing to a $24 million payout and a commitment to ensure equal pay moving forward.
Earlier this month, U.S. Soccer and MLS won a jury verdict in a lawsuit filed by the now-defunct North American Soccer League, which accused the governing body and the main U.S. pro league of conspiring to violate antitrust laws by blocking the NASL’s application to compete in the American soccer pyramid.
