Latest / I Hate Soccer with Jason Collinsworth / I Hate Soccer | Jags Show #4- James Renton, Director of Coaching for Michigan Jaguars in Novi, Michigan

Transcript

I Hate Soccer | Jags Show #4- James Renton, Director of Coaching for Michigan Jaguars in Novi, Michigan · I Hate Soccer with Jason Collinsworth

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_03: James Renton is one of the directors of coaching at the Michigan Jaguars.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_03: And this is the fourth episode of my partnership with the Michigan Jaguars.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_03: In this episode, we talk about coaching against each other like 15 or 16 years ago.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_03: We talk about his come-up, uh, how long he's been in the United States.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_03: He's from Scotland.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_03: So he's kind of living his best life right now during the World Cup.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_03: He's actually going to the to the Scotland Morocco game in Boston with his son.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_03: We discussed that.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_03: And we discussed, you know, being a supporter of Rangers versus Celtic.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_03: We talk about we talk about player development.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_03: We talk about the Michigan Jags.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_03: And it's a it was it was really nice to catch up with somebody that I've known for so long.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_03: As always, please like, subscribe, follow, share this everywhere.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_03: And if you're interested, if you're a partner of a club, if you are interested in in doing a six-month partnership, a six-episode partnership for the remainder of 2026.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_03: I have two spots available.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_03: You can email me at IHate SoccerPodcast at gmail.com.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_03: Enjoy listening to the conversation with James Renton.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_02: I hate soccer.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, how long have you been with Jags now?
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I've been here, this is year 10.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_03: 10 years, 2016.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 2016 is when I moved over because my son was born in 2016.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's how I know.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, he was born in February and then I moved over in yeah, June.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_03: And you were with RSC the whole time, right?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: I was with RSC before that for 10 years as well.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: So how long have you been over here?
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh been over here 23 years now.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_03: 23 years.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_03: Where did you play?
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: Rochester College.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_03: That's what I thought.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: Did you play with like Doug?
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: I was before Doug.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_03: You were before Doug, but you were after me.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: I was after you, after Kev.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_03: Um after Kev.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: But I was on the before Doug, before Sarge, before those guys.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think Doug was a recruit when I was a senior.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_03: Doug was a recruit when you were a senior.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_03: Did you play all four years?
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we won't national championship my second year.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_03: That's right.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: Who's your coach?
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_03: Was it Kev?
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_03: No, it wasn't Kevin yet.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: We had Eric Deal my first year.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_03: Eric Deal.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: And then we had uh Rick Gutierrez for my next three years.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_03: Got it.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, Eric Deal.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_03: That's a name I haven't heard in a while.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_03: He's the one that recruited me.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_03: And man.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: Do you know the last time I seen him was at um Detroit Airport?
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: I was coming back from Scotland one Christmas and he was TSA.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_02: Really?
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we yeah.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: That's crazy.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's that was pure coincidence.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: I just bumped into him, happened to be in the same line and he was working.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_03: Eric deal.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_03: And that was NJCAA back in the day.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um we were N N A I A.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: No, N, what was it?
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: U S C A, that's what it was.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: U S C A.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: United Small Colleges, something or other.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and then they're in N A I A now, right?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: Correct, which was always the talk when I was there.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: That was the movie.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_03: That was the selling point of like, oh, we're gonna be N-A-I-A, we're gonna be N-A-I-A.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: But the good thing was when I was there, like, because we weren't in that conference, we played Saginaw, we played Dapenport, we played North, we played a lot of D2 schools as well as NAIA schools, so like we weren't confined to like just this group of schools, you know, which was kind of nice.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_01: It made it a challenging schedule.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, God, and it was a good level.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_03: Even even the schedule that we played, it was a good, it was a good level.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, yeah, absolutely.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, like there was a few schools that were gimme's.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but there was one there was a couple that were just like super tough.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yes, like I say, Saginaw Valley was see that was proper game.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um Northwood was was always great.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: Indiana Tech at the time was great.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Indiana Tech.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: Davenport.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they battered us one year.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: I think actually I played against, I'm pretty sure I must have played against Lewis Robinson.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: Didn't know him at the time.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: I'm pretty sure he was playing for Davenport at the time.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, it was it was good.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: And then who got your start at RSC?
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Was that Shook?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: No, it was Mark Hamilton.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I started working at Milford High School.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: Coaching JV team there with uh Mike Gilmore um and the head coach Marty Neighbors.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: He was really good, got me involved, and he was like, hey, you should get some coaching licenses.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: So me and Gilmore drove out to Grand Rapids, did our e-license, and then the next weekend signed up for our D license and did the D license straight away.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: So Mark, Mark was one of the instructors in the course, and we just kind of got talking and he was like, You know, where do you live?
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: What you doing?
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I told him, Hey, I'm in Rochester Hills right now.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, Well, I might have some work for you, and fell into RSC that way.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: He started doing uh their their equivalent of the juniors programme, which was called the D-League at the time, okay, developmental league, and uh did that with Gordon, and then I got teams uh shortly afterwards.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_02: Where's Gordon?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: Gordon, he's actually not doing so well right now.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: He's got some health problems and stuff.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, he actually just called me the other day, and he I owe him a call, funny you say his name.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: But uh he'd been with a few clubs on the east side, he was working out of um Premier Sports at 23 mile, and I think it is out there like an indoor facility.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: He was running like a he was managing the facility and doing a lot of programs there and stuff.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_03: So it's funny because Mark Hamilton and Gordon was kind of like my start with their goalkeeping academy.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, yeah, yeah.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: M G A.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, MGA.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_03: And that got me.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: I I was probably maybe 19, 20 years old.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_03: I got and I worked with that camp for maybe three weeks.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_03: Then that got me to Detroit Country Day.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, do you remember Paul Barchuk?
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: You were doing ODP and stuff, yeah, yeah.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_03: And then Baba Kari.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_03: That got me with them, and then like the rest is history.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_03: But that's how about Mark?
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_03: Are you talking to Mark at all?
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so actually it's a few of us.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, once a year we just gonna get together, catch up, have a couple of drinks and stuff.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, every every summer we we do that.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: And so I saw Mark last summer, and he's good.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you know, he's he's still Mark, you know, it's one of those he's still going to his concert, still doing his thing, and yeah, he's good.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: He he was great for me.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like he was, yeah, I really appreciate the start that he gave me in coaching, and uh yeah, he was he was good.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_02: Where is Jamie?
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: Jamie's back home in England, so um he got married three years ago.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: I went back for his wedding.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: I was me and uh another guy, Ricky, were his two best men.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: So he got married, got settled.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um he's working with the police force in London.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um and he's actually had his first kid just over a year ago now.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so he's he's settled back in, he's good.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think he he loved to coach and he misses it, but at the same time, he's he's got a good life now and he's doing well.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_03: Are you on the field right now for Jags?
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_03: Do you have teams right now?
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: I do.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: So I I coach one team that's my own.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I train a couple other teams um that are not my teams, I just work with them.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: So like um the U14 MLS Next Academy team is my group.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: That's who I work with like day in, day out.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: But the U12 pre-MLS groups, I train once a week, basically.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: Is that so that you can get them ready for MLS next?
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's part of the thinking.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, truthfully, part of it is schedule um with Anthony specifically this year.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, he's uh he's great on the field, and like it's one of those to to maximize him and get him impacting in lots of different groups.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: He needs some support with that as well.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I come in there to help those guys prepare for MLS next homegrown academy.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: That also allows him to be more impactful with other groups as well.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of twofold.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I used to be in that 9v9 age group with Anthony for quite a few years, and so the two of us were doing it together.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: This is the first year where he's managing the U11s and the U12s like on his own.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a way of me also, you know, keeping my foot in there a little bit and stuff, just you know, being part of it because it's it's a good age group.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_03: And then just knowing the boys when they get to you eventually.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_03: Because are you gonna are you gonna move up with those 14s or are you gonna stay at U14?
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: Good question.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna stay with U14 for next year.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the bulk of my group are gonna move to U15.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um wait.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_03: Because of the age change?
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because of the age change, yeah.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_03: So the bulk moves are you coaching academy or homegrown?
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: Academy, sorry.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, got it.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry, academy, yeah.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: So homegrown with their travel schedule, with their training schedule, it's a lot.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: Academy is still a lot, but it allows me to still do the other parts of my jobs.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_03: And you don't get you don't have to travel with the younger teams unless you wanted to, right?
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: Correct, yeah.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_03: So you're just training them.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: Correct, yeah.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_03: Are anybody else is anybody else part of the staff that is just training teams?
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's something different that we did this year.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it was partly due to me.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: This is the first year where I've only coached one team.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: So it was a way of me still being out in the field more without the same travel or time commitment, maybe through the rest of the year, you know, with other groups.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: How much do you like that?
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: I like it.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: I like it.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: Don't get me wrong.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: I like it.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um you know what I think though, it it's really allowed me to feel like I'm actually able to do all the different parts of my job.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: Because I I'd say certainly in the last few years, just with the the growth of the Jags and everything else, um I I hate that feeling where I'm I turn up to training or turn up to my games when I've got other things going on in my head, I'm just not fully focused on what is happening right now in front of me, you know.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's been good this year in terms of like I have what I do through the day, what I do through the for the club through the day.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then in the evenings, I can I can really truly focus on those teams, their training, whatever it might be.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: What is your day-to-day uh Jags?
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: Every day looks a little different.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'll say that.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm in here, you know, I'm in I'm in the office.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's it's managing specifically the the boy side in Novi and and CW3, um, which is obviously our largest like uh location.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um and the boy side's you know, deep.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: We've got age groups that are seven, eight teams deep uh in some age groups.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: So that's just Novi and CW3 or is Novi and CW3.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: So we've kind of merged the two branches together, like officially from this year moving forward.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's already been going that direction in different age groups.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um just based on we share the same coaches, we train at the same locations, you know, full spring and winter.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: So like, why not just bring under one ladder to make it a little bit more seamless when players move up, players move down, that kind of thing.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: So um, so yeah, day-to-day kind of managing that, but like I also do a lot of work with like other branches as well, like just connecting with the different directors.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we have a a monthly meeting where we as branch leaders from all the different locations will get together, plus the admin, plus the marketing, plus all the different like, you know, administration, you know, all the different departments.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I kind of work with Paul to help navigate those, like, hey, what needs what needs to happen for the next month, for the next three months, the next six months, we kind of get together as a group to make sure that we're all organized, we're all planned, that all the different departments are on the same page.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because, you know, it's when we talk about tryouts, that's not just coaches, it's how do we market, how do we, you know, organize it on the back end, like all the different people that are involved in it and making sure we're all hearing the same message so that we're all going in the same direction because we are large, you know.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_03: And most clubs, it's almost like it's a collection of coaches and a collection of teams, and they just kind of do their own thing, but they're all wearing the same uniform, and it's just like it looks similar, exactly.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and you guys just seem like it's it's ran like a business and it's organized, and it's and some people knock that, and I'm like, no, this is how it needs to be if you want to be that large, and if you want to be this, I mean, nine teams in one age group, how I I was just at uh I was just out in Utah for the cup playoffs.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, yeah, and I talked to some of the MLS Academy guys, and I said, like, how do you make sure that the non-MLS academies feel part of it?
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_03: How what are all your other teams playing in?
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_03: So you got the first team in the homegrown, you got the second team in the academy, what's your third group, fourth group, fifth group, all the way down?
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: So the 11 of 11 age groups were typically four to five teams deep.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: So it's NEL would be the next group.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um NEL has been a great platform for us.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um they kind of really, I think, helped push MLS Academy forming, like the second tier, um, because they were kind of that de facto prior to it being formed.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um they've done a good job.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then so our third group's playing NAL, our fourth group's playing MSPSP.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_03: NAL.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_03: Is that that's not the new one?
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_03: That's not like the N1.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_03: No, no.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_03: NAL is like USB.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_03: You've been around for a while.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_03: Is it USYS?
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: Uh good question.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: They register through US USYS.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um they yeah, they open they started, I think, in the East Coast and kind of have grown across the country.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's been it's been a good platform.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a good platform for us.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: It was what the old MRL used to be, you know, in terms of like the competitive regional division, the different championships.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, it was great.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: It was great.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_03: And like the whole State Cup and all that stuff.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it was all I mean, supposedly they're trying to get bring that back.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_03: Do you see what US Soccer is trying to do?
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_03: U.S.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_03: soccer is trying to like get US Club under their umbrella and US youth under their umbrella, and then they're trying to get MLS, and MLS is like, I don't see it happening.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's what at least that's what I was told last week.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_03: And and but they're trying to bring back ODP when ODP mattered.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_03: Are you still involved in ODP at all?
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not anymore.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: I kind of again, just with my you know, commitment to Jags and everything that I'm doing here, I wasn't one of those where I kept doing ODP 101 for a while.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um that's like 11 and 12 year olds.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I was like the younger ones, and it was kind of done regionally throughout the state, and just basically start identifying some players, start to try and get them used to not training with their team and working with different coaches.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, ahead of like ODP tryouts.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um I did that for 10, 11, 12 years, but I I I passed that on to Scott Bridges a few years ago just with again everything I was doing here, I just couldn't I don't like committing to anything that I can't do 100%.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, and that's that's what's nice about coaching one team because you don't one of my like old mentors would be like, we gotta limit you to two teams because once you get to third team to like three coaching three teams, one team is not getting your all and getting your best.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_03: So let's stick to two teams where it's like split evenly because that third team is kind of like I don't know, treated like a little brother or something.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think it depends.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think we've got we've got coaches that do four or five teams, we've got coaches that do one team.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: I think if this is their full-time line of work and they're doing four or five teams, I think they can do it fully.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a lot, especially on weekends, especially on weekends.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: But I think I think you have to get the balance right with what does the overall bit look like.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: So like if you're coaching one, two teams, but you have a nine to five day job, no problem.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: I think if you're doing a nine to five day job plus more than that, like it can be a challenge.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: But we've got coaches do four or five teams and do a really good job.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's just they have to be organized, they have to communicate well, you know, they have to like have certain skill sets and really kind of um make sure that they've they've got a plan for all the different groups so that you don't end up in that situation where a team feels like they're getting less than somebody else because that's not fair.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_03: Do you guys mandate like how many sessions each each level get?
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_03: Like so a homegrown is probably what, three or four?
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: Three is four sessions a week.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_03: For homegrown academy.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's three and then NAL.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: NAL is two team training sessions, but then we have other like supplemental programs so they can do like drop-in street soccer and other things as well to get them more than just their two contacts.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_03: Got it.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_03: And then and SPSP is kind of the same setup, two contacts, yeah.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_03: And then it's smart at that you guys do have nine teams at let's say 11 and 12.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, because you have to because of the of the 11v11 jump, yeah, and the roster jump.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_03: So, I mean, everybody, I don't know, some people hate the huge clubs that have like, oh, why do you need 10 age groups?
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_03: It's just about a money.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_03: It's like it's also about like longevity of the club, too, because again, eventually some kids leave, some kids drop out, some kids you might lose some kids to MLS Academies, and then and then academy kids.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_03: How much of your academy kids over the years have gotten moved up into that first team?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_03: I know ML.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_03: What what year is this for you guys in the MLS next?
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's a good question.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_03: Is it four?
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I think it's more than that.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_03: Or is it when um who's the MLS Next director?
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: Pete Pete.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: When Pete got here, right?
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but we Ableton straight away.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um our 06s and 07s were grandfathered in because I think the 06s would have been U14 turning U15.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: And those guys have all graduated now.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_01: 07s just graduated.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm guessing it's been six, seven years.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: We've talked a bit now at Homegrown.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: Got it.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, how many of your academy have gone on to homegrown?
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think it's something that we we try to, you know, push and something that we try to like um do as best we can because that's a huge selling point of of the academy platform, is it is a step closer to homegrown.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously there are other clubs that have academy as well.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: But for us, if if you're in our academy and there's a team over there training on the same field that are homegrown, it's a lot easier to make that jump than it is coming from somewhere else, another team's academy.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: So every year uh the number changes, but our our hope is that one to two players per team might get that opportunity to move up.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: Now, sometimes that's dictated by our homegrown players.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: Is there one to two of those guys moving on to professional academies?
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, that could be part of it.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so sometimes there's more opportunity than other years.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: Like some age groups is like we lose three, four guys to professional academies.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: Now there becomes more opportunity for our academy players, but other years is like the group's kind of stayed intact, so maybe there's a little bit less movement, and it's just year on year is a little bit different.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_03: How are you guys doing the age change with the academy?
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you are because some aren't.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_03: I I found that out in in Utah.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_03: I was like, wait a minute, you guys aren't changing at all.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_03: None of their teams, they're not even their U9, U10, U11, they're staying.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: So they their thought process is that well, they're gonna play mostly against older kids, and then that will sharpen them and get them ready for homegrown.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_03: So is that chaos?
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_03: Or how did that go?
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_03: Are you done with tryouts?
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, no, we're in the thick of it right now.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um we're in the thick of it.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's been tryouts for about four months.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's it's it's going, you know, it's one of those where we've taken the approach that you know, we're ripping off the bad age similar to 10 years ago when they made the switch from the the sort of the August through July calendar to the birth year.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_01: We just made the change fully rather than kind of trying to do it differently in different age groups.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's just easier, let's just do it all together.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: Homegrown being the exception, staying birth.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but we're trying to get everyone in the right age groups now, rather than a year down the line, two years, three years, whatever it might be.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_01: So we're we're in the thick of it right now.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and the challenge is always going to now, because of the homegrown piece, the challenge will always be there specifically um the jump from U twelve to U13.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: Because you have now players operating in two different calendars that might not fit could.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: They skip an entire age group, kind of.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, if you're a let's say you're an academy kid and you're U tw U13, U14, and then you make homegrown that following year, well, I guess you'd probably repeat.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_03: More likely it's gonna be you're gonna repeat rather than skip.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: You either do the same age group that you were in because maybe you're on the younger side of the calendar year.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: Or you just move up, or you just move up as normal and you go into that that birth year.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_03: So it's not that big of a deal.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_03: It really isn't.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_03: Did you like?
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I know I've I I've talked to a lot of coaches, they're like, why are we so stressed out about this?
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_03: I'm so done.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_03: It's like, why am I answering this?
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_03: But do you remember when it changed the first time?
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_03: Where are you from originally?
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_03: Scotland.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_03: You're from Scotland.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_03: How is it over there?
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_03: Is it is it birth year?
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_03: Because some people say that the F the English FA is school year.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: What is it like in Scotland?
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: School year as well.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: So, and I say that, well, I say that.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: The caveat being I've been removed from Scotland for a long time, and so I can't I can't say categorically that um that's still the case.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: That when I grew up, it was it was done by school year, but our school year in Scotland was March 1st to February 28th or whatever it was.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_03: That's the birth cutoff?
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: Really?
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but in England it was more like America where it was it was actually September 1st or August 31st in England.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_03: Interesting.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_03: That's very interesting.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_03: When did you know that you wanted to come over here?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: How old were you?
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_03: How old were you when you went to Rochester?
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I was 20.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't come to Rochester College directly.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: From so I I lived in Scotland until I was 13.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: Moved to England and I lived there for five years with my family.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: So and then when I was 18, I basically hopped on a plane and came over.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: So I came out to work for Camp America, which is not a soccer company.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's nothing to do with soccer, is solely to work in American summer camps like the catch-old just the regular camps.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: So I came out, did that.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: My plan was to work that for the summer, work for three months.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_01: You get a four-month visa.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_01: I was going to travel around the US for a month.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: I was going to go back home, work for three months, go to Australia for six months, and you know, spend some time there, work.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: Same type same type of deal with like the camps?
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: No, just go.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I was taking a year out.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: My plan was finished school at 18, take a year, and then go back to university.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: I wasn't ready for it, I felt like.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so then my plan was to go to Australia.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: I just never made it.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: I never, I never made, I never left the US really.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_01: I mean I did to go get visas and whatever else.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_03: But uh what's what areas did you travel to?
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: I was just in Fenton.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: I was based in Fenton.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: That's how that's where my landing spot was.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: Fenton, Michigan.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_01: Fenton, Michigan.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: So when I got assigned to this camp, it was part of the Flint YMCA.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, okay, typed in Google, Flint, and it was just shortly after um like all the Michael uh Moore films and stuff, and yeah, Murder Capital USA.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's awesome.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my god.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_03: When you came over, were you like, man, this is gonna be awesome.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_03: This is yeah, this is gonna be unbelievable.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_03: And then it's Fenton, Michigan.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: That was great.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we didn't really get out much to be honest.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: You like you're worked for the whole summer, so you had very little time off, and you're kind of like in this bubble, but um yeah, but it was great.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: Again, got me the opportunity to come here and never expected it to last 23 years.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: Did you know that you wanted a coach?
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: At that time, no.
• 25:54
  unknown: No.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_03: You wanted to play, you were still trying to find somewhere to play.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: I was interested in playing.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um my plan was to go, like I say, go back home and do my education there.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: That was the original plan.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um it was when I went to college, like I say, I got started in a Milford High School just through a friend, basically.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then my goal was my goal quite a long time into coaching, to be honest with you, was to I wanted to be a college professor.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, I'm gonna be a college professor, I'm gonna coach a little bit, and then it just kept tipping the scales.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I still like the idea of being a college professor, but I don't see it happening anytime in the near future.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_03: I still how did Eric Deal find you?
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it was Steve.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: Do you remember Steve Farrell?
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_01: So I knew his wife, she worked at the place that I worked at in Fenton.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: Oh.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we were just playing like on one of the weekends and stuff, and he was like, Hey, like you should think about this.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: And he put me in touch with Eric and I played through like the winter session when they were at like Oakland Yard or something.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: A bunch of the boys were there, and uh yeah, he came out, watched us, and then uh got me involved.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, because Steve I played with Steve Farrell this his last year, and then he came back to coach.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_03: I think I think that's how it worked.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_03: I think Kevin Garner came back to coach, didn't he?
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_03: At some point.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: He he coached the group when it was like Doug.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: Doug, Dan Sargent, um, Nate Hicklin, uh Brandon Horvath, those uh Joey Basheros.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: It was a good team.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_03: That was a good team.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: He did well.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, wow.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_03: So, okay.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: So can we all right from Rochester to Jacks?
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_03: How I mean, because Rochester kind of just like I mean, I don't want to say imploded, but it just kind of just like moved on after Mark left, and there's Jeff for a little bit, and then Jeff left.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_03: And is Rochester still it's not by Rochester Soccer Club anymore.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_03: Is Toddy still uh Toddy's still doing something over there?
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_01: Tatty just I think he just left last year.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, the National Nationals, Nationals Rochester though?
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't yeah, I don't know how it all played out specifically, but I know Rochester worked with um Michigan Revolution.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I think they still have they still have teams at those locations.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: They still have it was this was after I left.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: I was it was still RSC when I was there.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um they still have separate teams.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: Rochester are now based out of um Auburn Hills almost, like it's um Delton and Yep, that uh that outdoor fields is really nice.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think Michigan Revolution are still based um on the east side, and then their upper tier teams train out of the Michigan Stars facility, and they're the Michigan Stars elite teams.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, and then when you got here, it wasn't like this.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_03: No, it wasn't like it wasn't this big yet.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: No, I think we had four branches at the time.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_03: Really?
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_03: Only four, and now you have twelve?
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_01: Thirteen.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_01: Thirteen?
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_03: Did you just add one?
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_01: Ann Arbor.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_03: You added Ann Arbor.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_03: Who was the Ann Arbor?
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: It was MPSA Crush.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_03: And I mean, do you from all those different branches?
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_03: Do you get kids that are on your academy team from all those different branches?
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_03: Or homegrown?
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean some more than others.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it is a pathway that exists for players in all those branches, whether they choose to pursue it or not, whether they're at the right level or not, like that pathway exists.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: So some branches, I would say, more than others, have players that either play in Academy or in homegrown.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that pathway exists for all those players.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: So like in the winter, we when we do like ID sessions and stuff, like we do ID sessions at the U12, U11, U10 age groups as well, before we even get to MLS stuff.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_01: And we purposely get players and invite players from across all the branches so they understand that that opportunity is there.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: If that's something that they wish to pursue or something that they are able to pursue, we start to have those where those coaches, those branch leaders can send those players to bet get identified.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_01: If it's something that they can do, want to do, or able to do, then then we can start having those conversations.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes we want to have a player at a particular location where they might be at the level, but that might just not fit their family situation.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_01: And that's perfectly okay, but it's nice for them to have that opportunity and know that it exists should something change.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_03: And it's just education to the parents because uh some U-12 parents might not know that what MLS Next is.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_03: And and they certainly don't know what homegrown or academy means.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_03: Because I think that the whole thing has been confusing because it was MLS Next 2 for like six months or a year, and then they had changed it to Academy.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_03: They changed the team names, yeah.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_03: I mean or the lead names.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_03: Have you always been with the Academy or have you done homegrown as well?
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_01: No, I haven't I haven't worked in homegrown.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um I worked at the Academy this past year, and before that was doing a lot of the pre-MLS stuff, like U11, U12.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_03: So like um That's what you used to do at RSC.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_03: Remember that old was it a 2000 boys team that you had?
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe 99s.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_01: 99s, I know which group it is, yeah.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and then we did that we th we did that thing at OU or uh Oakland Yard where we just like scrimmaged each other.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my god.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_03: Cause I had a that OO team I used to have was really good.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_03: That Bulboz team?
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, I remember, yeah.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_03: And then I had a couple of the girls play with it.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_03: That was wait, is it 2000?
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it has to be 2000.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like it was 99, 2000 was like the team they remember.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_03: Mine was yeah, mine was OO's, and yours was 99s.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_03: God, that's a flashback.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that was a did you ever have like one of those teams that made you like fall in love with soccer?
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_03: Oh or coaching, I mean.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, the the that th those boys that you referenced, like that was I when I got involved at Rochester that first year, it was a bit the tough first year, you know.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: Just the team I had wasn't a fully formed team, and it was through the course of the year the roster changed a little bit, you know, in different ways.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_01: So, like the next year was my first year where I really kind of got a group and they were awesome, like great kids, great families.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like some of those pairs are still still in touch with now, but like and they they were all just good kids before anything else.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_01: They happened to be good soccer players too, but they were just good kids, and it wasn't the top team, it was like third team maybe, and uh, but they all went on and did did well, you know.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: Did you lose a lot of those kids, like Vardar or like Wolves?
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_01: At the time we would we would lose some top end players to Vardar for sure, like you know, depending on the year.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, not so much to Wolves that you know that was just a different at that point.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: Just the tears weren't driving.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_03: Why would you drive all the way to out here when you were in Rochester?
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_01: Why would you drive past these other clubs where the same opportunity exists?
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_03: Isn't that what is what's nice about what Michigan has become?
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_03: Is that do you find that you guys hold on to your team's players more than what it used to be?
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_03: Because everybody was chasing the platform, they had to be in the DA, or uh on the girl side, obviously they had to be in the ECNL.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_03: Well, now a lot of a lot of clubs have the MLS next.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_03: A lot of clubs have either the GA or the ECNL, and it's just people will say, Oh, it dilutes it, it uh it dilutes the the product.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, no, I want it open.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_03: I want more opportunities for players because we always hear about how players uh slip through the cracks.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_03: Well, if there's more opportunities and more clubs in these platforms, less kids are gonna fall through the the cracks.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm sure you guys have some scholarship programs and and whatnot for for players to make sure that they are playing.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_01: No, absolutely.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think it also gives the families more opportunities and choice too, in terms of okay, our player might be at this level, but like, is this the right fit for them versus if this is the only team that has this platform?
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what if I don't agree with these certain things, you know?
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_01: So um I think there's more opportunities, which is good.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_01: And then yeah, to you to your point there, like we have a huge financial assistance fund that we raise money for, you know, every year.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_01: I shouldn't say huge fund, I mean it's a huge thing for the club.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, you know, we raise money in different ways.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_01: We've got the golf out and we started a 5k like fun run a few years ago as well, which is pretty cool.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: And like Thanksgiving weekend, it's it's not warm, but it's it's good.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we just do stuff throughout the year um to try and help raise money for that financial assistance fund to help families continue to play soccer because it's not cheap.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I don't think we're putting I don't think we're putting that genie back in the bottle of like stay cup, bringing like bringing back stay cup, bringing back ODP, even though they're talking about making ODP important again.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_03: But I mean, do you where do you think this is going?
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_03: Do you think that MLS Next is going to have Okay, it has the first tier homegrown, then it has the Academy.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_03: Do you think there's a third tier coming?
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_03: Do you think there's a fourth tier coming, a fifth tier coming?
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's a good question.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know about that.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_01: I mean it would make sense in terms of like synergy between different leagues, so there's more of a pathway for players as well as teams and clubs and such.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: It would make sense.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if that's the space that MLS next want to go into or not.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_01: If that if that's if they're really looking to do that, I think I think their objective is a little bit different.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't want to speak in like this is what I think they're you know, this is what they're trying to do.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_01: I I think that their goal is to obviously produce players at the top end for their professional academies, for the national polls, and so on.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't I don't know.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know where this goes, to be honest with you.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_01: That's one of those where I think if any of us went back 10 years, five years, 10 years, whatever it is, we'd we'd all be wrong with our guesses.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_03: No kidding, right?
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_03: Think about that.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_03: Think about like your last year at RSC versus now, the just the climate.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_03: And just think about the size of I mean, was nationals as big as it is yet?
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_03: No, not really.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_03: That was pre-merger, kind of.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_03: I think it was that year.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_03: It was like right actually at that year where Gators and PSG and Waza.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_03: But I mean, I don't know.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_03: I hope I don't know.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_03: I just dream back home.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_03: Is it one system for the youth?
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_03: Everybody plays under one system, one league, and you just filter up, you know.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_01: So like um one of the one of the changes is well, I shouldn't say changes, it's been good for a while, is like like Rangers will have this team I support, so I'm gonna reference them.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_01: They obviously have their team based out in Glasgow, but they have like development centres and like different regions in Scotland.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_01: So rather than a player in Aberdeen, which is probably like a what four and a half hour, five hour drive from Aberdeen to Glasgow, rather than that player driving there, they've got a development center within 45 minutes of Aberdeen that they can go to more regularly, you know.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_03: Does Celtic also do that?
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_03: Like we're I would assume so.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_01: I try not to pay too much attention, but but uh yeah, I would assume so.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: I think that that's what the big clubs do.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_01: And um, but yeah, so there's just there's more of those regional sites for that level player, that level team.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_01: But there's it's much of our it's definitely more of a pyramid system, I would say.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_01: Is that the biggest rivalry in all of sports?
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_01: In my opinion, yeah.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_01: It has to be pretty close.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_01: River and Boca, I would put up there as well.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um Brazil or Argentina, Argentina, yeah.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_01: But for like Ranger Celtic, it's it's nationalistic, it's religious, it's socioeconomic, it's it's everything everything you can think of, it's a divide.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_03: I read that book, How Soccer Explains the World?
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_03: And there was a story in it, and it was Ranger Celtic, and I don't remember which way it was, but it was basically Celtic fans dressed as Ranger fans, befriended them in a pub, went to the game, went home, got in a taxi, and killed them.
• 38:43
  unknown: Jesus.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, killed the guys that they like befriended.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's incredible.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it is like, yeah, that's how that's how it is over there.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_03: It's a little bit more passionate.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_01: I was never allowed a ranger shirt growing up.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_01: My parents would not let me wear a ranger shirt.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like, once I moved to Why?
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_03: Because it identified you and maybe you could become a target.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_01: Holy cow, are you serious?
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_01: And and so, like, uh I remember like I was very disappointed obviously to be moving to England, I was leaving my friends, like all that kind of usual stuff when you move.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_01: But the one sort of bit was, but now you get a ranger shirt.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, fantastic.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_03: But okay, and and I've been on this kick for years, it's a cultural war.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_03: We're uh uphill battle.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_03: We are so far behind culturally of waking up and caring about we are so far removed from professional like teams.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, okay, we're at part of the MLS next, we're jags, but do I support FC Cincinnati?
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_03: Wait a minute, they're kind of a competitor, right?
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I can't who do I get to support?
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_03: I can't support Columbus crew.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_01: They're a competitor, they're in uh I'm a jag right now, but if I move to a different club, I now support them, like versus you don't get a choice to change.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_03: That doesn't happen in your your livelihood or your fandom or your I don't even know what you what what it's not fans.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_03: No, supporters.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_03: Your supporter, yeah.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_03: You're a supporter, you're that's who you are.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_01: But I'd say college sports is more similar in the US to that kind of like level of like fandom.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I have no you know, skin in the game in terms of Michigan versus Michigan State versus Ohio State, whatever.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_01: But you hear people talk about those college platforms in the in a more similar way, I think, to how Europeans or whoever like talk about their team.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's a little bit more, it's more of like a this is a forever thing.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know?
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_03: Or your dad, uh your mom and dad could have been uh die hard Michigan fans, and then you just grow up a hate in Ohio State, and then you go to Ohio State, and then it's just a mess.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_03: But I mean, I just feel I don't know.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_03: It's always a culture war, you know, where you see what's a good example.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_03: Did you see the send-off that Turkey got?
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_03: It was it was their team bus.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_03: They were headed to the airport, obviously, and they were for the World Cup, and they were they were in the team bus, and then there was just like all these cars following it to the it's like mad.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think USA uh is getting that kind of or the Brazilian plane gets blessed.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_03: Did you see that?
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_03: No, I mean I mean this is wild, you know.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_03: And I mean how old were you in 94?
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_03: Because you weren't here, obviously.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_01: No, I was nine years old, but that's like that was a very formative world cup for me.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_01: Like 1990, I and Scotland was in it.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_01: 94, no, they weren't?
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_01: No, Republic of Ireland were in it.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_01: That was the uh but like for me, it was obviously that Brazil team, incredible.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um Debaggio with his little like pony, yeah, little rat tail at the back, and then Stoichkov.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_01: It was um for me again as a Rangers fan, we signed Oleg Selenko falling the World Cup, who was the joint golden boot winner that World Cup, but he got six goals against Saudi Arabia or something like he scored seven goals total, but the six were in one game, so the other misinoma, but uh yeah.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_01: Selenko and then who else was there?
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, um you had the the Sweden team that did really well.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_01: I think were they third, fourth?
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_01: They were in the semis, yeah.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_01: So they did they had a great team with like Thomas Brolin and yeah, because it was Brazil.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_03: I think I want to say it was Brazil-Sweden.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_01: They played in the group stage actually.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_01: That was one of the games at the Silverdome.
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_03: Was it?
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I went to USA versus Switzerland at the Silverdome, nice, and then but it was the Columbia USA game that changed my life.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_03: That like that was like okay, that made me want to be a goalkeeper a little bit because Tony Miola, yeah, yeah, and because he was treated like a hero.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, uh I could do that.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_03: Idiot.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_03: But uh, like, do you think okay?
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_03: Are your players excited for this World Cup?
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_03: Or do they feel removed because they're not going to the game or we're not in a city?
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I was thinking about it last night.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_03: How sweet it would be if we were in a city that had it.
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_03: Be amazing.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, and I always talk to some of my soccer parents that were in their 20s during '94, and they just talked about how crazy it was being around, you know, when downtown Pontiac or downtown Detroit with it here.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like they were missing that.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_01: I I saw a guy, if any say that, Upper State Cup this weekend, older gentleman, grandfather who's there.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: And his, you know, his grandchild at the State Cup, and he was wearing a t-shirt.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like it was Detroit, USA 94.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_01: It was the T the games that were listed on his t-shirts.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_01: So obviously he was excited.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_01: He had memories, and I spoke to him for a second.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like he had memories of being there at those games and such.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_01: But I think the players are excited in the way that they would be excited for any World Cup.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know that it's different that it's being held in the US because there's not that connectivity to it.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_01: And maybe that's different if you live in Boston or you live in Philly or wherever else.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_01: But we have that buzz that you're talking about back in 94.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, Chicago isn't a host.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's crazy.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_03: Which is wild to me.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_03: I was thinking about that because I have to go to Chicago for a couple episodes.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm like, wait a minute, why isn't Chicago a hosting?
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_03: Our nearest is Toronto.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't really want to go up there.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_03: But I mean, that's the easiest drive.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_03: But I mean, can't afford game uh tickets.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_01: I just bought some end of last week.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_03: What'd you buy?
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_01: Scotland, Morocco.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_03: Holy cow, is that a group stage?
• 45:05
  SPEAKER_01: Group stage game, so where is it?
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_01: Boston.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_03: You're gonna drive?
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_03: Are you gonna fly?
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: Drive, yeah.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_03: It's not bad.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_03: That's like a that's are you gonna stay somewhere on the way?
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_01: I've uh I don't think so.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_01: I've got a friend that lives not just outside Boston, so I've got accommodation sort of.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um but yeah, me and my son are gonna go and it's one of those where to your question about 94 World Cup, he's a similar age to what I was in '94.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_01: He's just turned 10.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, his team just did State Cup for the first time.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_01: You know, he's super light into it.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_01: And back in November when Scotland at the playoff, not the playoff, the last group game against Denmark, where if we were to win, we'd actually get first place and automatically qualify.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_01: And if we got if we didn't win, we'd get second going to the playoffs, which is what everyone assumes.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_01: And uh he happened to be sick that day, so he didn't go into school.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_01: He watched it, stuck on the TV for him later on.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_01: He watched Scotland, Denmark, and that was the game where we ended up winning 4-2.
• 46:03
  SPEAKER_01: It was the Scott McTominy bicycle kick, it was the gold halfway thing, Kenny McLean, and it's the first time where I've seen him like identify as a Scotland fan because you know, like he's born here, and so like he should support the US, you know, and um, but he obviously has Scottish heritage as well.
• 46:20
  SPEAKER_01: And it was the first time I was like, okay, he he's he's hooked, you know, like he's he's hooked based on that.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I haven't told him about the lifetime of disappointment that lays in front of him of a Scotland fan, but he'll experience some of that this World Cup at least.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_01: So he'll get used to it.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_03: Which group stage game is that?
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_01: Second one.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_01: So we play Haiti on the 13th.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm hoping we win, get our three points, and then if we play Morocco, I think a point might be enough to get through in third place before we face Brazil in the final game.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_03: You were smart waiting.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_03: Because I I'm sure tickets dropped.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_03: They have dropped.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_03: Did you did you look at tickets like maybe two months ago and you're like, I can't do this?
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_01: I've been looking since they came out, and it was it's unaffordable.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's just one of those where it's criminal the cost of the ticket prices.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_01: I told my brother-in-law about you know the price of World Cup tickets.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_01: He's he's an England fan for his sins.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_01: He's married, he's married into the family.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think he's been to like every World Cup since I want to say like oh two, maybe oh six, like following England.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_01: Like he goes to all like he travels like the summer he married my sister.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_01: He was in Russia like a week beforehand at the England semi-cup, you know, semi-final.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_01: So he does it properly, but this is the first World Cup he's not going to, and it's because it's become you know too expensive, especially to go to like an England game, right?
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, those tickets aren't falling, USA tickets are not falling.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um France, Brazil are not falling, and then Morocco.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_03: Morocco is kind of like the one of the sneaky teams that everybody's taking.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they are maybe Afcon champions, maybe not, depending on how that plays out.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_01: But that's wild.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you look at you know the player pool they have.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_01: Hakimi just won the Champions League again, you know.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I mean, it's a legit team.
• 48:08
  SPEAKER_01: They got some some good players there.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_01: But is it Bono the goalkeeper that had the great World Cup last time as well?
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's good, it's a good team.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it'll be a fun game to watch.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad you I'm glad your son gets to go.
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um that's he doesn't know it yet, but he'll find sometime this week.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we I bought them Friday.
• 48:27
  SPEAKER_03: It's a surprise.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he had State Cup this weekend, so I wanted him just to focus on that.
• 48:31
  SPEAKER_01: Uh he won it.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_01: Uh or his team won, I should say.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um his team first time doing it, U-10 junior State Cup.
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_03: His team uh Junior State Cup is massive.
• 48:41
  SPEAKER_01: That's great.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't realize how many teams are in it.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean it's it's arguably what State Cup used to be in the sense that all the top teams play.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, everyone's there.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_03: Who'd you play?
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so can't remember the group stage games.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_01: I don't, you know, as a coach, I didn't get to see all of them, unfortunately, just my own schedule.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_01: But quarterfinals, we played stars.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um 1-1-0, tough game, scored towards the end.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_01: It was could have gone either way, to be fair.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Saturday they played Nationals Oakland.
• 49:13
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_01: Similarly, could have gone either way.
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_01: We were actually 2-0 down, didn't play that great, and then last 15 minutes they scored three goals and we won 3-2, so scenes at the end.
• 49:25
  SPEAKER_01: It was pretty cool.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's pretty cool.
• 49:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then on the Sunday they played Kalmazou Kingdom.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_01: Good, good little team.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um we started, we actually played really well.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_01: We started fast and uh we scored two goals in like the first like 12 minutes and it finished 2-0.
• 49:41
  SPEAKER_01: But I mean, it's a final, right?
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_01: At any point the game can change, and we had a lot of chances, but we weren't scoring.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_01: All it'd take is one chance for them and it changes again.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_01: But he loved it.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_01: It was it was good.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_01: It was a cool experience for for those boys and with that group, you know.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_01: Is he still in school?
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_04: Mm-hmm.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_01: Until what like then next Thursday.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, Thursday the 11th, I think.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_03: And then the game is the what?
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_03: The 17th?
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_03: 18th?
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_01: 19th.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_01: 19th.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna take off on like the 17th, start driving, I think.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_01: Man, that's awesome.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can't wait.
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm jealous.
• 50:15
  SPEAKER_01: I've never been to a World Cup game either.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_01: You know, because that's so horrible.
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_01: In Scotland, we don't we don't qualify for many.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_01: 98 was the last one we went to, which was France.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_01: I was 13 at the time, so it wasn't like it was easy.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_03: 98.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_03: That was the last and how'd they do?
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_03: They didn't make them knockout stage.
• 50:37
  SPEAKER_01: Ironically, we played Morocco in the last group stage game and lost, and that's why we went out.
• 50:41
  SPEAKER_01: But that team had like Mustafa Haji, Yusuf Chippo.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_01: It was like a a team that was unknown to the world then, but then all those players like got Premier League moves and whatever else after the World Cup.
• 50:50
  SPEAKER_01: But we we actually played Brazil in the opening group, actually the opening game of the World Cup.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um we played Brazil in the opening game, and then that team.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_03: Wow, how'd they not win it?
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I guess that France team.
• 51:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, obviously.
• 51:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 51:04
  unknown: God.
• 51:05
  SPEAKER_03: I'm excited.
• 51:06
  SPEAKER_03: Hey uh it's getting a lot of bad rap because of all the the pricing and stuff like that, but it only happens every four years.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_03: What did you think was going to happen?
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_03: And and I always knew that the prices are gonna eventually come down.
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_03: I need to look at what uh games are in Toronto because you're like making me want to like Yeah.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's like those might try to go, just try to get one ticket.
• 51:32
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, yeah, and the fact that US held it in 94 and is holding it again now is just relatively rare.
• 51:39
  SPEAKER_01: So like my thinking is like gotta take advantage of that while it's here.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_03: Because I mean, what we're sitting at 32 years, so how old are we gonna be in our thirty in 32 years?
• 51:51
  SPEAKER_01: Let less mobile.
• 51:52
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_03: I'm less mobile right now, but okay.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_03: How is yours are you okay?
• 51:57
  SPEAKER_03: So you so your son just wins State Cup.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_03: Was that the first bracket or the second bracket?
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_03: First bracket.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_03: And then they do they have regionals at that age group?
• 52:07
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, thankfully not.
• 52:08
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, way too much for those guys.
• 52:10
  SPEAKER_01: No, that that kicks in at U13.
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_01: So younger age groups, it's more just to participate, not participation, like participating, but right all the teams are there, like it's a cool experience.
• 52:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean, yeah, you get that sagonal buzz and everyone's up there.
• 52:23
  SPEAKER_03: And then tryouts are going on right now?
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_03: For how much longer?
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_01: Theoretically, uh just under two weeks.
• 52:32
  SPEAKER_01: Just under two weeks.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_03: How do you guys how do you guys set up your tryouts?
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's just constant, to be honest.
• 52:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's just a combination of ID sessions, it's tryouts.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's I think it's a challenge for for players and families across the state to try to work out like what do they need to do because it's just so much more fluid.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think the the advantage of having the traditional try-out weekend is you know this is when you have to make whatever team you're going to make, and you pick and choose where you're going to go.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 53:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, versus everything's so fluid right now.
• 53:03
  SPEAKER_01: So it's I don't think it's great for anyone in that regard.
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's not great for clubs, it's not great for families in terms of like making decisions.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so it's it's a different challenge, but again, just like everything, we just adapt and we'll move forward, you know.
• 53:17
  SPEAKER_03: One of the number one complaints I get is like, why are our trials all the same week or uh the same day, same time?
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_03: It's like that's a good thing.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_03: I always enjoyed that because you get to see, okay, we're number one on their list, regardless.
• 53:30
  SPEAKER_03: You're here, you're here, you know.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_03: And if I mean, I remember getting calls that night, like, oh, do you have spots still available?
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like, actually, yeah, we do have a couple spots.
• 53:42
  SPEAKER_03: Come on out tomorrow, and then and we'll take a look and whatnot.
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, it's crazy.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_03: How many, how many homegrown clubs are there in Michigan?
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_03: So you got the Wolves, you got the Jags, you got Vardard, you've got Midwest uh Midwest United and uh MFA, which is is that A G R C now or that's right, AC Gut Rapids, yeah.
• 54:11
  SPEAKER_03: Is that uh did that actually happen?
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_03: Is that did they change?
• 54:14
  SPEAKER_03: So that's five.
• 54:15
  SPEAKER_03: How many Academy?
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_03: Is it nine?
• 54:18
  SPEAKER_03: Ten?
• 54:19
  SPEAKER_03: Nine.
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_03: So all those teams, plus you got like Michigan Tigers that only have the academy.
• 54:25
  SPEAKER_03: Then you've got uh Stars.
• 54:28
  SPEAKER_01: Stars, you've got um Liverpool Bucks.
• 54:32
  SPEAKER_03: Oh yeah.
• 54:32
  SPEAKER_03: And then their only Academy?
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 54:35
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, and then we have a second academy spot as well.
• 54:39
  SPEAKER_01: You have a second academy spot?
• 54:40
  SPEAKER_01: Where at?
• 54:41
  SPEAKER_01: So Downriver?
• 54:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's split between downriver and Genesee right now.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay.
• 54:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, again, with the fact we've got locations and the player pool that we have, like we were able to suck that with with those teams, and they've done well.
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_01: They've done well, uh, the Den River and Genesee teams, so it's been a good experience for them.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 55:01
  SPEAKER_03: And so your academy schedule, how often do you have to leave the state?
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_01: Uh this year it was one weekend to play games in Chicago.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_03: What is that?
• 55:13
  SPEAKER_03: Like FC United?
• 55:14
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it was depending on which of which ones you got home or away.
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_01: Oops.
• 55:18
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry.
• 55:18
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_01: Uh FC United Soccer, Chicago Fire, and uh Galaxy are the four clubs there.
• 55:26
  SPEAKER_02: Galaxy.
• 55:26
  SPEAKER_01: But those guys have just gone to a different conference with like Minnesota, Wisconsin.
• 55:31
  SPEAKER_01: So they're actually not going to be in our conference next year.
• 55:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we're adding in two teams from uh northern Indiana into the sort of our conference.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_03: So the travel for Academy is not that bad.
• 55:43
  SPEAKER_03: It's not bad.
• 55:44
  SPEAKER_03: It's a lot of day trips, too.
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_01: It is absolutely.
• 55:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we do we'll do one weekend, I'm guessing, in Indiana, and the rest of it will be day trips.
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_01: See, not every state is like that.
• 55:53
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 55:54
  SPEAKER_03: How do you know what the system is?
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_03: Let's say tigers, right?
• 55:58
  SPEAKER_03: They don't have homegrown, they have academy.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_03: How can they play their way into homegrown or your downriver branch?
• 56:07
  SPEAKER_03: How can you how can you play into homegrown?
• 56:15
  SPEAKER_01: So again, that'd probably be a conversation or a question for like uh the league itself.
• 56:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'll I'll tell you how I think it happens.
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, but I don't I don't know it to be factually accurate.
• 56:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think MLS next look at a ton of factors as far as I understand it in terms of like population currently, population growth, all the different there's a lot of like numerical factors that they go into when they're looking at whether they add more clubs or takeaway clubs.
• 56:46
  SPEAKER_03: They want to know that you're stable and there's longevity to it, I'm sure.
• 56:51
  SPEAKER_03: It's not just oh, you guys won your little division.
• 56:55
  SPEAKER_03: Good team right now, let's come in here.
• 56:57
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 56:58
  SPEAKER_01: They do it with more of a plan and a purpose, which I which I respect.
• 57:01
  SPEAKER_01: They um there's much more that goes on before accepting clubs, as far as I understand it.
• 57:07
  SPEAKER_01: So I would assume, but I don't know it, that that that would be part of the factor too.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_01: So if you look at it right now, if there's five homegrown clubs in Michigan, it would have to make sense for the league to say a sixth team here in this region makes sense.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_01: Now, who does it make sense to be?
• 57:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like which club is the right fit for this platform, right?
• 57:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I assume it would go the other way too, potentially, right?
• 57:31
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 57:32
  SPEAKER_03: Well, RY, FC, Rochester, New York, uh, they just got moved down to from homegrown to academy.
• 57:40
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 57:41
  SPEAKER_03: And then they just decided to say we're gone.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_03: We're going to we're going to boys ECNL.
• 57:49
  SPEAKER_03: And the reason the reason for it is that they didn't think that they could sell being in the second tier against Flash Boys ECNL because there's that's the only two games in town.
• 58:03
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_03: And it's an hour apart.
• 58:05
  SPEAKER_03: And you got Flash in Buffalo, and then you got RY in Rochester, and then another hour away, you got SDA, which is Academy MLS next.
• 58:16
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like, because their biggest competitor is in Buffalo, so it's like, well, you know what?
• 58:23
  SPEAKER_03: We're going to just go toe-to-toe with Boys ECNL and see how it goes.
• 58:28
  SPEAKER_03: But it's I mean, is is playing high school?
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, this past year, did your Academy boys play high school?
• 58:37
  SPEAKER_01: Uh the U 15 through 19 teams did, yeah.
• 58:40
  SPEAKER_01: The team I coach, no, they're they're young, they're in eighth grade.
• 58:42
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, they did.
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_03: That's good to know.
• 58:46
  SPEAKER_03: And and you're okay with it?
• 58:48
  SPEAKER_03: And the club's okay with it, they support it.
• 58:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 58:51
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, did you have high school soccer growing up?
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_01: Not like it is, yeah.
• 58:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, like, I I played for my school, like, but it was like the you know, the graphics teacher was our coach, you know, like and that's how they used to be here.
• 59:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 59:04
  SPEAKER_01: So like it's one of those things, yeah, we we'd play now and again.
• 59:06
  SPEAKER_01: There's like a county cup that we'd participate in, type of thing, but not like here.
• 59:11
  SPEAKER_01: Not like here.
• 59:12
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't like organized in the same way.
• 59:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um that wasn't organized in the same way, so it was different.
• 59:17
  SPEAKER_01: It was our club teams that were more prevalent.
• 59:20
  SPEAKER_03: Do you get any homegrown kids in any of your age groups that turn down the homegrown because they want to play high school soccer?
• 59:29
  SPEAKER_01: We s we've seen it a little bit at the senior age group, right?
• 59:34
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe if they're already committed or if they have realized that they don't want to play college soccer.
• 59:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so it's a little bit like I want to play my last year high school and stuff.
• 59:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, generally, no, to be honest with you, but I think that's where we have seen it.
• 59:46
  SPEAKER_03: Because I I get DMs all the time.
• 59:49
  SPEAKER_03: People are uh acting like that happens all the time.
• 59:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's like I'm not sure that happens that much.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_01: I've not seen it, it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
• 59:57
  SPEAKER_01: I just I've not listed it personally.
• 59:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's a lot of people in here today.
• 1:00:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, especially.
• 1:00:03
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I've never seen Doug in here, you know.
• 1:00:05
  SPEAKER_01: No, they have uh staff meeting.
• 1:00:07
  SPEAKER_01: Wednesday, um, our girls' directors have their meeting.
• 1:00:11
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 1:00:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so they're they're all in here.
• 1:00:13
  SPEAKER_01: Monday, we do the boys.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_01: How important do you think this space is?
• 1:00:17
  SPEAKER_01: Huge.
• 1:00:18
  SPEAKER_01: It is huge.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_01: I think it it's it's it's something that I I really value.
• 1:00:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like so when I came across to Jags, I was still living out on the east side in Troy, and so I was commuting in to be in the office, and so I'd kind of do like two days a week type thing, and I'd kind of cram all my meetings in.
• 1:00:34
  SPEAKER_01: But it's the ability to we're on our phones so much anyway, talking to different people.
• 1:00:39
  SPEAKER_01: But if I'm here, I can speak to Leslie in administration, I can speak to Rochelle in marketing, I can speak to Paul, I can speak to like Monday, like myself, Farass, Nick, and Anthony, the other boys' directors that we sit, we meet here every Monday and we kind of just talk about the boys' side, like what needs to happen, you know, like player movement, things like that.
• 1:00:57
  SPEAKER_01: And just the ability to have that connection is massive.
• 1:01:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like obviously, you know, coming out of COVID, you know, the use of like, you know, virtual meetings was was really useful.
• 1:01:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I think something that we've utilized more and more, um, especially connecting with like the bigger community, but like that direct interaction with staff, like it's is huge to have this.
• 1:01:17
  SPEAKER_01: And just you're part of so many more conversations that it might not be, I need to call you, Jason, about this, like we'll have that conversation no matter what.
• 1:01:26
  SPEAKER_01: But maybe just you working there, me working here sparks something where you just start talking about something, and the next thing you know, we we're doing a new program or we've got a new idea for an age group or whatever it might be.
• 1:01:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's huge.
• 1:01:38
  SPEAKER_03: Because I feel like you guys are so well or so intertwined.
• 1:01:43
  SPEAKER_03: Like you guys have a I feel like there is a camaraderie here that some clubs might not have just because of this space, and it's an eye-to-eye conversation.
• 1:01:53
  SPEAKER_03: I think I think there's a reason why I do or I try to do at least all of these episodes in person because it's just a different absolutely, it's a different conversation.
• 1:02:04
  SPEAKER_03: Doing this over Zoom just doesn't have the same effect to me.
• 1:02:07
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't, I mean, I I do some, but very rarely.
• 1:02:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you know, because everybody's just like come out here.
• 1:02:16
  SPEAKER_01: Where do you guys live now?
• 1:02:17
  SPEAKER_01: So we moved to Brighton.
• 1:02:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we started looking this direction.
• 1:02:22
  SPEAKER_01: The goal was to live somewhere between Troy and Novi or Wixham because my wife was a teacher in Troy.
• 1:02:29
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 1:02:29
  SPEAKER_01: So we started in sort of Farmington.
• 1:02:31
  SPEAKER_01: We kept working along '96, and next thing you know, we're in we're in Brighton buying a house, and so it's a little bit farther.
• 1:02:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:02:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my wife did the drive for quite a lot of years back to Troy.
• 1:02:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, then I think the 696 construction finally got the better of her, and she took a job in in Howell schools, and it's been good.
• 1:02:48
  SPEAKER_03: So oh, okay, awesome.
• 1:02:50
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks for doing us.
• 1:02:51
  SPEAKER_03: See, it was it was just a conversation, yeah.
• 1:02:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean, you know, and it's good to like catch up with everybody back home and like talk about the old days.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:03:03
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, there's much even more to talk about, but I don't know, dude.
• 1:03:06
  SPEAKER_03: I appreciate it.
• 1:03:07
  SPEAKER_01: No worries.
• 1:03:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and is there anything else?
• 1:03:10
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, not really.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_03: And how many how many boys directors are there?
• 1:03:15
  SPEAKER_01: So there's four of us in in no Vice CW3.
• 1:03:18
  SPEAKER_01: There's four.
• 1:03:18
  SPEAKER_03: So it's you?
• 1:03:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 1:03:20
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Pete?
• 1:03:21
  SPEAKER_03: Or does Pete not count because it's MLS Next?
• 1:03:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so because MLS Next is more of a global club platform.
• 1:03:29
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 1:03:30
  SPEAKER_01: So he he manages that, which is across the whole club essentially, because it's for any player in any branch to be part of this.
• 1:03:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's based out of Wixham, yeah.
• 1:03:39
  SPEAKER_01: Centrally, but it's it's not a specific Novi platform, if that makes sense.
• 1:03:44
  SPEAKER_01: Got it.
• 1:03:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it's me, and then it's Farras, uh Anthony Ibrahim, and Nick Darren.
• 1:03:51
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, Nick?
• 1:03:52
  SPEAKER_03: Is he does he got the little glass?
• 1:03:54
  SPEAKER_01: He does, he loves it.
• 1:03:55
  SPEAKER_03: I saw him.
• 1:03:56
  SPEAKER_03: I saw him at the son's coach.
• 1:03:59
  SPEAKER_01: He's my son's coach.
• 1:04:00
  SPEAKER_01: Is he a pickup?
• 1:04:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:04:01
  SPEAKER_03: How psycho is he with them?
• 1:04:03
  SPEAKER_01: He's great.
• 1:04:05
  SPEAKER_03: I love Nick.
• 1:04:06
  SPEAKER_03: I I'm I'm gonna have Nick on, but it's not gonna be part of the Jack show.
• 1:04:10
  SPEAKER_03: It's just gonna be something separate.
• 1:04:11
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 1:04:12
  SPEAKER_03: Because I used to coach with him at Detroit.
• 1:04:14
  SPEAKER_00: Of course.
• 1:04:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:04:16
  SPEAKER_03: And uh yeah, he's great.
• 1:04:18
  SPEAKER_01: And he we need put coaches like him with the young ones because that I mean Yeah, I think so many clubs often put their younger, less experienced coaches on those teams.
• 1:04:30
  SPEAKER_03: I don't see that here.
• 1:04:32
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, not at all.
• 1:04:34
  SPEAKER_01: We we we've we we have coaches that are younger, less experienced in all age groups, you know, and we have more experienced coaches across all age groups, but having those coaches, like when it's their formative development years, it's the formative years for parents in terms of understanding club soccer as well.
• 1:04:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's it's great to have experienced professional coaches who who really know what they're doing and set the standard early on the field as well as off the field for players and parents, you know.
• 1:05:00
  SPEAKER_01: And that's that's big for us.
• 1:05:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:05:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's big for us.
• 1:05:04
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like you as a dad, you're just like, get out of the car.
• 1:05:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you're good.
• 1:05:09
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 1:05:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'm it's nothing.
• 1:05:11
  SPEAKER_01: I just I drop them off, I go do my own sessions and good to go.
• 1:05:14
  SPEAKER_03: Do you like when you go and watch his games and parents might be freaking out about something, and then they look at you, and if you're not freaking out, and like, okay, I'm probably overreacting.
• 1:05:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's funny, like it's it's a good parent group, it's a really good parent group that I have to be part of.
• 1:05:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um you know, many of those families we've been with for years as well, like just good, good people.
• 1:05:35
  SPEAKER_01: So it's great to share the site sidelines with them.
• 1:05:37
  SPEAKER_01: There was funny this weekend in State Cup, there's a few times with a few calls, and my wife would turn to me and was like, Am I allowed to be upset about that one?
• 1:05:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, nope.
• 1:05:44
  SPEAKER_01: She's like, okay.
• 1:05:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like she was like using me as the barometer.
• 1:05:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like, if this might be this might be something that's okay to be upset about, this one, nope, you're not allowed to.
• 1:05:53
  SPEAKER_01: So but uh yeah, I just sit there like any other dad and just watch it.
• 1:05:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's good.
• 1:05:58
  SPEAKER_03: Awesome.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks again, brother.
• 1:06:01
  SPEAKER_01: No worries, man.
• 1:06:02
  SPEAKER_03: All right.
• 1:06:02
  SPEAKER_03: We're done.
• 1:06:03
  SPEAKER_01: Cool.
• 1:06:04
  SPEAKER_01: I was gonna say the only other thing I thought I didn't want to talk about, which is like international trips.
• 1:06:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's the only thing I could think of, like something a little bit different.
• 1:06:11
  SPEAKER_03: What are you doing?
• 1:06:12
  SPEAKER_01: So we do trips every year to different countries.
• 1:06:15
  SPEAKER_01: Who does?
• 1:06:16
  SPEAKER_01: Jags.
• 1:06:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um we do it through a company called World Strides.
• 1:06:20
  SPEAKER_03: World Stride, uh Dan Ravens.
• 1:06:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, he works for them.
• 1:06:23
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 1:06:23
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:06:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so three years ago we took 180 people to Spain.
• 1:06:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and we've done trips to England, we've done trips to what age groups different age groups.
• 1:06:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um so for next year, we have first and foremost, we have a World Cup trip to Brazil for the Women's World Cup.
• 1:06:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that anyone can sign up with.
• 1:06:47
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's not it's not the same uh playing trip, it's more of an experiential trip.
• 1:06:53
  SPEAKER_01: You go there and you're going to a couple World Cup matches and they'll take you to Sugarloaf Mountain, just Christ the Redeemer, like all this sort of touristy stuff.
• 1:07:00
  SPEAKER_01: I might see well for this.
• 1:07:01
  SPEAKER_01: Do it.
• 1:07:02
  SPEAKER_01: I went to Rio last year, it was amazing.
• 1:07:04
  SPEAKER_01: I would go back there in a heartbeat.
• 1:07:06
  SPEAKER_01: In a heartbeat.
• 1:07:06
  SPEAKER_03: It was it was what'd you go for?
• 1:07:08
  SPEAKER_03: Just travel a trip?
• 1:07:09
  SPEAKER_01: It was through World Strides.
• 1:07:10
  SPEAKER_01: They were kind of basically uh they call it like a film familiarization trip where they take coaches from different clubs on a trip to basically experience it and be like, hey, if this is something that you guys like, maybe it's something your families might like.
• 1:07:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I went and did that.
• 1:07:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um and yeah, it was it was amazing.
• 1:07:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'd go back there in a heartbeat.
• 1:07:28
  SPEAKER_02: Really?
• 1:07:29
  SPEAKER_01: It was really good.
• 1:07:30
  SPEAKER_01: So we're doing that one summer of 2027, but in the spring and late winter of 27.
• 1:07:36
  SPEAKER_01: Are you 12s, 13s have a trip to Spain?
• 1:07:40
  SPEAKER_01: Are high school girls have a trip to Italy?
• 1:07:46
  SPEAKER_01: You 14, 15 boys and girls, um trip to Scotland and England, and then high school boys have a trip to Scott.
• 1:07:53
  SPEAKER_03: Are you gonna go to that one?
• 1:07:55
  SPEAKER_01: I haven't I haven't decided yet.
• 1:07:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's one of those where we set the trips, we get the calendar sorted for it.
• 1:08:01
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna do we're gonna advertise for it in August.
• 1:08:03
  SPEAKER_01: We've told people about it, but August we'll start having meetings and trying to get people signed up.
• 1:08:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then based on what those trips look like, I work out where where I'm gonna go and I work out like what staff we need on different trips.
• 1:08:15
  SPEAKER_01: So and it's completely optional, completely optional, it's open to any player at any level in those age routes across our club.
• 1:08:22
  SPEAKER_01: So one of the things I really like about it is you have kids from different branches who go on these trips, they don't know each other, and then two months later they play against each other at the Jags tournament and they just share that.
• 1:08:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 1:08:33
  SPEAKER_01: They just families get back together and just kind of hang out.
• 1:08:36
  SPEAKER_03: So, like, um and it's all the branches, and it's everybody.
• 1:08:40
  SPEAKER_03: And it's when did you guys start doing this?
• 1:08:43
  SPEAKER_03: Why and why?
• 1:08:44
  SPEAKER_03: Well, what was the thought process behind it?
• 1:08:46
  SPEAKER_01: So we had we had some trips pre-crove COVID, sorry, um, and they were like a mixed bag, and then I connected with World Strides coming out of COVID, and um we did one, like I say, that one trip to Spain, it was 180 people.
• 1:09:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we had play you had we had families getting bumped off flights, and World Strides got them back on the flight within like five minutes.
• 1:09:06
  SPEAKER_01: We had yeah, all sorts of logistical concerns with that many people, that many families.
• 1:09:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it was great, it was really, really good.
• 1:09:15
  SPEAKER_01: So we liked it, like, okay, let's do more of these.
• 1:09:18
  SPEAKER_01: Families wanted to do it, and so we've we've done trips every year since then.
• 1:09:22
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, this is not sponsored at all, but World Trides knows what they're doing.
• 1:09:26
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah.
• 1:09:26
  SPEAKER_03: So there is a scandal going on with one of these companies in Massachusetts.
• 1:09:32
  SPEAKER_03: It's not really a scandal, so all these people paid their money to go on this trip, and it's like a hundred thousand dollars or something, uh, all said and done.
• 1:09:43
  SPEAKER_03: And the company goes bankrupt, and uh, they don't get their money back, so world strides.
• 1:09:50
  SPEAKER_03: So I reached out to Dan and um Dan kind of our World Strides is kind of like helping a lot of those clubs and a lot of those families to make sure that they still get to go and stuff like that.
• 1:10:07
  SPEAKER_03: Because I mean, World Strides seems like unbelievable, and they're coming for the expo.
• 1:10:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they came last year as well.
• 1:10:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and Dan was here, and Dan was on the show and we did like three hours.
• 1:10:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, because he used the I used a coach with him as well through LP and whatnot.
• 1:10:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, it's it's it's been good.
• 1:10:24
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's great.
• 1:10:26
  SPEAKER_01: We we do it like purposefully, where it's open to everyone, so it's not like uh if you're this level team, you get this opportunity.
• 1:10:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's more like if you if your player wants to sign up for it, you can sign up.
• 1:10:36
  SPEAKER_01: You can come as player plus one adult, you come as a family of three, four.
• 1:10:41
  SPEAKER_01: We had a family of six travel on one of the trips.
• 1:10:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because soccer's obviously a big part of it, but it's not the only bit, you know.
• 1:10:49
  SPEAKER_01: So like the players will go, they'll play three friendly matches, they'll go to like two professional games, but then they get to see like in Barcelona Sagrada Familia, you know, like we'll do all the touristy stuff as well.
• 1:11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 1:11:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then you get some downtime, which like when we did the Portugal trip, me and uh Dan Diac, um there was one afternoon where the plan was to go into Bellum, which is just outside uh Lisbon, and it's the home of like where pastel danatas were first made, like the little custard pies, basically.
• 1:11:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so the boys were like, uh, we're gonna stay here and we're gonna play some beach soccer.
• 1:11:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so one of the dads said, I'll stick around.
• 1:11:25
  SPEAKER_01: The boys went out and played beach soccer, you know, for two hours.
• 1:11:28
  SPEAKER_01: The parents got on the bus, went to Bellum, had a good time, like you know, checking out the pies, maybe a beer, and then came back, and everyone kind of got what they want from the trip.
• 1:11:36
  SPEAKER_01: So it's they're they're good, they're really cool.
• 1:11:39
  SPEAKER_01: Man, how many trips have you been on?
• 1:11:43
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I've done I've done four.
• 1:11:45
  SPEAKER_01: I've done four so far.
• 1:11:47
  SPEAKER_01: We tried to, yeah, we've done I've done four, and then like every year we just try to offer it the same age groups.
• 1:11:52
  SPEAKER_01: So then as players move through the club, you know that okay, I'm a U11 right now.
• 1:11:57
  SPEAKER_01: When I get to U12, I'll be eligible to go on the Spain trip if I want to.
• 1:12:00
  SPEAKER_01: Or at U15, I can go to Scotland, England, wherever it might be.
• 1:12:04
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to keep it consistent so it's not like players feel like they're missing out, they have the same opportunity to kind of do it through the club.
• 1:12:10
  SPEAKER_03: See, this is another thing Jags does that, like not everybody does, they don't even think of it.
• 1:12:16
  SPEAKER_03: And and with a club this size, you'd get people that want to go every single year.
• 1:12:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, whereas if you're a smaller club, they'd be like, Well, we don't want to ask for more money.
• 1:12:27
  SPEAKER_03: And it's just like, no, uh we we're a club of 4,000 fans 4,000 players.
• 1:12:33
  SPEAKER_03: Let's throw it out there and see if anybody wants to go.
• 1:12:36
  SPEAKER_01: If it works, great.
• 1:12:37
  SPEAKER_01: If it doesn't, no problem.
• 1:12:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's just an it's just an optional thing, you know.
• 1:12:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I love it.
• 1:12:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's cool.
• 1:12:42
  SPEAKER_03: I'm glad you brought that up.
• 1:12:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, cool problem.
• 1:12:44
  SPEAKER_01: So something a little different.
• 1:12:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and just I don't know.
• 1:12:49
  SPEAKER_03: I'm always looking for clubs that go above and beyond just the just the soccer on Saturdays, and you know, two training sessions or three training sessions, and that's that's why I think Paul wanted me to do this show for you guys, you know, and do this, you know, monthly series.
• 1:13:09
  SPEAKER_03: And it's helped a lot.
• 1:13:11
  SPEAKER_03: I've gotten a lot of DMs and I always like just a screenshot and send an evolve.
• 1:13:16
  SPEAKER_03: Like, dude, this is working, and it's getting the information out there.
• 1:13:20
  SPEAKER_01: No, absolutely.
• 1:13:21
  SPEAKER_01: I think we do a lot of things, and again, hope if if it works for people that are interested, that's great.
• 1:13:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think there's one of those like sometimes we don't say enough of the things that we offer, and it's one of those you don't necessarily find out until you're in it, you know.
• 1:13:33
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, this it's a lot of cool things going on.
• 1:13:36
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 1:13:37
  SPEAKER_03: I'm excited.
• 1:13:38
  SPEAKER_03: I'm always like happy.
• 1:13:39
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like Michigan is super healthy in terms of soccer, and it's only getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
• 1:13:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's a lot of good people, yeah.
• 1:13:48
  SPEAKER_03: And that's that's another thing that I missed uh when I was in Buffalo for 10 years, is that like the Michigan mafia that we used to joke about at like the convention, you know?
• 1:14:00
  SPEAKER_03: It's it really is.
• 1:14:01
  SPEAKER_03: Everybody knows everybody, and everybody is pretty cordial.
• 1:14:07
  SPEAKER_03: We get some drama here and there, but uh who worries or not drama here and there.
• 1:14:12
  SPEAKER_03: But for the most part, yeah.
• 1:14:13
  SPEAKER_01: We we've had meetings here, like in the big conference room next door where it's it's like almost like it is.
• 1:14:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's like the meeting of like the you know, the the five boroughs to like thing like you got all the different DOCs coming in from like all the different clubs, and exactly we have lunch, we talk about whatever it is that's on the agenda, which works what's best for as many clubs as possible, you know.
• 1:14:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like because it's yeah, we're not out there trying to screw each other over.
• 1:14:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's like we're all doing the same thing and let's just do it well together because that's better for players.
• 1:14:46
  SPEAKER_03: And what is that since since Jangs has really grown.
• 1:14:53
  SPEAKER_03: What's the attrition rate of staff?
• 1:14:56
  SPEAKER_03: I don't feel like many staff leave.
• 1:14:59
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, we're we're fortunate, you know.
• 1:15:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's one of those where um we've had a lot of coaches for a good while, you know, and it's one of those again, I've I've been here 10 years, and I'm still feel like when I'm one of the new ones in in many ways, you know.
• 1:15:11
  SPEAKER_01: So obviously that's not completely true, but it feels as well.
• 1:15:15
  SPEAKER_03: Scoby's been here for 30 years.
• 1:15:18
  SPEAKER_01: I think Scoby was born here, yeah.
• 1:15:21
  SPEAKER_01: No, exactly.
• 1:15:22
  SPEAKER_01: He's he's a life for that's for sure.
• 1:15:24
  SPEAKER_03: And uh that's the that's the fascinating part of it.
• 1:15:30
  SPEAKER_03: Scoby and Paul have been here since the beginning.
• 1:15:34
  SPEAKER_03: And God.
• 1:15:36
  SPEAKER_03: And what's this gonna look like in ten years?
• 1:15:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you can't predict it.
• 1:15:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's unbelievable.
• 1:15:40
  SPEAKER_00: Can't predict it.
• 1:15:41
  SPEAKER_03: But again, brother, thank you.
• 1:15:43
  SPEAKER_00: No problem, thank you for having me.
• 1:15:44
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate it.
• 1:15:45
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 1:15:47
  SPEAKER_00: I hate soccer.