Emma Hayes on U.S. Soccer National Training Center: ‘There’s a Sense of Belonging For Everyone’
USWNT head coach spoke to media following ribbon cutting at U.S. Soccer’s new headquarters
Emma Hayes’ tenure as the U.S. Women’s National Team head coach has been shaped by her desire to build trust with players, develop young talent and advance the game through a female perspective.
The new Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center will be an important part of that mission. Of all the elements of the new 123-acre facility, what stands out most to Hayes is its ability to bring people together.
“We can roll out of a classroom straight to the field,” Hayes said. "We could be upstairs in the kitchen where colleagues meet and share a coffee. I love that we can bring our alumni in and have dinner and drinks in a lounge upstairs, just as I like the idea of going to an observation deck and watching our Youth National Teams play. It's a village. There's a community, and there's a sense of belonging for everyone.”
Along with being the training site for U.S. Soccer’s 27 National Teams, the headquarters will also serve as the dedicated office space for more than 350 staff members across multiple departments, including marketing, finance, sporting and refereeing.
That sense of connection extends throughout the campus. From its 17 outdoor playing surfaces and 10,000 square foot Nike High Performance Gym to its meeting rooms and shared gathering spaces, Hayes sees a facility designed to support both collaboration and focus.
“It's vast, especially outside, and it's really quiet and calming,” she said. "There's separate entrances so that the players can arrive and not feel overwhelmed with everything else going on. We can put ourselves in our own space but also come into the main buildings, staff and players, if we choose to. I think those things are important.”
Though the USWNT’s first visit to the NTC is not set yet, Hayes said she is eager for the team to gather there. She and U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General JT Batson worked together on parts of the facility designed specifically with the women’s team in mind, from nursing rooms to sleep pods. For Hayes, those details are just the first step in continuing to build the future of the women’s game with intention.
“What JT and I had conversations about is, let's really think about how we lean into the female lens and build it out, rather than have a facility that's overbuilt and we don't have a chance to grow into it. So, I'mexcited about that part.
“My dream would be to have a female leadership academy here,” she continued. “Even within our coaching education and across U.S, Soccer, we’re working hard to deliver the vision of positioning the female lens at the heart of everything we do, especially at WNT... I very much hope that within 10 years, we've redesigned the system for women, from coach education to the delivery, of coaching our players through that lens. What an exciting time to be involved with a project of that magnitude with an organization as progressive as ours.”
There is added significance with the National Training Center opening in the state of Georgia, a soccer hotbed and the home to several players who have made their marks on USWNT history. More than 20 Georgians currently compete in the NWSL, and the league will see a new Atlanta-based club in 2028 under Arthur Blank's ownership.
According to Hayes, this growth is monumental in making the sport feel more tangible for the next generation.
“It's one thing to aspire towards the National Team level, but to aspire to a pro level first is equally exciting for kids up and down the country, to want to be the next Emily Sonnett or Riley Jackson or whomever that might be,” Hayes said. “They're not just remote characters that live over there once every four years. They're actually here in our backyard.
“I believe in that accessibility,” she said. “You can see it, you can believe it, and you're in a position where you can make it happen. I think there's something very exciting about what's happening in Georgia at this moment.”