Former national team coach and player April Heinrichs will step down as director of the women's youth national teams for U.S. Soccer at the end of this year.
Heinrichs was a forward on the national team that won the first Women's World Cup in 1991. She served as head coach of the team from 2000-2004, leading the team to a gold medal at the Athens Olympics. She was the first female national team coach.
Her career also included college head coaching stints at Princeton, Maryland and Virginia.
She has been in her current position with U.S. Soccer for the past eight years, expanding the program to include national teams for each age group starting with the under-14 team.
Heinrichs said she's looking forward to the next chapter in life, but added: "I always need a bone to chew on, so I will take some time to regenerate and then find another way to contribute."
Disclaimer: This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Associated Press (AP) wire.
