The mission of U.S. Drone Soccer is to make aerospace careers accessible for all students. Drone Soccer is an educational esport that immerses students in aviation skills through classroom lessons and after school leagues for grades 6-12 (ages 12 and up). It is the only competitive student robotics program that is also a recognized international sport by the World Air Sports Federation (FAI), which will demonstrate the sport at the World Games held in Birmingham, Alabama this July.

The game of Drone Soccer is played with flying quadcopters in protective exoskeletons designed for collisions. Five-player teams fly inside a netted arena where they ram and block the opposing team to prevent them from scoring. Students who compete during the academic year must first learn to build, program, and repair their drones as a team.

“The joy of flight is real.  When a student flies, but then crashes and makes their first repairs – they’ve become an engineer for life.” says David Roberts, President of U.S. Drone Soccer, who previously took the U.S. Drone Racing Team to two FAI World Championships.