It is fall and soccer is in the air around the New York area. Not only do you have the Red Bulls and NYCFC in contention in the MLS playoffs, there are the thousands of supporter groups meeting to watch matches from the Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, the Premier League and Liga MX every week. Then you have the youth side, where millions of kids are playing on patches of grass big and small across the tristate area. If you are in the New York soccer business, business should be good, but it can always get better.
We have seen the issues at the top of the soccer development pyramid, with the U.S. men’s National team not making the World Cup and the widespread changes at U.S. Soccer. However at the bottom of that pyramid, at the grassroots level, is where it all starts. And on Thursday one of New York’s biggest organizations that gets kids playing announced a new addition, someone who has spent a lot of time helping brands get big, and now will help get even more kids up and around with a more professional and organized approach, whether they are active in soccer for a week or for years on their way to an elite level.
Super Soccer Stars, the largest grassroots program in New York with over 60,000 young people getting their first taste of “The Beautiful Game,” named Adam Geisler as Chief Executive Officer. The New York resident has helped brand like Everlast, MISSION and Authentic Brands Group become massive household names, and now is hope is to spin that business dust with this latest effort.
“Soccer is the first sport a child gets to experience. It’s our responsibility as brand owners and educators to engage children at a young age through sport and social development, and teach them the fundamentals of sport while enjoying the activity,” Geisler said in a release. “Our vision is to become the largest youth sports recreation and educational platform through “deliberate play,” beginning with soccer and moving into our long term plan to acquire and build best in class youth sports brands across the country. “
For those who don’t know, Super Soccer Stars features locations in 24 cities in 13 different states reaching 150,000 children. The mission is to focus on a healthy lifestyle and basic athletic skills development while having fun and building self-confidence and teamwork. Soccer Super Stars’ custom coaching and player development modules are designed for players from 12 months up to eight years of age and various skill levels.
While the goal of the company is not to create the next Christian Pulisic or Jozy Altadore, there is no doubt that by widening the net of young people who learn about the game, it will build healthy and active fans of the game for life. Having a seasoned sports marketing veteran like Geisler, who helped rebuild an iconic boxing brand like Everlast and assisted largely in making MISSION a leader in the cooling and athlete health space, is a great addition, and that’s great news for all involved in soccer in New York, be it playoff contenders or moms and dads.
Let the games, and the healthy lifestyles, continue.