Meet Matt Bambrick | CEO & Founder of SoCal Youth Sports Solutions

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Bambrick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
There are 2 parts to this answer. Part one is what I have always wanted to do, Part 2 is how I got to this point to do it.

I believe youth sports in particular youth soccer only lends and builds itself to a very small population of children, in particular access to good quality coaching. This shows in the statistics:

-70% of children drop out of youth sorts by age 12 (this is 9 for soccer)
-65% of children only play team sports for a maximum of 3 years

There is something clearly wrong with the current youth sports environment. Our aim is to change this by doing the following:

– Create a child centered program, understanding the world through a child’s eyes, their wants and needs

– Create a program that is inherently enjoyable and engaging by the use of games and teaching games for understanding

– Use a peer reviewed, research based teaching methodology to create our environment and support learning for the kids

– Create a generation of children who better understand sports and how to play sport, not just able to kick

– Create the next generation of fans, we don’t aim to create a new Messi (that would be a bonus) but to create the next generation of LAFC season ticket holders.

– Create a generation of children who as parents have a better understanding of what good quality practice is, not laps, not lines, not lectures or breaking the game into its individual technical parts, but able to have a culture, a community of adults who will be able to build on our foundations to ensure sport gets to who it needs to and to give every child the best chances to get in and stay in sports.

In terms of how I started the business, I, like many others lost my job because of Covid. My girlfriend and I moved in together, moving to LA at the same time in February 2020, Covid hit. The multi-national club I used to work for went Bankrupt by April 2020, I was out of a job. My visa connected to the job, unable to work. Unable to get access to other services a citizen would have. We managed to get through a couple of months before getting ourselves secure but I needed to get back out on the field to support my family once it was safe, I thought I want to have my own destiny in my hands. I wanted to build something different, I wanted to do it my way. In the space of 2 years I went from broke, jobless, in an industry unable to work, to having my own thriving non profit working with a couple hundred of our own children whilst also partnering and working with some of the countries biggest soccer providers, providing education to volunteer parent coaches.

What should our readers know about your business?
When I set out with the business my mentality was, win or lose, be different. Do not be like everyone else. DO not sacrifice your principles on what soccer ought to be, the most accessible game on the planet, do not give up your belief in the best way to ensure this, by being yourself and teaching through games.

We want to be different to club soccer, we believe quality coaching shouldn’t cost thousands, shouldn’t take months of your life each year. I’ve been apart of clubs I see clubs who put profit over people. Clubs who refuse to effectively educate their coaches properly. I see coaches whose ambition and need to win and prove themselves each week strips away a child’s ability to learn and fail. Coaches who treat children as small adults, adding pressure, demanding, at times demeaning kids to win games.

We believe our environment, the sounds, the sights and the feeling whilst at one of our classes sets us a part. We allow kids to make their own decisions, solve their own problems and remove adults form the center of their universe.

We believe it is our job to be available and accessible to families as much as possible. We want to remove barriers to playing whether it is time, cost, ability, every child should have the chance to play, have a quality experience learning to play and be able to achieve the best version of themselves whilst playing.

I am most excited about where we can go. I see us in multiple sports using our methods, I see us building small community sports complexes making access to sport easier but also creating spots for communities to get together and enjoy time together and celebrate sport, something we have really been robbed of in recent years.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is far too many places to go and things to do for just a week.

Some of my absolute necessities are For The Win for a burger, I love All Season Brewing for a beer, Bludsos has good BBQ, there are some ridiculous Sushi spots, Quarters in Koreatown is a must. Farmers market is always cool in particular the little tap room, bar men are great, good beer, great to chill and watch the world go by. Fathers Office the same. My wife and I love sitting at The Grove Fountain Bar with a cocktail again watching the world go by.

Then there is golf, Id love to play LA National. There is some great golf in Riverside and OC (not technically LA but then technically everywhere is LA)

You have Disney, Universal, Griffith Park Observatory

Friday night Jazz at the Tar Pits is great as is the Academy Awards Museum on Fairfax

Angel City and LAFC games are great with the standing section

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The biggest shout out is to my wife Laura. We stayed strong together through the hardest times, through COVID, newly moved in together, losing my job, her having to change her job due to our relocation. When it could have been easier to give up and go home, be safe, we stayed to get through this and get to the life we want. She is always a wonderful set of ears when I need help, a fantastic brain to help me through problems. A warm welcoming pair of arms when I all I want to do is give up and my best friend.

I owe a lot to so many through working in soccer, there is a constant battle to learn more and stay relevant. My mentor John Devine has been invaluable for his experience. He has 10 years playing experience at Arsenal and 10 Years with Manchester United as an Academy Director. John taught me more about soccer coaching in 4 years than most may be able to learn in a lifetime. My close friends in San Jose at the time Rob, Nic and Adam showed me the ropes when I was new to youth soccer and its unique expectations. A really close friend Kurtis who has always had my back and has a contagious enthusiasm for doing difficult things first and best.

Website: socalyouthsports.com

Instagram: instagram.com/socal_youthsports

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjbambrick

Twitter: @coachmattla

Facebook: facebook.com/socalyouthsports