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SPORTS Friday 16 august 2019

In this July 7, 2019, file photo, the United States team celebrates
after winning the Women's World Cup final soccer match against
the Netherlands at the Stade de Lyon in Decines, outside Lyon,
France.
Associated Press
U.S. Soccer, team talks In this Aug 13, 2016, file photo, youngsters play in a pee-wee football game during halftime of

a preseason NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys in Los
break down; likely Angeles. Associated Press

head to jury trial USA Football pilots program

AP Sports Writer counterparts on the men's to attract more young players
Players for the World Cup national team. The federa-
champion women's na- tion countered that pay
tional team say mediation and benefits for members By LARRY LAGE is easy to say and hard to The program was crafted in
talks with the U.S. Soccer of the men's and women's AP Sports Writer do. part by a council of people
Federation in their dispute teams, bargained by sepa- USA Football is piloting the "Hopefully, the Football with expertise in football,
over equal pay are over. rate unions, can't be com- game's first long-term de- Development Model will medical and child devel-
Molly Levinson, who rep- pared and said there was velopment program in reimagine the sport to help opment along with long-
resents the players in mat- no basis for allegations of the hopes of growing the parents gain confidence term athlete development.
ters concerning the dis- illegal conduct. game and catching up and trust and to address "The FDM is a progressive
pute, said in a statement The two sides agreed to to other sports around the some of the challenges in approach for the devel-
Wednesday that the play- mediate the matter once world. the sport." opment and safety of our
ers look forward to a jury the Women's World Cup The sport's governing body Likely due to the fear of players as they are learning
trial. in France was over. The launched its Football De- concussions, participation the game," said Dartmouth
"We entered this week's United States beat the velopment Model on Thurs- in youth tackle football has coach Buddy Teevens, a
mediation with representa- Netherlands to win the title day, announcing six youth declined sharply this de- member of the council.
tives of USSF full of hope," last month, and afterward leagues will team up with cade. "This is 21st-century football
Levinson said. "Today we fans in the crowd chanted USA Football in the hopes There were more than one that embraces the value of
must conclude these meet- "Equal Pay!" of attracting more young million children ages 6 to the team experience, fun-
ings sorely disappointed in Federation President Carlos players and improving skills. 12 playing tackle foot- damental skill instruction
the federation's determi- Cordeiro wrote U.S. Soccer The leagues will experiment ball each year from 2011 and contact reduction in
nation to perpetuate fun- members in late July claim- with new ways to coach to 2013 and participated an effort to teach the sport
damentally discriminatory ing the women's team was fundamentals in practice, dipped to 839,282 in 2018 in a smarter and safer fash-
workplace conditions and paid more overall than the aiming to hone skills while according to the Sports ion." The Niagara Erie Youth
behavior." men's team between 2010 cutting down on full-speed and Fitness Industry As- Sports Association in New
U.S. Soccer said it had and 2018. contact that ends with sociation. Participation in York, the Miami Xtreme
hoped to reach a reso- The letter stated that the players hitting the ground. flag football for the same Youth Football League, Tex-
lution, but accused the federation paid out $34.1 The FDM also will encour- age group, according to as' Frisco Football League,
counsel for the players of million in salary and game age leagues to experiment the SFIA, has increased the Washington-Greene
"an aggressive and ulti- bonuses to the women be- with different ways to play from fewer than 700,000 in Youth Football League in
mately unproductive ap- tween 2010 and 2018 as the game, including flag 2014 to nearly one million in Pennsylvania, the Iowa
proach." opposed to $26.4 million football, padded flag foot- 2018. Development League in
"We value our players, and paid to the men. The total ball and modified games "My son started playing Des Moines and Utah's Ute
have continually shown did not include the value with smaller fields and few- tackle football at 7 and I still Football Conference will pi-
that, by providing them of benefits received only er than 11 players on each wonder if that was the best lot USA Football's new pro-
with compensation and by the women, like health team. thing to do," Hallenbeck gram. "The FDM is an ath-
support that exceeds any care, Cordeiro wrote. "We're looking at football said. "When you look at it lete's roadmap — at any
other women's team in The players have disputed in a fresh, new way," USA from a skill-development age — to enjoy the fun of
the world," the federation's the figures, claiming they Football CEO Scott Hallen- lens, why can't flag football football by participating in
statement said. are misleading. beck said in an interview be like T-ball is for baseball? sport activities that are de-
The players sued U.S. Soc- "It is clear that USSF, includ- with The Associated Press. In flag, you can teach how velopmentally appropriate
cer in March, charging in- ing its Board of Directors "These leagues around the to pass, catch, backpedal physically, mentally and
stitutionalized gender dis- and President Carlos Cor- country are willing to take and get into a breakdown socially," said NCAA Chief
crimination that includes deiro, fully intend to contin- on this challenge with us to position defensively. You Medical Officer Dr. Brian
inequitable compensation ue to compensate women change the narrative and can learn how to play foot- Hainline, chairman of the
when compared with their players less than men. q culture of the game, which ball without contact." FDM council. q