#257 How Great Footballers Are Really Developed | Arturo Hoyos

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Speaker B: Welcome to Sports Management Podcast.

Speaker A: Thank you Marcus.

Speaker B: Great to have you on the show. So you work for a surf soccer nation and you work a lot about youth player development, coach education and long uh, term athlete development among other things. So can you tell us a little bit about the uh, company and what do you do?

Speaker A: Yeah, so I work at ah, San Diego Surf Soccer Club which is part the of, part of Surf Soccer Nation. Right. We're based in Del Mar, California which is pretty much San Diego. And I work on the pre CNL side which essentially is my main focus is to work with the 99 ages and the first year of 11 in youth, uh, girls soccer specifically. So that's my main, my main job to prepare them for the 11 games. That's what I'm doing over there at the moment.

Speaker B: Interesting. So I mean youth sports is uh, very important for several reasons for mental and physical health and uh, you a lot of learnings that you can take in sports that you can use later on in life even if you take a regular job, so to speak. So what are some things that you know, you're working with these young uh,

Speaker A: players with, oh, there's so much. Right. There's so many layers that you can unfold. So I do work with a large ah, a spectrum and it's mostly girls that are between the ages of 8 to 12. So at elite IQ football which is my all girls soccer academy and surf, they go hand in hand. And one of the main things that I'm um, just having them in a competitive environment at a young age really challenges their, what I call their or what many call like their character, their grit, where one of the most common scenarios is something doesn't go their way. Whether that is they're not starting in this important game or they were starting and now, uh, they're not starting the next game. So in their head, and sometimes with a parent, it's like, my kids aren't starting with it though. It becomes a, uh, oh, what, the coach doesn't like my kid. Or so that's some parents, right? When you get in these experiences, I've noticed that there's a few players that tend to learn how to self reflect or Vince, instead of being like, I'm at coaches, like, why am m I not uh, starting? Like, what did I, did I do something wrong? Or I'm not a job. So just like these young players beginning to grow, a little bit of maturity goes a long way. And I've seen some of them that are now like 16, 17 years old, they're doing well in college or in their internship because they were used to having a little bit of adversity. Like that's one example. But it doesn't get viewed sometimes like that early on by mom and dad or the player.

Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. No, I think that's a great example. And you mentioned the parents there, that can be uh, you know, a hassle sometimes, I assume, because as you said, why isn't my kid playing? They want more time on the field. How are you dealing with that?

Speaker A: So the teams at uh, Surf that I work with, they're one of the best in the country. Unfortunate where these athletes are committed athletes, they're talented athletes. They travel sometimes from Orange county or from down south. So you get this, we'll call it a bubble of players that are very, very good. Very, very, very good. So with that comes mom and dad thinking sometime, not all the time, but sometimes they think their kid is the next Messi or the next Maradona or whatever, right? So year by year, as tryouts, maybe you get one new player and maybe this player is a little bit better. Or maybe this kid, she hit puberty a little bit earlier, so now she's a little bit stronger. You get what I'm going with. But so the parents can, I need to talk to you. Let's get coffee. I get an email and it says usually, not all the time. You get. It's just they're telling the coach that what I'm doing is unfair. They're telling the coach, hey, I believe this other player is playing worse than my daughter. Or these parents are Doing this. Oh, uh, and it's just becomes parents trying to control my job, when in reality it's even if I'm wrong, at the end of the day, I'm like, these players need to learn what adversity is. They need to understand we are so fortunate in where we live, where everything is handed down to them or they're well off. They don't struggle that much. Right. You turn on the light, there's light. You want water? Do you want cold? Do you want tap? Oh, I want food. They can order an outdoor. So they're just very comfortable. So the second that their child becomes uncomfortable, I'm the bad guy. Oh, Arturo. Uh, let's go look. Uh, this just becomes. But at the end of the day, I don't blame them because maybe that's the first time that they're going through this soccer journey. Maybe they weren't educated and maybe I should have stepped in and educated them where. So it's also my fault because I should have. Hey, this could be a possibility. So in a nutshell, it could be very emotionally draining. And sometimes some people get the sort of mistake, whether it's the kid, the mom or. Or the coaches, not just me, there's a lot of them.

Speaker B: Yeah, I can understand that. If we're talking about the player development sometimes, like that versus winning, like for the team, how do you balance that to. Of course, every team wants to win, but also in these young ages, actually, the player development, I would assume, might be even more important.

Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. So how myself, the coaches that I work with, also at Elite IQ Football and Serpacom Zone 1, where it's like the early ages, we focus on the best of the individual, not the best of the team, obviously. Don't get me wrong, if we're winning 10 and there's 10 minutes or 1 minute left, we're going to play kickball and whatever just to win the game. Don't get me wrong. But yeah, at the end of the day, our training environment is structured for the benefit of the player. Right. So, for example, in my U11 training environment, because they're usually 10 years old, we want to maximize touches. So lots of small group technical exercises. However, making decisions while they're on the ball, they don't just become, you know, they can juggle, they have a good first touch. But then again, when you come against, to play against a really good team, well, you need to know what to do with the ball, not just, um, good first touch. So that's by far the most important thing. And we've seen a very nice gradual improvement of players from the 77 to the 99 and out to the 1111, where our training environment that was individually focused truly sets them up for success in the 11v11 game. Because first they learned how to build a relationship with the ball, really. And then in 1111, they're, they're tasked, okay, do I shoot, do I pass, do I dribble, do I scan? So luckily, what we've been investing, we've had a good return in investment, so to speak. It's really nice to see it. It's awesome. I'm very fortunate to that I get

Speaker B: to do this and I'm glad you're here. Again, this, you know, development versus winning. Is there an age when this focus shifts like you, it's less about the development and more about the winning or it's always more about the development for

Speaker A: my ages, which again, my answer is so simple. It's development first, simply because the ages that I work with, which again are the younger. Right. There's no college scout looking at them. We don't need to win. The rankings don't matter. Honestly, I have my boss and my mentors from @Surf that um, oversee the older age groups. They are counting on me when I deliver or when they graduate from my zone and they enter their zone that they have a good grasp of understanding space and understanding a little bit of positional play and knowing simply when to pass when a dribble, all these little things. They could care less if we won stake up. They just don't know is Arturo actually develop them because by the time they get to us, they need to have a sense of understanding so they can then add more of the tactical refinement. The youth national camps come in. So my bosses do not care at all if we win a, uh, stakeout championship. But if we win and we played boring or not boring, just bad football and long ball kicking it, I wouldn't have the job I have. So it's not just that, it's. I also get assessed in how my players are entering their team. So luckily, I'm blessed to have those types of mentors and leaders that value that and not winning as the number one priority. That's a fantastic question to think about. Honestly. That's great to hear.

Speaker B: So, yeah, you mentioned college there and maybe that's not your primary focus since you have the younger age group and as you said, you want to deliver them to the next group as well trained as possible. And that's a hard head as Possible. I mean, is there anything like that? College thought goes, maybe they start to prep them at age like 14, 16, 18 or. When does that happen?

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, usually at least in, in our club, the college. But the, the youth national team scouts get involved. If I'm correct, it's usually like around U14, U15, our players begin to catch their eye. So again, since I'm mostly up until U13, it's not my realm. But they're very close to that age. Right. So I do work close with the older coaches because they're checking in on. Okay, Arturo, which players right now are the ones? It's these one. Okay. And um, they keep an eye on them. So as they enter their, their stage, when the colleges come or when the scouts come and they ask or hopefully who they think are the top prospects also match with us so that we are aligned. But yeah, although I'm not heavily involved in that age group, it is connected because it's just a two year gap and so it's really fun to then see them. And then. Yes, those were the ones that got painted. The coolest feeling in the world. It's uh, alone. We had actually had a couple recent ones attend the, the US national camp like two weeks ago and there was like four girls that I coached when they were playing 77, so but we had to wait like five, six years. Oh, there it is. Okay. Next generation.

Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. That must be cool to follow to see their journey from being so small up until, you know, youth national team college and so forth. Yeah.

Speaker A: Oh, uh, it's the best because some of these girls. There was one and she doesn't mind. I, I use an example. Her name's Olivia. She was born 2012. I started coaching her when she was private training. Coaching her when she was, I want to say maybe six, something like that. Six or seven years old. And at the time she was like a bench player. She was a bench in minutes. And I started working, I was. And I noticed that she was very smart. I just thought she was always a starter. I didn't know her. They'd reached out to me and she's been called up to both the US and Mexico, U14, I believe, national camps. But it's just one of those things where like you said, you see their journey. I saw her when she was a pinch player and not playing and now she's blossomed into this very important player for her team and she can compete at the youth national level. So yeah, the journey's not always nice. It can be ugly. And Then it goes fantastic and then it goes terrible and then it goes great. But that's just being a part of it is wholesome. It's a wholesome feeling to get.

Speaker B: Mhm. Is it common to have private tutors at that young age now?

Speaker A: It is, I would say, like unfortunately. Unfortunately, like I work honestly, private. I don't do private. Unless it's like two players or they're a little bit older. Just because I've noticed that. For example, let's talk about the 6, 7 year olds. Like their mind. Unless they absolutely love the soccer ball, you know, like they'll see a bird. Wow. And then they get distracted, like, so it's like, look, parent, yes, I'll take your money, but it's not worth the money you're giving me. Like your kid doesn't love the game. Like do something else. But your parents that uh, force their kid.

Speaker B: No.

Speaker A: No matter what, Arturo, we're going to give you this amount of money. And so is there's good and bad, like in almost any art in any sport. Right. It just depends on the approach and the perspective. But I don't think a kid that is so little, 5, 6 should be private. They should be playing, playing 5 versus 5, 3v3. Watching the game, like falling in love with the game, not doing a bunch of drills at 5, 6 years old when I don't know, I would rather them play and play and play in 3v3, 4v4. That stuff is what I would prefer. But my opinion, everyone can have their own.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, for sure. But I would uh, tend to agree with you as well that I mean at that age it's, you know, falling in love with the game and having fun and you know, playing with your friends and maybe not like private drills.

Speaker A: Yeah, no, just get her, get a bloody nose. Like you know, learn the stuff. Play in the street. More like that.

Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Yeah. So I liked your story with Olivia that you told and uh, you know, being a bench player and then, you know, growing into a bigger role and playing better. Is there a way to see at you know, these young ages if someone like has what it takes, so to speak, or is that too early?

Speaker A: I would say where I've noticed, where I've been, quote unquote correct, where I thought this kid had it and then I saw them. So usually at around, I'm talking for girls, for boys, they're very different right now, just girls. For girls between the ages of 7 and 9, you can see some standout dribblers. Very few Meaning typical Messi, like, you give them the ball and because it's 77 in a small field, they can dribble score five, six, seven goals. Like, very, very few. However, those players, when they transition to like, 10, 11, 12 years old, is when then you get to see their maturity and kind of where their mind's at. And that's when then I can make the assumption, like, this player is going to make it because her mentality is there, or this player, I don't think she's going to make it because she doesn't have the support system at home to help them achieve what they are capable of. That's usually by like 10, because by 10, the parents have gone, let's say 7, 8, 9, 3 years of, like, doing the tournaments, the driving, and they're either, okay, three years, I'm done, I'm burnt out, or they're like, okay, this is the grind and we can do it. So by, I want to say by age 10 is when I can genuinely be like, she can do it because she's been consistent. She's been consistent. And so far, yeah, those players that I thought I could think of maybe five, the ones that I thought are still in it, and they've been constantly invited into youth national team camps, not every single camp, but they're there, they're there. They dominate their own team. But yeah, and at the end of the day, it's usually the kid's mental capacity and the support system they have at home. Those are the two things. If you don't have, I would say the support system, I don't think it's sustainable in the long run. You need that support. Talent doesn't. It's not it Interesting.

Speaker B: So the mental part and the support from home is more important than in talent.

Speaker A: 100%. I've seen players, uh, at five, six, even up to eight, you watch them play, you're just like, I don't want the game to end because they're so fun to watch. They're just dribbling. And I'm telling you, like, these are like short little players. They're just dribbling and scoring goals. And then they get to 99, because that was at 77. And the field's a little bit bigger, so a little bit less impactful. And then that goes to 11, and it just changes completely. And the player that used to be able to dribble through five people, maybe they stopped putting in the work, or the other players that are working a little bit harder have worked their way for the Past three years and then falls off. It's tough. I'm like, thinking of these players in my head that I'm like, what you could have did, but they fell off. But it's part of the nature of the game and why it's so difficult to become a professional soccer player.

Speaker B: Yeah. And now, I mean, soccer in the US has grown rapidly, like, uh, I usually say lately, but then some people disagree with me and say that it's been for a longer time. But I feel, at least from an outsider's perspective, it seems like you guys have taken soccer, like, in Europe, it's been big in South America. But, uh, now and then you also have the men's World cup coming up and.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Do you also feel that, like, I mean, you work with young kids. Do you feel like there are more and more kids interested in soccer because of the popularity overall?

Speaker A: Yeah, I definitely agree, thousand percent, that soccer in the US has grown just because there is so many. At least. Again, I'm in California, where it's even more popular than in some other states. Right. It is growing from a, I think, market standpoint, where the US Was like, oh, we can make a lot of money from this.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker A: With marketing rights or making more leagues. So more leagues means more players registering for more leagues, more money to those leagues. So it's definitely, I believe, for the money. Because the one thing that comes to mind, for example, I was at the barbershop yesterday. I, uh, was making sure I want to live proper and where my barbers cut my hair. And he was from Indonesia. And he. The reason I say is he was like, hey, you're a soccer coach, blah, blah, blah. He knew a lot about soccer, but he goes to the point, he's like, why is it not m growing? And I said one thing, for example, is if I want to watch football right now, that tv, because it was like Netflix or whatever, I was like, we need to pay a subscription to watch our hometown team play right now. So even just to watch soccer in the US you need to pay a certain amount of money that not everyone can afford. So it's growing in a market standpoint, but it's not growing in terms of the quality of football. That's the problem. But it's definitely growing. Definitely.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: So is there risk if we think about youth soccer, like, it's getting more and more commercialized, as you said, like, there is more money in it that you. That part takes over more than the focus on development.

Speaker A: Yeah, it does. I mean, I work in the industry Full time. Right. So I can see it. So, yes, like, for example, to play surf, our club, it could be thousands of dollars a year. Right. So I'm thinking, like, by every family can afford that. So right away there's going to be, I would think, a significant amount of families that won't, that won't come to our club. And I'll, uh, be biased, obviously, but I believe on the girls side, our club is the best club in the country. The best coaches are here. We have the best fields. Our fields are remarkable. Um, Bermuda grass, professional San Diego wave. But it costs up to thousands of dollars. So I'm just like, not everyone can, can come right away. There is the barrier to it. But then at the end of the day, it is a business. Why does it cost so much money to play for the club? Well, because we need to pay all these coaches. We need to maintain these amazing facilities. So it's tough, but yeah, like you said, it is growing, but it's a business still, I believe.

Speaker B: Yeah, I think you need both. But just so it, uh, doesn't like, take too much from the. You need to still prioritize development, obviously.

Speaker A: But yeah, there's not a lot of, like, soccer fields around, um, where kids can just go play with their friends. I lived in Barcelona for a year when I was like 20, I believe. And when I got there, every other neighborhood had either a phone talk or you would see kids playing. And here you don't because it's private property or the, or the government's like, you can't go in. And so there's just so many barriers. And that's also part of it. You need to put fields so that kids can play.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, for sure. Like this spontaneous, uh, sporting. For sure. To be able to do it.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's tough, but it is growing. We have a huge market for it.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: So now 100% balance. Yeah.

Speaker B: Taking from a coaching perspective, you have earned a U.S. soccer National B license. I think if I'm correct.

Speaker A: Yes, Yes, I have the B license.

Speaker B: So. So how's the process in getting that license?

Speaker A: You have to apply, Right. So you apply, you have to pay. I believe it's. I want to say it's like 2,000 or almost $3,000 for that license. Okay. It's expensive. Some coaches get accepted, some don't. So they do have to look at your curriculum. Um, I have no idea how that works. I know some coaches that didn't get in. And that process is a. I believe it's six months. It's A six month process, part of it is online and then you do three in person meetings where you have to go to whatever city was the host of the license. So I'm in San Diego. Luckily I only had to go to la, but if I didn't get accepted the LA one, maybe I get accepted the Phoenix one. I would have to go to Phoenix. It's a process. Essentially what it is is it's the US Soccer game model. And depending uh, on how your instructor leads the class, leads the course, you kind of have to show your knowledge, your expertise of how you would design a session, how you would analyze games, a lot of stuff in accordance to the US Soccer game model. So for example, my game model that I've been using is due to my, one of my mentors, his name is Andres Surf. It's a positional play possession based Spanish Stein game model which is different from the US game model. Right. So everything I do is very different from the US Soccer game model. But I have to go in and adjust and tweak my philosophy so that I am showing to the US Federation that I can understand, apply and hopefully execute their game model to my teams. But I do want to go into something that's very important for anyone that's listening that's a coach. I took the B course so that I can continue to apply to a lot of things. It opens the door. Right. The problem though is from m a standpoint of a coach that maybe doesn't work at Surf, let's say a coach that works at a smaller club because of the state that they live in, but they are just as good as anyone else. But for whatever reason, let's say the Midwest where the population is significantly reduced, the course is taught as if you have access to a very good facility, meaning resources that your players are always present. I've worked at a small club before where sometimes the kids can't go to practice because their parents don't have the car or the kid is waiting for grandma to get out. Like it's taught in a way where you need to be in an environment where you know you'll get uh, at least 18 players, you have a full envelope field, uh, you have the resources. And I was just thinking like I would have not been able to take this course if I was at my other club where it was a small club. You get on go like it's. They're small because they choose to be small. Right. They're just there to provide a platform for players to exercise. Yes, I do have the Be license. I think it's. It will open doors for me. But I still believe that U.S. soccer is behind because of how these courses are being given. They're given as if everyone was a pro coach. And it's not. It's. You can't. I believe they have to adjust to their coaches that are coming in. Right. They're taking these courses because they're not pro coaches yet. So we should be given material on how not just to run a course, but be efficient with what we have. There's so many layers to that, and I've talked to other coaches about it, but again, I got lucky because I work at Surf, where I do have access to everything, but not everyone does. So. Yeah, it's a very controversial conversation right now amongst coaches because we talk about that a lot. I'm glad you asked.

Speaker B: Yeah, no, I understand that. Do you have to have a license to be a coach, or is that just something that's, I don't know, helpful

Speaker A: to coach youth soccer? I believe you just need. I think it's called, like, grassroots. I took this a long time ago, but essentially, you take the course and you're just checking off like you did a background check. You're sitting Bob. Well, it's more like that. But if you want to coach at a higher level, maybe college or at a very good club that has. That competes in the highest league in the country, like the ECNL or the mls, next. I believe you are required to have at least a certain license, because I know there's obviously A is the highest. Well, there's a couple, but a pro, A youth. But some just require, like, the E or the D. At the end of the day, there's phenomenal, phenomenal, phenomenal coaches that have, like, a C and they don't take the B because one, maybe it's too expensive. Two, they're like, if I take the course, I don't have the club where I can showcase my knowledge. Or. Or the other option is they're. They're comfortable. But I know coaches that have lower lanes that are much better than me. I work with them. But on paper, I have a B and they have a C. And it's. I'm like, you're better anyways. Like, I'll be your assistant. It's funny how that works. Kind of.

Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. And I can see, uh, you're very passionate about it, but how did you get into this line of work? Like, what's your background? How do you fall in love with soccer?

Speaker A: I told myself I never Wanted to be a coach because, I mean, I always played. And I was like, I can't be a coach because I want to play. I want to be in the field, I want to be passing shooting, and I don't want to be sitting down. And now I do it full time. The long story short, I was working fresh out of college. I got a corporate job in an office 9 to 5. Realized I hate it. So I started after work, working a little bit in the. They're called junior academies. What that is, is working with the youngest, youngest, youngest ages in soccer. Like four years old. Like, just little. And you get paid, I don't know, $20 the hour 10 years ago. And you're just there for 50 minutes. And it was just more like getting out of the office, right? Just by the office. I'm gonna go see the kids, whatever. So then I started working with kids, and I started building a relationship with them. And then I joined because of who I was working with. The, uh, public sector. So I started working for a school district because I thought I was going to be a teacher. I was like, you know what? Instead of doing this, I'll be a teacher where I still get benefits, I still get to interact with these kids, and I like it. And so I was doing that. I was taking the test to be a substitute teacher. I was going to be a teacher. And then Covid hit COVID 19, the pandemic took over. I got laid off as a substitute teacher because that's what I was doing. All those school goes. So I was like, oh, man, how. How am I going to make income? Like, So I started private training. Uh, they started offering private trainings because I had a circle of kids that followed me from there. Instead of doing one private, like, the kid would bring her friend, and then, well, I like coach Arturo.

Speaker B: Boom.

Speaker A: And then it turned into, like, a bigger group. And then it turned. Hey, Arturo, can you coach us this weekend? We can make a team. Sure. And then we won the tournament. Oh. And it just started organically growing, growing. That. Ah, that. My mom. My mom told me, like, you know, I just go for it. You live at home right now. You're not paying rent. If you're gonna do it, you need to do it now. So my mom nudged me a bit.

Speaker B: She was.

Speaker A: She's always been more like the. She was with the. The wilder one, so to speak. My dad is more like that, no, go to the. Stick to your job and all this. So I listened to my mom. I went for it. I made elite IQ football Into an llc and then it just exploded. I got to do it full time. But I was going to go teach English in Japan. That's what I was going to go do. But Covid just went, nope, no you're not. But yeah, from being a uh, corporate employee, public employee, substitute teacher. Covid, Elite IQ football and sir. So yes, life just putting me in places to get me here. I never thought I would do it. So it's unfortunate. I'm very happy I get to do this full time.

Speaker B: Understand that and work with something that you love from even though first you were a player and now as a coach.

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And like even this, like next week for example, next week we have our. With Elite Q Football, we are hosting our summer camp which is the biggest event and we have 130 players registered for our camp, all girls. So like it started with a group of two players. Right, Jimmy? To being able to have players from all over the country come to our camp because of the level. So. But yeah, I wasn't supposed to do this, so it's been awesome.

Speaker B: Yeah, it's great to hear that you're doing something that uh, you love and that's, you know, meaningful to you for sure.

Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. Definitely.

Speaker B: So is this something you see us like, if you're looking 10 years ahead, do you still see yourself coaching soccer?

Speaker A: Ah, now I can't picture a life without coaching at the moment. But I mean, I said something different 10 years ago, so I don't know. But my plan and what I want to do is I want to continue coaching. Whether that's coaching these ages or coaching college. I'd love to be in a professional environment. But to me, what I love about European football, that's the standard for me. And I like reading and understanding that is they focus so much on the youth. And to me, I'm so proud that I'm that guy that is has that responsibility, uh, for example at Surf to get them ready. So if I were to go to like older ages, I enjoy developing these players. Like I can see them have my a little bit of influence in them when they're older. Yeah. Because we talked them that in. So I don't know. I love the agent I work with, but I definitely want to challenge myself and take on a professional team someday or individual in soccer. But yeah, I'm taking it year by year, season by season, just trying to be better and getting to do things that are out of my comfort zone. But it adds uh, something I will figure out at some point.

Speaker B: Yeah, let's see what the future holds.

Speaker A: Yeah, right, Marcus. It's unknown, but that's the beauty of it.

Speaker B: At the same time for sure, if there is someone who wants to become a, uh, football or soccer coach or work in the soccer industry, what would be some advice that you have for them?

Speaker A: My advice would be two main things. One, do not have an ego and think, you know, everything or everything. Just, just be as open minded as possible, literally, because there's so many great players that were fantastic footballers, but coaching is so different, so different than playing. And I learned that the hard way. So no ego, you would mind it. And second is having very good or trying to have very good communication skills because that is the key to it. I think that to me that's been the key of having little successes here and there. Just because I didn't say something wrong or I explained something well, or the phone call was well, or the meeting was well, but it was because I'm trying to say things in a way that builds a bond with people and the more bonds I've had, it's been better. These relationships and relationships come better results and better results get better. So those are two things for sure that those have helped me along since I've been doing this.

Speaker B: I love that. Is there anything I haven't asked you yet that you would like to mention?

Speaker A: Honestly, no. I think it's been a very good conversation. Just if you're watching this video, just feel free to always reach out to me at any point. If you're a parent with concerns about youth soccer, I am always here to help guide you or at least give you my experience. So I'm always here for any of those.

Speaker B: That's great. How can they reach you? Is there LinkedIn, website, anything?

Speaker A: Yeah, my website has all my contact information. So that's eliteiq football.com and we're also on Instagram, elite.iq.com is our tag.

Speaker B: Awesome.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Arturo, it's been great talking to you. Thank you so much for joining Sports Management Podcast.

Speaker A: Yeah, thank you so much, Marcus. And keep doing what you're doing because you're killing it. Thank you so much for being, for letting me a part of it, man. Appreciate it. Appreciate it.

Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you for listening to the Sports Management Podcast. Please hit the Follow or Subscribe button on your podcast app so you don't miss out on any upcoming episodes. If you want to get in contact with me, send an email to sportsmpodcastmail.com, connect with me on LinkedIn or follow the podcast on Instagram X and Facebook Sportsampodcast.

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