Allen Hopkins Jr.
Allen currently serves as the Executive Director for Black Players for Change.
Most recently, Allen worked for Major League Soccer’s league office. Additionally, Allen engineers and manages the largest DEI database of coaches, executives, administrators and professionals in North America.
Once one of America’s premier soccer personalities, Allen enjoyed nearly a 20-year award-winning broadcast career serving as an on-air talent for NBC Sports, ABC, ESPN & FOX Sports. Allen was behind the microphone for the 2012 London Summer Olympics and also covered the 2002, 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals.
Allen also served in the role of Special Adviser to the U.S. Menʼs National Team under Jurgen Klinsmann, capturing a CONCACAF Gold Cup Winner’s Medal in 2013 to go along with a MLS Cup Final in 2005 and a NCAA College Cup in 2014.
Hopkins enjoyed a highly successful collegiate soccer career at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California and continued his playing career in the USISL. Allen has also coached at both the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels and was honored as the 2010 California-South Soccer Association Youth Coach of the Year.
Born in Berlin, Germany, Allen has lived all over the United States and calls Aurora, Colorado home. He currently resides in Houston, TX and has three children with his two oldest playing NCAA DI soccer; Sydney (21, B.A. Educational Studies, University of San Diego), Santiago (20, Mechanical Engineering, University of California-Berkeley) & Siena (13-8th grade, LAFC ECNL).
Allen is a fitness enthusiast, woodworker and an award-winning photographer who enjoys spending time with his family and three dogs Mocha, Roxy & Olive.
Messages of Support From the Soccer Community
When I heard that Allen was selected as the first Executive Director for BPFC, I was ecstatic. He is one of the most prolific individuals I’ve ever met. Allen is well-versed in so many different aspects of the soccer landscape that it will make your head spin. He’s a true leader who possesses the uncanny ability of making everyone around him better. There is no doubt that Allen will take BPFC to new heights.
Eddie Pope, Chief Sporting Officer, Carolina Core
Allen Hopkins Jr.’s appointment as the new executive director of Black Players for Change is a powerful step towards promoting equity and justice within sports. His passion for and commitment to uplifting marginalized voices will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of athletes to use their platform for meaningful impact. I believe Allen will harness the power of unity and advocacy to drive transformative change both on and off the field.
Rob Bonta, Attorney General, State of California
Allen will be an excellent Executive Director and is the right individual to lead Black Players for Change. He has been a force in the world of soccer for decades. He’s well connected, full of passion for our sport, and dedicated to making positive, lasting change in our game.
Danielle Slaton, Co-Owner, Bay Area FC, NWSL
Allen will be an asset to Black Players for Change, and offers the ideal reference point to provide leadership to a valued organization. He has always been so thoughtful when it comes to player needs, and I know that he will continue to help Black Players for Change grow and achieve great things for the players in our league.
Mike Jacobs, General Manager, Nashville SC
“I’m excited to see that Allen Hopkins is joining Black Players for Change as its Executive Director. Allen’s dual passions are the game of soccer and creating equitable opportunity. This role places him right at the intersection of the two. It is hard to imagine a better fit.”
Jeremi Duru , Professor of Law and Director of the Sport and Society Institute at American University
Allen brings a rare mix of professional perspectives to this leadership role – he has been the player, the coach, the journalist, the front office exec, and the supporter – each informed as a black man born and raised in the United States. I am confident that Allen will bring this diverse set of experiences to the Executive Directorship and ensure BPC supports Black professionals from MLS in a holistic, thoughtful and progressive manner.
Dimitrios Efstathiou, Vice President Soccer Operations & Strategy, Atlanta United FC
Allen has a wealth of experience and tremendous passion for the game of soccer, he leads in a positive and enthusiastic way that is contagious to the people around him.”
Chris Henderson, Chief Soccer Officer, Inter Miami FC
I am delighted to see Black Players for Change going from strength to strength. The BPC is an important organization in what is now becoming recognised as the world’s fastest growing football league with increasing global attention focused on it. The work of the BPC and the issues it represents are critical for all of us, whether we are in the United States or looking in from Europe, Latin America, Africa or Asia. I think that Allen Hopkins will be an amazing Executive Director and will be able to lead the organization to take its place as one of the key advocacy organizations in football. I look forward to working with him and the team in the coming years.
Piara Powar, Executive Director, Fare Network
Allen is the right person to lead BPC into a new era. Allen has advocated for increased representation in sports since his days as a broadcaster over 20 years ago. A tireless and active agent of change, Allen is a devoted practitioner of the African proverb, “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” His congeniality will be a galvanizing force for whatever BPC plans next.
Evan Whitfield, Vice President, Chicago Fire FC
Allen has consistently exhibited that passion and the competency to impact real change. The BPC couldn’t have found a better person to push their message and initiatives forward with real strength.
Oguchi Oynewu, Vice President, U.S. Soccer Federation
For years Allen has proven himself as a fierce advocate for equality in our sport and he’s the right person to lead our group in this moment. I’ve seen him live out this passion no matter the circumstance and I’m confident his experience will help us as we continue to grow structurally and strategically. He has all the tools to build upon the legacy we’ve started and I look forward to all that we will accomplish in this next iteration of Black Players for Change.