Bio

ABOUT AMANDA

Amanda Vandervort is a soccer coach, player and sports business executive with a 20-year track record of soccer leadership stretching across the youth, high school, college and professional game. She is a service-oriented leader who believes in a diverse and inclusive world where anyone who wants to get involved in soccer has the access and opportunity to do so, and then the education and support to succeed.

Today, Vandervort is the President of the USL Super League, leading the fastest growing connected women’s soccer network in the world including the professional Super League, pre-professional USL W League, and USL Academy for girls. Through engaging with communities, brands and partners, Amanda is driving the Super League’s strategic growth, building a people-centric pathway from youth to pro and creating a long-term sustainable business for the future of women’s soccer.

Vandervort joined the USL after serving as Chief Women’s Football Officer of FIFPRO, the global player’s association based in Amsterdam, where she directed strategy, policy, and stakeholder relations. She published Raising Our Game, a women’s football report detailing global industry standards and a player-centric approach to improving the game.

She also serves on the AFDP Global and Global Goals World Cup Advisory Boards - both non-profit organizations dedicated to building community through soccer - and is a member of the United Soccer Coaches Foundation Committee. She has been a featured speaker at several top sports business conferences and events, including Leaders in Football, SXSW, SoccerEx and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Symposiums in Germany 2011, Canada 2015 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup Convention in France 2019. Vandervort was honored as a Sports Business Journal Game Changer in 2016.

Vandervort worked for Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier men's professional league in the United States, for nearly a decade. As Vice President of Fan Engagement, she worked closely with league and club executives to grow and engage the fan bases in their local markets. She previously served as the MLS Vice President of Social Media and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) where she spearheaded the direction and overall strategy for the league’s direct-to-fan marketing, database management and social media. A key part of the explosive growth across the league’s digital and media properties, her work was instrumental in MLS winning Sports Business Journal’s 2018 Best in Social Media Award. Vandervort was recognized as a Sports Business Journal Game Changer in 2016.

Prior to joining MLS, Vandervort was responsible for digital media at Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), the top-tier women's professional league in the United States from 2009-2011. During her tenure, the league's website become a global leader for women's soccer news and information. Vandervort was the driving force behind the creation of both the league’s cutting-edge social media strategy and WPS Camps curriculum.

She was a member of the United Soccer Coaches (previously NSCAA) Board of Directors for 10 years and in 2016 became the fifth female President in the Association’s 75-year history. She was the Head Women's Soccer Coach at New York University for four years, and before that, the Graduate Assistant at The College of New Jersey. Vandervort holds her United Soccer Coaches Premier Diploma and a B Coaching License from the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). She also spent four years as an instructor in FIFA Women’s Football Development, leading marketing and communications workshops in South Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. Vandervort was a FIFA Women’s Leadership Development Program mentor.

A goalkeeper, Vandervort was a scholar-athlete and two-year team captain for the University of Wyoming NCAA Division I women’s soccer team. In 2016, Vandervort and her team were inducted into the Sabino High School Hall Fame for their state championship performance. She grew up the daughter of a single mother in Tucson, Arizona, and experienced the reality of soccer's rising income inequalities as she struggled to pay for the camps, travel and equipment necessary to play. This hard-working background and humble upbringing have inspired her dedication to helping others through soccer.

Vandervort currently resides in Tampa, Florida. She's run the San Francisco Marathon and the London Marathon, and enjoys decorating cakes for sports events, parties, birthdays and weddings.