Informational Interview: Director of FYSC

Over the summer I conducted an informational interview with the Director of my soccer club to understand the business side of running a youth sports club; as well as how the club stayed afloat during COVID-19.

By: Luca Barbacioru

What initially was the idea of FYSC and how did you continue that idea?

“I moved over from Wailes and started coaching here. But then I joined and moved on and developed it further. There were coaches here before me, qualified coaches, but we have taken the club in a different direction because we made it more athlete center. To make it more about the actual players, and less about the coaches, less about the adults that are involved. So it is difficult because of the U.S. culture which is a winning-at-all-costs mindset. But yeah, just from my own education and observations, I thought we should try and lead the way in doing better for the kids.”

How FYSC is able to create a brotherhood/welcoming environment for players?

“So it is down to the athlete-approach, by making it about the athlete, by having the athlete as the focus of all of our decision, it enables you to be empowered and part of the process. So you feel like you are part of something bigger than just your team. So when you join, you’re not just “Luca, I play for the 05 boys” it is “Luca, I play for FYSC.” It is difficult to achieve because you have to get a buy-in from players and parents, and a buy-in from coaches. But by doing it this way, you feel like you are part of something bigger which then means as a club we can do other activities, like the whole club going to watch a game, or the whole club sponsoring the local food bank. So it is also not only just about you being a part of a soccer club, but you being a part of Fremont as a city. That is our main objective and what we are trying to achieve.”

How is FYSC able to stay afloat during COVID-19?

“When I first joined and took over the role of running the program, we had no money in the bank. So from the very first month, I couldn’t even make pay role for all the staff, so I had to go to all the staff, and due to my good relationships, ask many of them to differ their payments and take a pay cut, and get paid back later. So I needed them to buy into what I was trying to do, and that was back in 2016. That was an eye-opener for how the club was run financially because I knew anything could happen at any time, and you have the kids and coaches relying on us for income. So from that moment, I made sure our business decisions and put money in the bank on a regular basis, so we had a fund readily. It was kind of from understanding the need for a fund for a rainy day that made us able to financially continue. So for the first 12 months of the pandemic, all the coaches continued to get paid full salary, even though the operational hours dropped to a minimum. For the last 6 months, things opened up, and we had to make an adjustment, so the staff had to get some pay cuts, and then the state would supplement what they lost, so they would get the same income. So it was a bit of saving for the future from back in the day, and also using the supplement from the state. Operations-wise, we knew we had to make a change quickly, so we went to an online platform. So a few coaches and I went to a park and recorded sessions for players with limited space and equipment. So we had to be empathetic and understanding of everyone’s situation: living in a house, or apartment, or access to a park. So we also made sure to keep in contact with everyone, so even though we couldn’t go to the fields as a team, we still had team training online, and we also had a club-wide on a Saturday morning. So I think how quickly we were able to transition and keep it going helped. Once we were finally able to come back, it was just adjusting our curriculum to create smaller groups and not close contact.”

How is FYSC able to market the club to bring in new players?

“When it comes to marketing the club, a lot of it is word of mouth. You want to provide a good enough product, which the players and parents are proud of saying they are a part of the club. That is kind of the number one when looking at this type of environment. Then we look at social media and local agencies to use for advertising through that. Again, the way you sponsor the different programs to get your name out to the community and be present in the community. That is how you get the name out there. The challenge you have then is the culture. So if you go to our website and our social media, there is nothing on there that we won. Even though our teams have been successful, we haven’t put any of that online, because we are focused on how to develop players holistically. Your psychological welfare and your well-being. So our biggest challenge is to compete against the clubs that brag about all their winnings because people see the shiny club down the road and our incentivized because of the level they play at. So for us to keep players, we have to create an environment where the players enjoy and are a part of the decisions/sessions. We do that by how we coach the players, we don’t control you or have to do certain things. We try to give you as many open questions as possible so you are the decision maker, so when you are on the field, you aren’t looking at the coach for the answer and the game belongs to you.”