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Indiana Soccer 2026 AGM Celebrates the Game: From Grassroots to the World Cup ⚽🌍

The 2026 AGM hosted by Indiana Soccer was a resounding success — made possible by the incredible dedication and professionalism of the Indiana Soccer staff.

The annual event began on Friday evening with the Director of Coaching (DOC) Meeting, led by Steve Franklin and George Perry. The session brought together representatives from more than 40 clubs across the state, setting the tone for a collaborative and forward-thinking weekend.

Saturday’s program kicked off with an outstanding lineup of daytime workshops, including:

Soccer Nuggets – Recreational Soccer
Special Member Benefits
Birth Year to School Year Registration Change
Outreach Exchange
Positive Coaching Alliance – Culture Shaping for Leaders
Adult Soccer
Goal Getters – To-Do List for an Easy Spring Kickoff

Attendance was exceptional, with club leadership, coaches, referees, and administrators filling the rooms for engaging and forward-thinking presentations focused on strengthening our soccer ecosystem.

The evening Awards Gala, branded under the theme From Grassroots to World Cup… and Back, was a powerful celebration of service and impact. Members from across the state were honored for their tireless contributions to the beautiful game.

The keynote address by Jürgen Sommer was a highlight of the evening. His heartfelt storytelling about his journey to the World Cup stage inspired everyone in attendance and reinforced the importance of building strong foundations at the grassroots level.

Congratulations to all award winners and finalists. Your commitment continues to shape the future of soccer in communities across Indiana.

Indiana Soccer extends its sincere gratitude to the coaches, players, referees, administrators, and club leaders who work daily to grow the game the right way.

From grassroots to the World Cup — and back again.

Recap video from 2025.

Indiana ODP Sends 28 Teams to Memphis for Presidents’ Weekend Showcase

Over Presidents’ Weekend, the Indiana Soccer Olympic Development Program proudly sent 28 state teams, boys and girls ages 10–17, to compete in the ODP Interregional Showcase at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Memphis.

The annual showcase brought together ODP teams from across multiple states, offering Indiana players valuable opportunities for high-level competition, player evaluation opportunities, and meaningful development experiences.

“We are incredibly thankful to Kansas for hosting this outstanding event,” said Todd Sheely, Indiana ODP Director. “Events like this do not happen without tremendous organization and leadership. We are also very grateful to our Indiana ODP families for making the trip and supporting their players throughout the weekend. Most importantly, I am proud of our players for representing Indiana with class and competing at a high level.”

The Presidents’ Weekend showcase continues to serve as an important platform for player growth and exposure. Experiences like Memphis not only challenge players at the moment but also help prepare them for future ODP, club, high school, and collegiate opportunities.

Indiana ODP looks forward to building on the momentum from Memphis as the season continues into the summer Ohio Event.

Parents Speak: Moments That Mattered from Attending the 2026 Interregional Memphis Event

The invitation was a blessing and the opportunity to play and meet kids from across 12 states was special. With zero expectations of even getting selected into the player pool to being picked to play in the friendlies to making the interregional team, we would like to express our deepest gratitude in helping Michael feel and experience like he belongs. We are thankful to everyone involved with Indiana ODP for this gift. – Luis Gonzalez Parent

I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation for the time, effort, and genuine care you invested in my son and the team throughout the Inter‑Regional Showcase in Memphis. Your guidance reached far beyond drills and tactics — you helped shape his confidence, sharpen his discipline, and deepen his love for the game.

He spoke often about how much he learned from you, not just as a player but as a young man striving to grow. The standards you set, the encouragement you offered, and the belief you showed in him made a real difference. Even with the outcome of the games, he is fired up to be a better player. Experiences like this stay with a child for years, and I’m grateful he had a coach who poured so much into his development.

Thank you for your leadership, patience, and commitment to helping him and the entire group represent themselves with pride. Your impact is meaningful, and it is truly appreciated. – Muyis Davies – 2014 White Team

Todd, Georgi, and the Indiana ODP Staff,

This is my daughter’s first year with Indiana ODP, and we have loved the entire experience thus far.

This weekend in Memphis was very enjoyable due to your communication leading up to and during the event. Additionally, the showcase event staff ran a very smooth showcase (and we really appreciated parking was a one-time fee). And…the Indiana uniforms are hands-down the best! We got so many compliments from other states! Indiana looked so sharp!

Thank you for all of your hard work! It doesn’t go unnoticed! We are grateful to you and the opportunity to train with other soccer players and coaches from around the state. We’ve enjoyed the connections we’ve made with other soccer-lovin’ families! – Brianna Vinup & family

Our family thoroughly enjoyed it and Shahina benefited and learned a lot from the experience.🥳⚽️🤓

Thank you for this update. I couldn’t travel with my son and husband, but I was able to stream the games and wanted to send a message of thanks.

I saw all coaches super engaged with the boys & even heard you give such great encouragement & even give individual instruction (my kiddo was one of them & I was cheering at home that finally a coach is telling him what to do – not from ODP, but his club coaches we have tended to be quiet).

My son came home & told me all about how much he learned, how he felt like his teammates all pushed themselves & that he was excited to work on the things you told him during the games to work on & he very much appreciated there was no blame game when a play, pass, etc. didn’t go the way they hoped.

We never expected him to make a roster, so we felt like this weekend was such a great experience to see where he does well & to show him where he can improve. We are grateful to your whole team for all they give, as we are still learning about soccer, as we never played nor watched before our kiddo started playing.

Again, many thanks for believing, encouraging & pushing these kids to be the best they can. – Pratt & Christy Hinds

Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2026

The Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame is proud to announce its newest 2-person class into the Hall of Fame. The 2026 Class includes Carla Baker and Mike Avery. The class will be inducted into the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame on Saturday, February 28th, 2026, at the Renaissance Hotel – Carmel.

Baker, who currently resides in Carmel and continues to coach high school soccer and referee youth games, started her career as a student-athlete goalkeeper in Hamilton, Ontario at McMaster University. Her performance in goal earned her a call-up to the Canadian Women’s National team in 1987. She stared for them for 9 years, competing in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers and eventually the 1995 FIFA World Cup. In all, she earned 29 caps for the Canadian Women’s National Team.

After completing a professional career, she turned her sights to coaching, working at FIU, Cornell University, University of Notre Dame and the University of Iowa. While an assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame, the Irish went to 4 consecutive final fours; won a National Championship in 1995; were Runners-Up in 1994, 1996 and semi-finalists in 1997.

As an assistant coach at Carmel High School, Baker won a state championship in 2018 and was a runner-up in 2014 and 2025. As an assistant coach at Park Tudor High School, Baker helped coach her team to two state championships in 2022 and 2023 and a runner-up in 2020.

“Honestly, with all her experience and international accomplishments, we are so LUCKY to have her as a representative of soccer in our community – CHS & CFC, “stated Juergen Sommer, Director of Soccer Operations at Carmel FC Soccer. “She has such a professional approach to her work/craft, as well as managing our families when soccer goes sideways, which we’ve all dealt with over the year. Carla is irreplaceable and a foundational pillar within our club!”

As a player, Avery was an NAIA All-American soccer player at Westmont College. After graduating, Avery started his professional career, playing for Real Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA) – 1989-90; Askims IK (Gothenburg, Sweden) 1990-92; and finally, as a player-coach for the Indiana Invaders from 1994-2000.

His college coaching career saw him begin at Midwestern State University (1992-94); Bethel University (1994-97); San Diego State (1997); Cal State San Bernardino (1997-2000); Notre Dame (2000-06); Louisville (2006-07) and ultimately at Valparaiso University (2007-20).

While at Valparaiso, he became the All-Time Wins Leader in Program History; earned the first Horizon League Championship in any sport for Valpo history ( 2027); earned the 2011 Horizon League Coach of the Year; helped the Crusaders become Nationally ranked for the first time ever (2012, and again in 2014, 2015 and 2017). His Valpo teams earned 13 straight NSCAA (United Soccer Coaches) Team Academic Awards for cumulative GPA over 3.0. He was honored with the 2014 Valparaiso University Martin Luther King Award, 2019 Schaefer-McGuigan Award for contributions to a diverse and inclusive Valparaiso community.

Currently, he serves as the Head Coach for Ft. Wayne FC (USL 2). In just his first two years at the helm, Avery guided FWFC to back-to-back Valley Division Championships 2024 & 2025. For 2026, he assisted the club in promotion to USL 1 league play.

Avery is the founder of Center Circle Influencers, INC. as a consultant and keynote speaker on Athletic Performance Perspective (APP) Training. His work is so well renowned; he continually is hired by several college institutions to consult with their teams and athletic departments. He was also honored as the Keynote Speaker for 2024 NCAA Inclusion Forum and 2024 IAAAC Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.

“As a native Hoosier, I feel that Mike has been an exceptional servant to the game of soccer with most of his coaching career spent in Indiana,” stated Tim McClements.

“Mike has dedicated his life to the game of soccer, but even more importantly, to the people within it. His greatest legacy is not found in the wins, trophies, or records, but in the lives, he has shaped”, said Chad Riley, Head Men’s Soccer Coach, University of Notre Dame.

The Hall of Fame “belongs” to the Indiana soccer community and not to any one organization or group of individuals. It honors individuals whose outstanding achievements and significant accomplishments have had a long-lasting effect upon the sport of soccer in Indiana and merit the highest recognition.