Going Beyond the Pitch: Mentoring and New Opportunities
How to make your football academy stand out
With more and more football academies popping up all over the UK each year, it can be difficult to stand out in the crowd. So how should you go about distinguishing your football academy from your competitors?
We put PlayItLoveIt Managing Director, John Leitch, in the ClassForKids podcast seat to unlock his top tips on starting a football academy. In this blog, we’re sharing some of John’s best kept secrets, including the importance of adding a personal touch to your football academy and the value of having an open mindset.
[.blue__text]Psst! John’s academy has grown by 20x and there are now over 200 kids attending classes each week! Read on to find out more about what John suggests you need to set up a football academy that will stand out and thrive![.blue__text]
Mindset is everything
In 2018, John decided to finally go for it and pursue his dream of starting his own football academy. But being the only employee and teaching a small group of children in the middle of a freezing cold winter didn’t come without its challenges.
So, how did John push through these trials? He says it had to do with his mindset and his belief in the club. John knew he had something special and refused to give up. And by remaining positive and being adaptable with his plans, John’s business began to thrive!
[.orange__text]"You only get out of the business what you put in” John Lietch, PlayItLoveIt[.orange__text]
Remaining open to new opportunities:
If we were to continue doing the same things all of the time, we’d never grow. And it’s the same with your football academy. You need to look for new opportunities and be open to changing things up every once in a while.
One of the biggest reasons for John’s success is that he was willing to move out of his comfort zone and try new things
Before starting his academy, John was hesitant to offer 1:1 sessions. Fast forward a few years and now 1:1 sessions are what the academy is known for! Taking that risk and offering 1:1 sessions turned out to be a really great idea for his business. And, even if what you try doesn’t work out, you can learn from setbacks too - if you never try, you’ll never know.
In order for a football academy to do well, you have to be willing to grow and change. And that doesn’t stop at trying different types of sessions. It involves everything from what systems you have in place to who you hire as a coach.
Hiring coaches can seem like a challenge, but you’re looking for people who are willing to grow, work as a team and have great potential.
Top Tip: Spend time researching what other football academies are doing. Look for the different structures and roles they have in place to help inspire your ideas for what your academy could look like.
Finally, he wanted to trial different booking systems and find the best fit for his academy. John found that the ClassForKids system worked great for him, especially because he wanted a management software that would be good for him, his coaches, and the parents, and had a secure and easy payment feature. Check out some of our [.blue__text]most-loved features[.blue__text] for football academies!
The Ultimate Planner for your kids' club
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The importance of strong relationships:
One of the biggest things that makes PlayitLoveIt stand out from the crowd are the strong relationships John has built. Not only has he made sure to be viewed as a mentor by the kids, but he has invested time and effort into building relationships with parents and his team members as well!
You’ll already know that when it comes to coaching, you want to build fun and enriching relationships with the kids out on the pitches. Why? Because it’s important for your kids to have fun and develop their skills whilst feeling like they are part of a team.
Similarly, your relationship with your coaches is very important. As a business owner, you can’t be expected to be everywhere at once. That’s why hiring the right coaches and team members is crucial - you need a network that you can lean on. It’s impossible for you to fill every role in the academy. So, what can you do to avoid burnout?
- [.pink__text]Hire the people that are a right fit for the academy.[.pink__text]
- [.pink__text]Hire coaches that you feel you can trust.[.pink__text]
- [.pink__text]Hire people that match your academy’s ethos.[.pink__text]
But what about parents? Is it important to build and maintain relationships with them? This part is easily forgotten about, but having your parent’s trust is essential. Just as with the kids, John makes sure that the parents know exactly what each child is working on and doing well. Honest, genuine and personal feedback about each kid’s progress is what sets PlayitLoveIt apart from other football academies. And, because of the personalised feedback, the parents trust John and his coaches to help their child grow as a football player. It’s a win-win-win for all!
And there you have it! Tips, hints and tricks for you to start improving the set-up of your academy. Keep believing in your own success, remain open to new opportunities, and remember that the relationships you build will lay the foundation for your future.
[.blue__text]Listen to the full podcast[.blue__text] or [.blue__text]read more about how ClassForKids helped PlayItLoveIt[.blue__text] skyrocket their football academy!
Felicia Bugge
Felicia is our resident Content Specialist. She is the mastermind behind most of our blogs, emails and Tiktoks! When she isn’t planning the next big email campaign or chasing participants for Tiktoks, she can be found travelling to new exotic places, reading the latest booktok book, or converting friends to using iPads for notes and calendars!
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