KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Nov. 17, 2021) — United Soccer Coaches announced on Thursday that Amy Griffin has been selected as this year’s recipient of its Women’s Soccer Award of Excellence. Griffin will be honored at the annual Coaches of Women’s Soccer Breakfast on Saturday, January 22 in conjunction with the 82nd annual United Soccer Coaches Convention in Kansas City, Mo.
A native of Federal Way, Wash., the former player, coach and broadcaster becomes the 23rd recipient of the award, established in 1999 to recognize an outstanding individual who has brought honor and distinction to women’s soccer. The Women’s Soccer Advocacy Group of the association coordinates the selection of the award.
“Amy Griffin is a pioneer in women’s soccer in the United States with a long history of service, coaching and advocacy in the game,” said Dr. Melissa Price, United Soccer Coaches President. “She has enhanced the lives of so many players and coaches and is the type of person who makes you better by just being around her. Our congratulations to Amy for this well-deserved honor.”
Her current position is as the Executive Director of the OL Reign Academy which she has held since 2019 prior to her last season at the University of Washington. She is also President and founding member of the Girls Academy which was formed at the beginning of the pandemic when U.S. Soccer dropped the Development Academy. Amy recently earned her Academy Directors license from U.S. Soccer. She was the only woman in the course. Griffin also serves as a mentor in the U. S. Soccer She Champions program. Griffin is in her 6th year as volunteer Head Coach of the United States Deaf Soccer Women’s National Team, and will lead them into competition at the Deaflympics in May of 2022 in Brazil, her 2nd International competition at the helm.
Currently the Head Coach of the United States Deaf Soccer Women’s National Team, Griffin attended the University of Central Florida (1984-87) where she played goalkeeper for the Knights, was the adidas National Goalkeeper of the Year and was inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame in 1999. She joined the US Women’s National Team in 1987 and was on the squad for the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in China in 1991. Griffin has won World Cup Championships as a player, assistant and head coach: 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup, 2012 U20 Women’s World Cup, and 2016 Deaf World Cup, respectively.
She was one of the first nine women to earn the USSF “A” coaching license and in 1998 became a staff coach with both United Soccer Coaches and US Soccer. She had assistant coaching stints at UCF, Santa Clara University and San Diego State University. She became head coach at the University of New Mexico (1993-95) and then spent twenty four seasons at her hometown University of Washington as assistant, and later Associate Head Coach, to Lesle Gallimore, the 2012 winner of the Award of Excellence and a Past President of United Soccer Coaches.
Griffin has served as a broadcast commentator with NBC, ESPN and Fox Sports and provided analysis during the 1995 and 1999 Women’s World Cups and the 2000 Olympic Games. As a dedicated advocate for the sport, she played an important role by bringing forward concerns about the health and safety of players. This included collecting data about athletes, particularly goalkeepers, who developed cancer after playing on artificial turf containing crumb elements of rubber used in the manufacturing of the turf.
?Formerly Amy Allmann, Griffin is married to Jack Griffin and has two sons, Nicholas 20, and Benjamin 18 and resides in Seattle, Wash.
A United Soccer Coaches member since 1992, Griffin joins 22 previous icons of women’s soccer as recipients of the award. Click here for a list of the previous winners.