How long have you been a part of Fort Wayne United?

We started at Fort Wayne United when Kaden was just 3 years old in their Wee Bear program. We did 2 seasons with the Wee Bears, and then Kaden decided he wanted to try many different sports and figure out which one was the sport for him. And that's when we decided to go to a local rec league. Something that it didn't take as much commitment that allowed him to try out different sports, and that's really when he decided that soccer was his one sport. Yeah, and once we figured out that soccer was his one sport, we kind of wanted to find a program that would help improve his individual skills. Something more than just the rec league where it's practice one time a week, game one time a week. We're just looking for something to get him more involved and get as many touches as possible. We went back to Fort Wayne United and started in their rec league just to kind of see. It had been a couple of years since we had been there and just kind of see where it was at. And Kaden played there for a season, and that's really when we knew that Fort Wayne United was our club. The staff there, the dedication they took with each kid and honestly, making sure each kid was developing individually, but as well as a team. And then ultimately just loving being there, loving the sport. Kaden would come home and couldn't wait till the next practice or the next game and had really built a relationship with the staff. And that was ultimately what drove us to know that Fort Wayne United was our club.

What has been your favorite experience at Fort Wayne?

One of our favorite experiences with Fort Wayne United has been the individual training opportunities that they allow us and our son to have. In team practices, you don't have all the time in the world to focus on every kid's individual needs that they need to work on and everything. So by having these individual one on one trainings with coaches, it really has helped our son . For example, our son, he needs to improve a strong kick when it came to shooting and everything, and these one on one trainings allowed us to focus on that and teach him the right steps he needed to be able to get that good power kick and we've seen drastic improvement along with that. But not only is it the development side, but also the friendships. The relationships that we have built, as well as our son, with other parents on the team, with other kids on the team, but also with the staff. It was really fun this year through the World Cup just to watch, specifically the staff, engage with the kids and kind of have their banter about who's the best team and who's gonna win. And Kaden would always come home and have some funny story to tell us or Coach G was giving him a hard time about Argentina or something of that nature, but just the relationships and the friendships that we have built with Fort Wayne United has been awesome.

What are your thoughts on the club's day-to-day environment?

We feel that the Fort Wayne United facilities that they have to offer is just a huge advantage, especially being here in the Midwest. You can have sun, you can have rain, you can even have snow at any given day. And being able to practice on the outdoor fields when weather's great, that's awesome. But then also, if it's not so great, we get the indoor facilities that we can play on. Whether that be the Plex North or the Plex South. It also allows us to even play during the winter too, which is a huge advantage as well, being able to play soccer all year round. And the coaches at Fort Wayne United, their interactions, communications, is something we've always been impressed with. Having the TeamSnap ONE app gives us a direct streamlined access to not only our coaches, but to the directors, staff, as well as other teammates and their families. It's just something that we have really appreciated. And then the interactions with our coaches are always positive, whether that be constructive criticism, and always, stems from something positive, whether that be, "Hey, good job, but next time maybe try this," or "Hey, I really like what you did there, but next, next time, let's try and do it this way." It's always been positive. One thing I think that we love is their priority to know each and every individual child. Our son has been there now for many years, knowing coaches from the rec league up to junior academy where he's at now, making it a priority to remember those kids, even his rec coaches now, still even across the parking lot, whether that just, be hey, we're headed to practice, we run into him and always make sure to stop and say, hey, Kaden how are you? Which has been awesome for us. It just really makes the kids feel valued. One other thing that sticks out for us with the communications and interactions of our coaches is Coach David. He has made it a priority to know each and every kid's name, as I said, but he's kind of turned a twist on it, which is fun for the kids, and he says, you tell me your name once. If you ever have to tell me your name again, I'm gonna do push-ups. Holds himself accountable to that, but also, of course, the kids want to see the coaches do push-ups. So it just makes it fun for the kids, but also makes it a priority for him to really make sure he knows each kid.

Tell us about your child's camp experience. What was their favorite part, and what was the biggest change you noticed?

One of Kaden's favorite experiences from camp this year, like most kids, is the scrimmaging. Whether it be 1v1s, 4 v4s. I know this year they put a little twist on it and had like a World Cup tournament with the World Cup going on and it is something the kids really enjoyed. Probably the biggest change we saw in Kaden this year after camp was just his confidence growth. Something Kaden's always struggled with is just going on the field and being confident in his foot skills and his dribbling. He's tended to be a pass-heavy kid. And so after camp this year, we just saw a growth in him really feeling comfortable and confident going in and just going 1 1v1 against a defender opposed to just passing and getting rid of the ball. It's just been great to see his growth after camp.

Would you recommend Fort Wayne United to a friend, colleague, or another soccer family? Why?

I would highly recommend Fort Wayne United Club just because of the vast opportunities that it allows our son to have. Whether it be all the practices that we have throughout the week, games on weekends that we get, and the important thing about soccer is just getting touches, as many touches as possible. And then Fort Wayne United allows you to do that with just all the opportunities that you do have. And to add to that, if it's something you're growing your soccer career or just playing rec for fun, the many different pathways you can take, whether that be the rec side or full travel, getting on airplanes and really at the highest competitive level at the MLS Next league, there's just so many different pathways through Fort Wayne United. And then lastly, I think at the end of the day, these are kids, and some of these kids, these are going to be their friends for the rest of the rest of their life, and they're building those lifelong friendships right now. And the friends that Kaden has built, not only is it just, hey, I see you at practice and I see you at games, but we've got kids coming over to the house now, going to the backyard to play soccer, or jumping on and playing video games together. So, they're not just soccer friends now, they're true life friends that I think he's built, and I think Fort Wayne United has really made a huge impact on those friends that he's made. And then also just his soccer journey, the growth we've seen from him. In the last couple of seasons coming in with not a super powerful kick and kind of, I don't want to say being a shy kid, but also not the most confident on the field, and just seeing that growth that we've seen has been awesome. So, it's definitely something we would highly recommend to anybody we talk to. Definitely.

How long have you been a part of Fort Wayne United?

I've personally been a part of the club, Fort Wayne United, for 2 years now. So our daughter has been a part of the club for 2 years. However, I personally am a product of this club. Over a decade ago, I was a part of what was formerly known as Fort Wayne Fever Academy, and I came up through the academy and earned an athletic scholarship to play Division One soccer. So what initially attracted me back to the club is the quality of the coaching and the strength of the training and the competition. The skills and the core pillars that have not only translated to my athletic career collegiately, at a high level, also they translated professionally. So for me, I loved where I came from, what I went through, what I was able to pull from the club and apply to this day in my personal life, my professional life, and it's helped propel and do a lot for me personally that I wanted [for] my daughter. In and around like-minded individuals and challenged and was just constantly around proper coaching, training, everything that this club stands for.

What has been your favorite experience at Fort Wayne United?

My favorite experience at the club, for me personally, when I came through was just the opportunity that I created myself in that environment to play at the next level. But as a parent with my daughter now, I think so far, being 2 years in, my favorite experience is watching her build friendships with her teammates. And also being around other players on her team that are better than her at certain elements of their game. And it's been really enjoyable for me to watch her game just elevate literally weekly, because she's around other talented players and she's around coaches that know the game at a high level and are developing these young kids. Another favorite experience just being a parent taking my daughter to these tournaments. And we've got one or two a season at this age, where there's some overnight stay or whatever, and it's really fun to see the friendships that she's making with her teammates. Because when my wife and I are at the team hotel, her teammates, they all kind of get together and have the team dinners and run around the hotel together, and those are some of my favorite memories when I was her age playing. And those relationships that get fostered, that play out in your life later on too. Some of my lifelong friends I've met through this club and this platform and have added to my life, not only at the personal level, but as well as the professional level. So, it's really cool, kind of a full circle moment to see from that perspective. Her having the opportunity to do that as well.

What are your thoughts on the club's day-to-day environment?

My thoughts on the day to day environment, I think is great. I think, now mind you, my daughter's 10, so she's been a part of the program since she was 8-9, 10. At this age and at this rate, it's really about working on your game, learning the game, growing technically as well as athletically. And I feel like our coaches that are handling our specific division, they just do a really good job of getting the repetition on what these girls need to be focusing on at this age, but not burning the kids out and taking away the joy of the game that it provides. I really wanted my daughter to be in a competitive environment. I just feel like today it's OK to want to win. It's OK to be competitive and in a society where that begins to almost become demonized, it seems. This club does a really good job of making it fun, competitive, and it's just an upper level. It's a higher level of play than your standard rec and for kids who want to play at the next level, or just improve their game, it's these kind of environments that they need to be in and doing all these training sessions and all these little drills within the sessions themselves and the amount of games. That's what the kids need.

Would you recommend Fort Wayne United to a friend, colleague, or another soccer family? Why?

Would I recommend this club to a friend, colleague, or another soccer family and why? Yes, I already have. Time and time again. I'll echo what I mentioned previously. It's a higher level of play. We're building skill sets and core pillars that these kids can take with them later on in life, not just athletically, but also in their personal relationships, their professional lives down the road. I believe, the team building aspect, the discipline, the patience, all the things that come with excelling athletically, challenging yourself, facing adversity. These are all positive things in my opinion. So I think you'd be foolish to not want to expose your children to a program like this. We highly recommend the club. We think it's the best club in the area, which is why we're here. And to become the best or compete with the best, you have to be around the best, and I firmly believe this club has the best coaching, training facility, in this area to provide these kids an opportunity to excel and learn and love this game, like I have throughout my whole life to date.