Sporting KC Youth Soccer hosts Academy Affiliate representatives for 2022 Director’s Summit

September 6, 2022
Affiliate News

Sporting Kansas City Youth Soccer hosted the annual Academy Affiliate Director’s Summit for directors, administrators and other key staff within the Sporting Academy Affiliate network on Friday, August 26.

This year’s summit was hosted at Children’s Mercy Park and featured workshops, breakout sessions and presentations centered around a variety of topics, from sharing best practices and ideas between clubs to reaffirming the connection to the Sporting brand.

In addition to the presentations, directors and coaches from the affiliates had the opportunity to watch the Sporting Kansas City vs. San Jose Earthquakes match on Saturday from the Adidas sponsored suite at Children’s Mercy Park after a long day of coaching in the Sporting Classic tournament.

See the full breakdown of presenters and topics covered at this year’s Summit below.

 

Controlling Your Narrative

  • Presented by Chad Reynolds (Senior Director, Brand) 

The summit opened with a presentation on the brand identity and purpose behind Sporting Kansas City, including the history and development of the club as a whole and growing the Sporting affinity and brand within individual affiliate markets.

 

Academy Affiliate Updates

  • Presented by Nathan Hunt (Director of Coaching, Academy Affiliates)
  • Diego Barrios (Assistant Director of Coaching, Academy Affiliates)

Attendees were given insight into several upcoming programs and procedures.

 

Creating Memorable Experiences

  • Presented by Alan Dietrich (Chief Experience Officer)

This presentation guided affiliate staff through marketing their club as a premier organization for players through storytelling and providing individualized experiences for parents and families.

 

Affiliate Best Practices and Collaboration

  • Presented by Eric Sorlie (Executive Director, Sporting Springfield)
  • Alex Mason (Girls Director of Coaching, Sporting Nebraska)
  • Nathan Hunt (Director of Coaching, Academy Affiliates)
  • Diego Barrios (Assistant Director of Coaching, Academy Affiliates)

Key points covered included strategies and ideas for planning club-wide events and fundraisers, strategies in developing well-rounded players on and off the field and collaborative breakout sessions between affiliate representatives, along with updates from fellow affiliate clubs.

 

For more information on the benefits of becoming an Academy Affiliate member, visit SportingKCYouth.com/academyaffiliates/.