Ben Weber is the City Councilor for District 6 in Boston, representing the neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, and Mission Hill. Elected in 2023, Ben brings nearly two decades of experience as a worker's rights attorney to his role advocating for Boston's families and communities.

A Jamaica Plain resident since 2008, Ben has been deeply involved in his community through coaching youth soccer and serving on the board of Jamaica Plain Youth Soccer. As a Boston Public Schools parent and advocate, he understands firsthand the challenges facing city families. On the Council, Ben focuses on strengthening workers' rights, improving public schools, expanding access to youth sports and recreation, and fighting for affordable housing and tenant protections.

Ben graduated from Brandeis University, where he played soccer and ran track, and earned his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Sithembiso Nkosi has 20 years’ experience in sport development as a practitioner, physical education teacher and as a coach. He holds a BA in Sport Science and honors degree in Human Movement Studies specialising in recreation and sport management from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. In football he has a Confederation of African Football (CAF) C license, a Coerver Coaching Youth Diploma, a KNVB introductory coaching course as well as a SAFA Youth Coaching Course.

David Shapiro serves as President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Boston, America's first YMCA. Previously, he led MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership for nearly 11 years, dedicating his career to driving equity through relationships. His expertise has been recognized by organizations like the Stanford Social Innovation Review and the BARR Foundation. In 2022, he received the Boston Celtics' inaugural "Bill Russell Mentoring Award."

David has held leadership positions with the U.S. Golf Association Foundation and the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay. He serves on multiple boards including the Institute for Nonprofit Practice, America's Promise Alliance, and The Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport. In 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker appointed him to the board of trustees of Bunker Hill Community College.

Joe Cummings is a veteran leader in American soccer with over four decades of experience. He served as CEO of United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) from 2009 to 2015, leading the premier organization for soccer coaching education in the United States. His career includes executive roles with the New England Revolution as Technical Director and President and General Manager of the Boston Breakers women's professional team. Before transitioning to soccer administration, Joe was a 7th grade teacher, bringing an educator's perspective to youth development. He currently runs Cummings Management Group, providing consulting services to soccer organizations at all levels.

Jon is a veteran soccer coach who has dedicated over two decades to developing young players in the Boston area. Known as Coach Rud to his players, Jon has been the head coach of the Boston Latin School Girls' Varsity Program since 2012, where he's helped transform the program into a consistent contender more often than not qualifying for the Division I State Tournament. But Jon's impact extends well beyond high school soccer. He's been a cornerstone of Jamaica Plain Youth Soccer for nearly 20 years, its longest serving president at 13 years and serving as the girls travel director for 17 years. He's coached players at every age from U-8 through high school, helping to nurture both a love for the game and developing soccer talent.

Meotis Erikson has experienced the game from more than a few angles throughout her life. Her journey has taken her from youth national teams to Division 1 college soccer at Notre Dame, and then to the professional ranks as part of the first generation of women's professional players in the U.S.

After her playing career, Meotis transitioned into coaching and now serves as the North Girls Director at Boston area club Intercontinental Football Academy (or IFA) New England, where she's focused on developing the next generation of female players.

Michael Paule-Carres is Head of F7 Methodology at RCD Espanyol de Barcelona, overseeing development for their U8-U12 academy teams. Born in rural Virginia, his journey took him from playing college soccer in the U.S. to Spain, where he earned an MBA before joining RCD Espanyol's academy. Michael integrates Montessori education principles with football training, creating environments where young players learn through guided discovery rather than direct instruction. His innovative approach emphasizes "ball-rolling time," mixed-age training scenarios, and values-based development. As an American thriving in Spanish football, he bridges different coaching cultures while pioneering educational approaches to youth player development.

Born and raised in England, Mike Smith's passion for sports led him from captaining Harvard's soccer team to playing professionally in the US and in Massachusetts' Portuguese leagues. After founding the Soccer Network in Boston, he held key leadership roles at Special Olympics, eventually becoming CEO of Special Olympics Europe. For the past decade, he has served as Network Development Director at Coerver Coaching, shaping youth development programs across fifty countries. Now based in Barcelona, Mike leads Big Idea Sports, focusing on human-centered technology for player and coach development. Throughout his career, his mission has remained constant: helping young people learn and love sports while developing the skills and confidence to express their unique personalities both on and off the field.

With over 21 years of success in delivering within an elite player development environment, and through extensive experience in international youth coaching, I have a proven track record of facilitating and mentoring elite professional footballers for the Manchester United first team and other Premier League and Elite European clubs. Enthusiastically committed to nurturing holistic development in players, enhancing both their football skills and personal growth to reach their full potential.

Rick Fenoglio is a pioneering soccer scientist whose research on Small Sided Games has shaped youth development methodology across the UK. His thirty-year academic career includes conducting research and analysis of Manchester United's 4v4 Pilot Scheme and authoring their Academy Performance Plan. Currently serving as European and USA senior scout for City Football Group, Fenoglio combines his expertise in sports science with practical talent identification. He continues to influence player development through his work as an Academy auditor and consultant.

A coach and educator who bridges the worlds of professional academy and grassroots football. Over the last decade, Temisan has served as an Academy Coach at several Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Tottenham, and Fulham, working with over 700 elite youth players. He's the founder of Excellence Academy, which provides specialist coaching services across more than 35 professional football clubs, and the Coach Accelerator Community, where he helps develop the next generation of football coaches. Through his work with both grassroots clubs and professional academies, he has gained unique insights into youth development at all levels of the game. His mission, simply put, is to inspire and support coaches working in the youth game on their coaching journey.