Game On

A Lasting

Impact

by Renee Roberson Photography courtesy of Soccer Shots

Soccer Shots teaches the fundamentals of the sport to children as young as 2 years.

Soccer program instills core values into young players

In 2007, Huntersville resident Jon Beyerle was working at a marketing job in Concord when he decided to make the leap from employee to business owner. It’s a decision that has taken him through both a recession and a global pandemic, but one he’s never regretted.

Beyerle, who lives in Huntersville with wife Lauren and their two kids, played soccer at Messiah University in Pennsylvania with Jason Webb and Jeremy Sorzano, who both ended up in Charlotte playing on the semi-pro team the Charlotte Eagles. In the off-season, they were asked to coach a few preschool soccer clinics in the area, which started the two mens’ wheels turning. The result was the creation of Soccer Shots, a soccer experience which now has more than 200 territories in the United States and Canada. The first four franchises opened in Ohio, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Florida. In 2009, they brought on another partner, Justin Bredeman.

Beyerle says Webb spent about two years trying to convince him to purchase a Soccer Shots franchise while he lived in Southern California. The time and place wasn’t right then, but he reconsidered after moving to North Carolina. He consulted with his wife and gave notice at his job in January of 2007. His territory is called Soccer Shots of Greater Charlotte and covers Gaston County, Iredell County, Cabarrus County, and nearby Denver. He has now made a career out of teaching young players the game that has been such a big part of his life.

teaCHiNg youNg players tHe FuNdameNtals

The founders of Soccer Shots realized there was a national lack of quality soccer programs for children under the age of 8 years. Soccer Shots is designed to help children ages 2-8 learn the fundamentals of the game through a three-tiered approach: Coaching, Communication and Curriculum. The program was created under the guidance of childhood education specialists, professional soccer players and experienced and licensed soccer coaches. “We don’t use volunteer coaches,” says Beyerle. “They are all paid, and they go through a pretty intense training program.” He explains that when looking for coaches, the program seeks people who love kids first, and right behind that, the game of soccer. Each coach receives certification through the program, are trained in the use of developmentally-appropriate techniques and are routinely evaluated and undergo ongoing training.

BriNgiNg soCCer to you

He explains the program “brings soccer to you.” Coaches can travel to preschools, elementary schools, churches, town parks, individual neighborhoods, etc. Soccer Shots is also the soccer provider for the Town of Mooresville.

Players can enroll in Mini, a high-energy program that introduces 2 and 3-year-olds to fundamental soccer principles, Classic, designed for ages 3-5, which utilizes creative and imaginative games to focus on basic soccer skills and Premier, for ages 5-8, which focuses on individual skill, sportsmanship and fun games and team interaction.

As a local franchise owner, Beyerle fills in for coaches who are sick or out on vacation, runs payroll, steers marketing and growth initiatives for his team, covers the phones and basically “helps out wherever I’m needed.” He credits a hard-working team that helps the day-to-day operations run smoothly.

“One thing we’ve learned is that parents want to give their kids a good life and a good experience,” says Beyerle. “They will sacrifice to send their kids to a program they will thrive in. The recession [in 2008] hurt, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.” Soccer Shots also had to pivot quickly during the pandemic. They made changes in how they coached, limited session sizes, got rid of scrimmages that had face-to-face interaction. They also cleaned equipment after every session.

“We offered coaching sessions online,” says Beyerle, who adds Soccer Shots provided a lot of support to their territories. With more people looking for outdoor activities for their children, this past summer, fall and spring have been busy.

Soccer Shots offers year-round soccer, broken up by season. The upcoming fall season begins in September and runs through mid-November and winter programs begin after the New Year.

All coaches with Soccer Shots are paid and go through a rigorous training program.

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