Today we’d like to introduce you to Ciaran Mcardle
Hi Ciaran, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up in England, I have always been an avid soccer fan. Both in participation and supporting. Back home in England it’s not really a choice, it’s a way of life you are born into. Any possible chance to play as a kid, we took it. On the way to school, before school, during school at recess and after. It didn’t seem like a choice we consciously made, it’s like brushing your teeth every morning, having a ball at your feet was something you didn’t think about, you just did. I wasn’t good enough to be a professional player so I went to University and played there while I was studying. Then, during the summer, I was given the opportunity to come over to America and coach soccer all summer. I remember not even asking what I was going to get paid or where in America I was going, it was just an immediate YES. The thought of getting paid anything to work in a sport I loved was a dream. I did that for a couple of summers and then the company I worked for offered me a job to come and be the Director of coaching full time once I completed my Masters in Avionics which I was doing at the time. I had also been offered a pretty amazing job in my field but again, it wasn’t even close to being a difficult decision. I left England with my degree in Electronic Engineering and Masters in Avionics at 22 years old to come and coach soccer full time in Boston. Once I Was there I fell in love with the business of soccer and after 3 years of working as the DOC, my and my friend Kris Lamb decided to start our own International soccer travel business. 25 years later we have started and continue to own businesses in several categories including, Indoor sports facilities, International travel, competitive clubs and private school education all based on sports.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We decided to start an indoor sports facility business in 2007/8 right at the time when the country, if not the world almost went bankrupt due to the housing crisis. Credit froze and banks would not lend money. Spoiler alert, building an indoor sports facility business requires borrowing large sums of money in commercial loans from banks. Nobody was lending money to established business let alone start ups. I (figuratively) got the door slammed in face from 31 different banks over the course of about 18 months but I kept going and finally, bank number 32 took a chance with us and we got it done. Interestingly, nearly 20 years later we still use the same folks from that bank for our commercial loans so there is a side story about loyalty in there too.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We decided in 2020 to open a private school for elite soccer players, by the way, at a time when the world was unsure if anybody would go back to school ever again, it was full steam ahead. The thought of failure did not even occur to me even though we were spending multiple of millions of dollars to build out a facility to classrooms, locker rooms and fields. I had already pictured it in my mind as being a slam dunk of a success before we had even secured the funds to do the work or had hired a single teacher, let alone have a single customer. None of that mattered, me and my team were relentless in making it a success. Now we have 2 campuses in Winter Park and Lake Nona with over 200 full time students.
At the same time I wrote my book “The Soccer Of Success” which has been published by Forbes and is an Amazon #1 best seller in 3 different categories.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love that Orlando is a major City but will a small town feel to it. I can go to an Orlando City Soccer game and see dozens of people that i know, you probably wouldn’t get that in other major cities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.soccerofsuccess.com
- Instagram: soccerofsuccess
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciar%C3%A1n-mcardle-a8b7181/
