Nominations Now Being Accepted For 2021 U.S. Soccer Werner Fricker Builder Award
Werner Fricker Award Nominations Due to U.S. Soccer by 5:00 p.m. CT on February 4, 2022
CHICAGO (Jan. 21, 2022) - Nominations are now being accepted for the 2021 U.S. Soccer Werner Fricker Builder Award, honoring the late U.S. Soccer President Werner Fricker. The Werner Fricker Builder Award was created in 2002 and is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual by U.S. Soccer.
Fricker was president of U.S. Soccer from 1984 to 1990 and is widely credited for his role in bringing the 1994 FIFA World Cup to the United States. Born in Yugoslavia and raised in Austria, he lived his adult life in Pennsylvania, where he was a star midfielder for the United German Hungarians of Philadelphia soccer club from 1954 to 1969 and was a member of the 1964 U.S. Olympic Team.
Fricker served as U.S. Soccer President from 1984 to 1990 and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y., in 1992. He died in 2001 at the age of 65 and was honored posthumously with the inaugural award in 2002, with his son, Werner Jr., accepting the award on his behalf.
In order to be eligible for nomination, an individual must meet the following criteria:
- Nominee has dedicated a minimum twenty (20) years of service to the sport of soccer.
- For athletes, playing career can count towards twenty (20) years of service but nominee must have gone on to contribute to the sport in another capacity.
- Service stands out and distinguishes the nominee from others serving in the same capacity.
- Nominee created/ fostered programs that outlast their own active involvement in the sport.
- Nominee’s work has demonstrable impact on advancing the sport on a national level.
- Nominee is living at time of nomination.
- Nominees for the Werner Fricker Builder Award can be submitted by completing the nomination form and emailing it to hsyreggelas@ussoccer.org.
The nomination form is available for download here. All nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. CT on Feb. 4, 2022.
The Werner Fricker Taskforce reviews the nominations and selects a winner. The Taskforce members are appointed by the President of U.S. Soccer and confirmed by the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors; appointees are comprised of various representatives of soccer throughout the U.S. and past award winners.
The nomination process takes place annually and is open to all. A maximum of one award will be given each year; however, the committee is not required to give the award annually.