A day in the life for Soccajoeys franchise owner Rob and his son Riley
Most mornings in the Logan and Southeast Brisbane Soccajoeys territories start the same way. Rob prints the attendance sheets. Prints the labels. Has a quick look over the equipment to make sure nothing’s missing.
Then there’s the item at the top of his list.
“The things I like to do in the morning to be fully prepared for classes are print attendance sheets, print the labels, check all the equipment if needed, and above all wake up my son so he’s ready on time, as he’s one of the best coaches I have.”
That’s Riley. He’s been coaching with Soccajoeys for four years, he’s part of the furniture at sessions across the territory, and these days he’s got his eye on running the kids soccer franchise himself.
Why Rob chose a Soccajoeys franchise
Rob didn’t fall into this. He had a proper look around at franchise opportunities first.
“My story of becoming a Soccajoeys franchisee started with looking at many businesses.”
A few got a look-in. One kept coming back.
“Soccajoeys really appealed to me. It’s a great service based business. Community involvement is high and I get to spend time with friends and family while doing it.”
That last part is the bit most business plans leave out. Rob wanted work that fit around the people he actually likes being around. The soccer side was already sorted.
“I’m super passionate about soccer and it’s something I see in myself having a really long career in.”
The Saturday morning crowd
Here’s something worth knowing about the kids sports market in this country. According to AusPlay data from the Australian Sports Commission, around 1.7 million Aussie kids aged 0 to 14 do organised sport outside of school hours at least once a week. Football sits right up near the top of the list.
That’s a lot of drink bottles, a lot of camp chairs, and a lot of parents standing around in the morning cold going “good kick, mate” to a four-year-old who has just belted a cone.
Someone has to be out there running those soccer classes, and in Logan and Southeast Brisbane, and if you’re out here looking for a coach…well that someone may just be Rob or Riley.
Riley reckons the coaching has taught him plenty.
“Running a franchise with my dad, I’ve learned lots of things about how to communicate with other people, especially the parents and the children.”
Anyone who’s tried to keep eight preschoolers focused while a parent asks about next term’s dates knows that’s a genuine skill.
What Riley gets out of it
Ask Riley about the job and the practical stuff comes first.
“Working here has allowed me to focus on studying. It’s given me lots of time for my hobbies and it’s given me great experience.”
Then he says the thing that really sticks.
“And it’s just really cool that I get to work every day with my dad.”
Growing the territory, then handing it over
The business has been going well. Well enough that they went and bought a second Soccajoeys franchise territory.
“The growth of our business has been fantastic. In fact, it’s been so good that we just bought a new territory and we plan to grow that as much as we can.”
While that’s been happening, something else has been quietly building. Riley started looking past the sessions and into how the whole franchise business actually runs.
“I’ve really learned the operational side of the business, how things work, and how we actually run a business, which has inspired me to actually take over and run the franchise.”
Rob’s spotted it too.
“My son, who’s been a coach for four years, is now showing some initiative and wanting to take over the business. Our future plan is to keep growing it and hand it over to him when he’s ready.”
Four years of early starts, shared car rides to the court and a few thousand kids later, that plan is looking pretty solid. In the meantime, there are classes to run.
The franchise support behind every Soccajoeys owner
Rob and Riley run their own show day to day, but there’s a fair bit going on behind them. Soccajoeys franchise partners get Head Office backing across four areas.
Business consulting and mentoring
New franchisees start with a five-day intensive onboarding program covering every facet of the business, and induction training runs through finance, delivery, recruitment and marketing. From there, the mentoring program offers 24/7 support, and every franchisee gets allocated Head Office staff who come along to meetings rather than leaving you to work it out alone. Operations Specialists also run leadership and business development training as you grow.
Operations and systems
The day-to-day admin is largely taken care of. There’s a bespoke Soccajoeys enrolment and payment system so parents can sign up easily, plus a custom communications portal handling confirmation emails, newsletters, notifications and alerts. Head Office sources and supplies the equipment, apparel and branded prizes. The soccer curriculum is expert-designed and updated quarterly, with online resources for training and onboarding new coaches.
Marketing
A dedicated marketing team runs national brand awareness and supports local area marketing. All digital and social media is managed centrally, professional imagery and video content is supplied, and there’s an in-house graphic designer on hand for custom work, from brochures through to car wraps. Marketing materials come polished and ready to customise with your own local details.
Community and partnerships
The Soccajoeys kids soccer franchise network has real input on marketing, technology and strategic decisions, and monthly tactical sessions give owners a place to share what’s working in their patch. Soccajoeys also partners with the Next Step Foundation, which funds free soccer programs for children with disabilities.
The franchise opportunity in front of you
A few things worth knowing before you get the calculator out.
You don’t need experience
You don’t need to have run a business before, and you don’t need a coaching background. Soccajoeys’ own position is that drive and a passion for getting children active is the starting point, with induction training covering the rest. You can coach sessions yourself if that’s your thing, or build a team of trained Soccajoeys coaches to deliver the programs for you.
What you’d be joining
- Operating since 2007, with 15+ years of franchise growth
- 1,000,000+ children registered since launch
- 300+ locations nationwide
- 10 programs across preschool, junior, school, daycare, OOSH, holiday and birthday parties
- 85% of children transition to the next program level
- 95% of parents would recommend Soccajoeys
- 98% of early childhood centres and schools would recommend Soccajoeys
Ten programs means a few different revenue streams instead of relying on one age group. That’s the sort of groundwork that let Rob take on a second territory without the wheels falling off the first one.
Fancy a crack at it yourself?
Rob was in your shoes a few years back, scrolling through business options and wondering which one was worth a go. What matters most is being up for turning out for your local kids and their families, week in, week out.
Have a look at why people choose a Soccajoeys franchise and what the business model actually involves.
Then see which franchise territories are currently available near you.
When you’re ready for a chat, start your franchise here and someone from the Soccajoeys franchise team will walk you through the next steps.
