Shattuck-St. Mary’s Soccer
Overview
Shattuck-St. Mary’s is a private, coeducational, Episcopal-affiliated boarding and day school for grades 6-12 + PG, located in Faribault, Minnesota (about 50 miles south of Minneapolis). The school operates a Soccer Center of Excellence — a full-time residential soccer program providing ten months of development and training. (HIGH)
The Boys Soccer team is a member of MLS Next Homegrown Division. The program competes in 40-50 games per year including regional and national showcases. SSM provides nearly double the training hours, games, and showcase opportunities compared to most programs. (MEDIUM — club website claim)
SSM is also famous for its hockey program, which has produced numerous NHL players (Sidney Crosby trained there). The soccer program benefits from the school’s broader athletic infrastructure and brand.
Financials
Not applicable in the traditional club sense — Shattuck-St. Mary’s is a private boarding school. Soccer is one of several “Signature Programs” (others include hockey, figure skating, golf). Tuition is approximately $55,000-65,000/year for boarding students. Soccer-specific financial data is not separately reported. (LOW)
Teams & Players
- Boys U16 — MLS Next Homegrown Division
- Boys U17 — competitive schedule
- Boys U19 — MLS Next Homegrown Division
- Girls U19 — competitive schedule
The program draws players nationally and internationally — this is not primarily a local Minnesota club. Players board at the school and train daily.
League Affiliations
- MLS Next Homegrown Division (boys)
Facilities
- Three full-sized soccer fields: one indoor synthetic turf, one outdoor synthetic turf, one natural grass
- 10,500 sq. ft. weight training and conditioning facility
- Video analysis room
- Athletic training room with advanced aquatic therapy
All facilities are on the SSM campus in Faribault. (HIGH)
College Placement
Outstanding track record:
- 99% of players placed in collegiate soccer programs
- 2 players called to Men’s National Team
- 11 players signed professional contracts
- 13 players selected for Youth National Team
- 2 players called to Futsal National Team
- 5 national championship appearances
Source: SSM website (MEDIUM — self-reported)
Competitive Position
SSM occupies a unique niche: it is a boarding school soccer program, not a traditional community club. It competes for elite talent nationally, not just within Minnesota. Its main competitors are other boarding school programs (IMG Academy, Montverde Academy) and MLS academies.
Leadership
- Sean Bushey — Director of Boys Soccer & Boys U19 Head Coach (sean.bushey@s-sm.org; arrived November 2016 from Colorado Rush, where he served as Senior Academy Director; previously 20 years collegiate coaching including 17 at Whitworth University)
- Noah Bushey — Boys U19 Assistant Coach (noah.bushey@s-sm.org)
- Matt Ball — Head Coach & Interim Director of Girls Soccer Center of Excellence (oversees recruiting, game/practice preparation, video analysis, scouting, college placement, and day-to-day operations)
Source: SSM website / news release (May 2026) (HIGH)
Industry Context
Shattuck-St. Mary’s Soccer Center of Excellence is best understood as a specialized talent destination, not as a market competitor in the traditional sense. The program draws players nationally and internationally through a full-time residential model — students live, study, and train on the Faribault campus — rather than competing for the regional club market that Minnesota community clubs serve. Its MLS Next Homegrown Division membership on the boys’ side reflects this national positioning: the program competes against other elite boarding school academies (IMG Academy, Montverde Academy) and MLS academy feeder programs for the highest-potential players in North America.
For Minnesota community clubs, SSM’s primary effect is talent extraction at the U15+ age group: elite players seeking intensive development environments may choose SSM over staying in a Twin Cities ECNL club. This effect is real but bounded — the residential cost ($55,000-65,000/year for boarding students) puts SSM out of reach for most families in the Minnesota market. The club’s recruitment is genuinely national and international, so it is not systematically depleting any particular regional market’s talent pool.
The program’s track record — 99% college placement, 11 professional contracts, 13 Youth National Team call-ups, 2 Men’s National Team players, 5 national championship appearances (per club’s self-reporting) — demonstrates the output quality of the intensive residential model. Sean Bushey’s background (Colorado Rush Senior Academy Director) connects the SSM boys program to the elite club ecosystem even as it operates within a boarding school framework.
SSM’s broader institutional standing is defined by its hockey program (Sidney Crosby trained here; numerous NHL alumni), which creates organizational cross-subsidies and national name recognition that the soccer program benefits from indirectly.
Open Questions
- How many Minnesota-resident players are in the SSM soccer program vs. out-of-state/international?
- What is the relationship between SSM’s hockey and soccer programs at the organizational and scheduling level?
- What is SSM’s 990 EIN as a school institution? (The organization is almost certainly 501(c)(3) as a non-profit school.)