Assignment 11A - Idea Napkin

My idea concerns smaller and more local soccer clubs in lower-income neighborhoods who either struggle to get players to join because of high membership costs, or cannot elevate players because the clubs themselves get no recognition.

• I am from South Florida and have been playing soccer all my life. When I was trying to play club soccer, I realized that my parents could not afford to send me to any elite clubs and the ones that they could afford were of poor quality. Managers and coaches could not show up because they had other jobs to tend to and the players were often left underdeveloped as a result. I see this business as me exploring my people skills and how I am able to overcome my more introverted nature and work with others to establish something big. At the very least, If I fail; I would have at least tested those skills and see where I need to improve.
• These small clubs or even fairly big clubs in lower-income neighborhoods all tend to struggle with gathering sponsors to help keep membership costs low for players and organize competitions for exposure. Ideally, this business could start a coalition of organization among the smaller clubs in South Florida where they share resources and arrange competitions between themselves to gather more attention for the players. My business would also help them gain more attention from sponsors which could help lower costs and as a whole, change the culture of these teams.
• My business would focus on non-academy type clubs located in neighborhoods were the median annual family income falls below $30,000. I would then do further research on the costs of memberships to only include those whose annual fees (membership only, i.e. not including travel expenses, etc.) fall under $500. The list of clubs would also have to be narrowed down to those without a major sponsor (i.e. Walmart, Dick's, etc.) and who's coaches work a job unrelated to that which they perform at the club.
• These clubs know that they are currently not getting all of the talented players out of the availability pool because of economical barriers. They also know that they are not harnessing and developing players to their full potential because they lack the capacity to do so. I'm sure they would welcome any attempt to change that and increase their current status.
• Most people see the existence of these small clubs as a necessity because they provide an activity for kids in lower-income neighborhoods to do. I see it as something of a tragedy but not quite as dramatic because not everyone who has the potential to go pro or do better does so because of the economic barriers. I see that something needs to be changed and am willing to do so.