In the summer of 2002, Mike Granigan and the Cape Express soccer club of Wildwood, New Jersey founded the Cape Express Beach Blast with only 70 teams. By the summer of 2007 that number had grown to over 1100 teams and is now the world's largest beach soccer tournament in terms of participants. This phenomenal success inspired others and by 2007 over 10 established tournaments were operating in the U.S.-- most notably the Southern California Beach Soccer Championships, the Copacabana Classic, and the Pro-Am Beach Soccer Championships-- all on the West Coast. Tournament promoter Chris Lemay and the San Diego-based Soccer in the Sand Company introduced six new tournaments in the summer of 2008 which firmly cemented California as the center of beach soccer in the United States. By the end of the summer of 2008 approximately 28 tournaments were conducted within the U.S. in states such as Texas, Hawaii, Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, and North Carolina. Tournaments are also slated for Missouri, Washington, and Nevada in the summer of 2009 which marks a dynamic move of the sport towards sand facilities in land-locked states without traditional beaches. 

Formation of leagues, business takes notice, establishment of the USBSF

The leading tournaments left many players wanting more so a handful of beach soccer leagues formed to promote continued play and skill development. Additionally, U.S. businesses began looking for opportunities within the sport to capitalize upon the growing trend of the sport. The Los Angeles-based Soccadelic Corporation formerly incorporated in January of 2006 and actively markets the sport through beach soccer products and tournament sponsorships. The Pugg Company, a manufacturer of portable goals, has established itself as a leading sponsor of beach soccer tournaments and professional teams. Pugg founder Bob Armell has long supported the growth of professional beach soccer in the United States and founded American Beach Soccer to further that endeavor. The need of a cohesive body governing the sport presented itself as the exploding growth of beach soccer within the U.S. required a professional standard to represent players, coaches, leagues, tournaments, and sponsors-- but most importantly to encourage the sport's growth at the grass roots level. Thus under the direction of Jeff Sundy, Jed Turman, and John Travis the United States Beach Soccer Federation was officially established as a 501(c)3 non-profit in the state of California on September 26, 2008.