#409 – Building a Youth Soccer Club in America: Challenges, Insights, and Toca FC’s Journey

Building a Youth Soccer Club from Scratch: Challenges and Triumphs

In episode 409, we bring on Alec Lemmon, founder of Toca FC, a youth soccer club based in Kansas City.

Alec shares his journey of starting the club from ground zero, the challenges faced, and the importance of values like faith, family, and football. We discuss the impact of the 3 4 3 methodology on their success and dive into the intricacies of managing a club, securing fields, and maintaining financial stability. The episode also touches on the broader issues in American soccer, including the need for promotion and relegation and the importance of maintaining authenticity in the sport.

00:00 Intro
06:35 Alec’s Story
15:19 Transition to Coaching
17:53 Forming Toca Soccer Club
21:12 Getting Inspiration From Barcelona
21:44 English Football Influence on American Soccer
23:06 Trying to Learn How to Coach Possession Soccer
24:12 Alec Discovering 3four3
26:24 Where The Name “Toca” Came From
26:39 Core Values of Toca
29:26 The Challenges of Starting and Running a Club
33:04 Sub Topic: Getting The Word Out to the Community About Toca
33:30 Sub Topic: Securing the Fields and Finding Players
36:30 Sub Topic: Struggling to Compete With Bigger Clubs in the Beginning
37:33 Promotion Relegation Allowing Toca to Find Success
43:14 Toca Faces the Challenge of Losing Fields
44:29 MLS Teams Having Leverage to Secure Fields
45:27 Taking a Risk with a Private Complex
48:40 Making Sacrifices to Be Successful
49:58 Navigating the Pandemic in 2020 and Finding a way to Pay Coaches
53:16 Post-Pandemic Success and Growth
54:39 Winter in Kansas City
55:36 Building an Indoor Facility
56:51 Sustaining Operations Through Sponsorships
01:00:38 The Reality of Coaching and Running a Youth Soccer Club
01:04:19 MLS Next and ECNL Complicating Things for Upstart Clubs
01:05:01 Why Promotion & Relegation Was Critical for Toca FC
01:07:12 The Three Stages of Youth Soccer
01:13:47 Best Way to Improve System is Education
01:14:17 On Monopolies
01:23:10 Evolution and Competition
01:24:09 We Need Pro/Rel at the Youth Level
01:27:28 The Current System Does Not Allow for Teams to Rise
01:28:53 Why Kids Quit Soccer
01:30:07 Artificial Equality in American Soccer
01:32:23 Promotion and Relegation in Kansas City
01:34:30 What Happens When Coaches Hit the Glass Ceiling
01:36:05 How No Promotion & Relegation Denies The Opportunity For Success
01:41:03 The Role of Hope in Soccer Development
01:47:34 MLS Is Not Authentic Competition
01:51:25 Future of Toca FC and Where to Find Alec
01:52:23 Alec 3four3 Testimonial

Premium Education for either Coaches or Parents

If you are a coach or a parent of a player, we’ve also codified and made available the remarkable work of a coach who trained and shepherded many, many players from the age of 9 all the way to graduating them to being professionals.

The products that show you how this was done, is what sponsors this episode.

Get aboard a proven path, a legitimately proven path, not something copied or synthesized from elsewhere, or worse. No, but rather a first hand account and curriculum directly from the source, from the practitioners themselves, whose work is unprecedented in the American soccer environment.

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Learn the methodology at 343coaching.com.
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