Ep 2: Alan Jones Interview - Kick It 3v3 Soccer Podcast

we had, just an amazing interview yesterday and it was our, the first person we've interviewed on our podcastAlan Jones. I didn't realize his pedigree as much as I do now. And after that conversation, IWI, I felt wow, we were so lucky to have him as our first guest, a guest in, Just in general, right? So he was one of the, founding members of British soccer camps, which became challenger sports. he has been inducted to the Kansas Hall of Fame, which if you don't understand Kansas [00:03:00] City and you just think Kansas, you might think Wizard of Oz and all that stuff. but really in, in Kansas City, the powerhouse, a lot of the soccer there is on the Kansas side where I grew up. sadly because it's a more affluent, suburban area. And sadly, that's where it's where we tend to get our soccer players in the United States until people like Ellen Jones who are putting effort into getting into the inner city, overcoming this pay per play type of thing, and helping out kids who can't afford, where we can find talent that just isn't based on, how much money you have, so you can afford to play ECNL, right?So you can afford to play MLS one or what, whatever the case may be. So just an amazing, coach inducted into the Kansas Hall of Fame coach Matt Beasley. For the majority of his youth, I would say sounds like from about eight to 16 years old who played for the US National team and the KC Sporting. He also coached Seth Kovich, who, played for the KC Sporting.He was also one of my coaching mentors, even though he is only six years older than me. I was 19 or 20 when I met him. [00:04:00] getting to be taught, licensing programs, by him, getting to play with him on amateur teams and, coach for British soccer camp even in my early twenties, was great.He's a Welshman who came to the States. and his story just does a great job of showing what it was like to be an entrepreneurial soccer coach back in the late eighties and early nineties when a lot of us were trying to figure out how do we make a living and how do we build and grow soccer across the country