Time for a soccer down here, one v one on our tour of the new folks in the NPSL as the twenty twenty five season will be here before we know it. Brian Grazier from PDA Hibernians, Technical Director, PDA Soccer dot org, Pdahebernians dot com. Brian, did I miss anything?
No?
He did not.
No.
Uh, first off, thanks for dropping by and letting everybody in on what's going on there at PDA Soccer now that the announcement is officially official and you're going to be a part of things in the NPSL. Has what's the vibe been like? What's the buzz? What has it been like there in the PDA community with this next step in the process there at PDA.
Yeah, I'd say tons and tons of excitement. So we we actually we explored this idea even last year. We were a little late in application process and just maybe from an organizational standpoint of what it actually needed maybe
to come to fruition. So you know, we kind of got everything organized after that and then we set out a target Okay, hey, this is a season that we can actually hopefully apply, get everything organized and ready to go, and then I think the you know, club has a full backing so with a certainly on the boys side. We have three different regions which are all excited. I do think it'll you know, our roster, you know that be after first year. Well, we'll definitely do some assessment
and education process. We need to go out during the summertime and watch some games as well. But we're excited to give our our PDA players another platform that are playing in college. And then obviously we'll go outside in the community and search for non PDA players to fill out the roster and put out hopefully a really good roster and competition.
When it comes to making a decision like this for the next step in a process, there are a lot of different leagues out there. There's the alphabet soup you pretty much can you know, turn in any direction and you know, flip a page in a book and there's a league out there. Yeah, it came to your vetting process and determining why the NPSL, why the NPSL over what might have been other discussions that folks may not have been privy to.
Yeah, I think that's a that's a great question, you know from us, certainly in the Hibernian region. You know, it started. It first started a couple of years ago with now our region at being in existence six seven, eight seasons now, so we have you know, some more college players coming back and saying, hey, coach, where do we have a platform to still be active during the summertime. So we started exploring a couple of years ago, and as you said, there's a ton of different leagues and platforms.
So we just started doing our research. We know, we went out to some games, we were on websites, we were talking to people and saying, hey, what's a real league that kind of sets with our philosophy and what we want to try to do and grow the game and community based. And then as we you know that our research even more, we thought the NPSL would be a perfect start for us.
When you mentioned that you thought about it going in a couple of years, thought about for the twenty four season, getting ready for the twenty five. It's not around the corner. Even if it is around the corner, I know a lot of folks will sit there and say, yeah, the season's over there. You know, it's like May or whatever, and you know we're talking like you know, six seven months away, and while you do have some of the
infrastructure in place that other startups may not. Yeah, it's six or seven months away for game one and season one, but it's really not. So when it comes to assembling everything and going okay, yeah, it's right there, how do you remind folks that, yeah, twenty twenty five is technically only two months away in the calendar sense, and we're
probably only six months away from playing. How do you, you know, make folks and remind them it's like, look, yeah, twenty twenty five seasons over there, but it's going to be here before you know it.
Yeah, yeah, So I mean for us, as you know, using social media right now, so we have it all penned still, you know, at the top of all of our social media accounts. And then you know, as we communicate with our club, we always have a club wide email that goes out once a month with monthly newsletters that you know that'll be at the at the top of how we support this this platform, and you know, how are we creative and using everybody within PDA to really kick start off the season on a good note.
When it comes to the to do list, I always like to ask this question of the programs slash franchises that are starting in whatever league we're talking about, there's always a to do list, and you know, going in you've got your to do list to figure out your due diligence. Then you get in to the league and then you're like, okay, there's the to do the list to get ready for season one? Where is the to
do list? Because you know, in an office, especially for me, it could be on the magnet, the magnet calendar and the fridge where you write down an idea at like three o'clock in the morning. Oh yeah, we've got to do this. You write it down, you file it away. Then you come back in the morning and go, what is it that I wrote down when I was getting that glass of water at three o'clock? You know, it could be on a Google doc. It could be you know, it could be in a you know, you could be
on your phone like in the old days. You sit there, you pull the stylust out of your BlackBerry, you write down an idea, you jam the stylist back in and go. Could be in a notebook, could be a legal pad, could be on the banking calendar under the glass like we used to growing up could be on one of those big six foot by eight foot dry erase forwards. It's got a bunch of different colors and directions going on. Where is this to do list for PDA to get
ready for the NPSL season? And what do you think the next thing that you can cross off of the list is as you're getting ready for twenty twenty five.
It took a lot of those words right right out of my mouth. So I'm smiling when you're when you were saying all this, you know right now, Look, I'll be honest. We do have a Google doc and then we have a we call it Grow and Glow. Right, So we put all of our and there's an assembly of four to five people on there. That's that's the head coach, assistance, myself, some you know, Jerry McEwen. You know, we we have our basically our thoughts, right, this is
what we're going to think. This is, you know, here's a thought process of what goes on. I would say right now, it's it's an overwhelming list of some ideas and then I always bring it back to is, you know, one, what what is going to be really important to us? And then what's realistic for year one, and then does the year two and year three the hopefully there'll be some different goals and what's realistic and achievable for us.
So I think as we get closer to the season, and obviously the amount of conversations and prepping that we've already had, it is a lot, but I think that's really important to us. I think as you have an expansion side, there's oh my goodness, so many thoughts of what you can do, and then you know, what's going to be really important to us? What do we value
the most? And then can we get that box at least halfway checked off, maybe not even fully checked off, And then where are the other eight thousand objectives come into it? Because that's kind of you know, where we're at with some things. And as you just said, year one, there's gonna be I think, as much as we want to be prepared and organized with everything, it's going to
be a learning payer for us. And we have to have an open, you know, growth mindset to that and be be willing to you know, okay, have a really positive reflection and say, okay, this is what we thought, Oh this is maybe totally different now, you know, what I'm saying going on the road here, or to be honest with you, we don't know what conference we're going to be in, right, so you know, always very honest with that. We have an idea, but it's not you know,
solidified yet. So I think we're gonna have to be an open and we have to be able to adapt in a positive way.
So what are your expectations for year one on the field off the field, because I mean we always sit there and we look at expectations and you're thinking, yeah, wins and losses and titles, titles and things. But then there's always the infrastructure thoughts and expectations. There's always the roster expectations, the coaching expectations, the growth of the players expectations, butts in seats expectations. What are those expectations for PDA in year one in the NPSL.
Yeah, I think year one for us, I mean we're going to really dive into our roster and try to, I guess assimilate a brand that's you know, within our game model and principles as a club. Right, is it going to you know, be an exact replica of our seventeens at nineteens and sixteens. No, because it is a different league and a platform. But I do think there could be a consistent an approach with how we operate
within the club. So I think that's going to be important to us, and I think obviously the roster does change year to year, but I think finding the right players who want to put on a PDA jersey, that understand our expectations as a staff and our objectives, and how do we build a competitive roster because we do want to come in and we want to compete and put on a good performance and exciting brand of soccer. That's important to PDA holistically on the boys and girls side.
So I think for us is finding the right players, having the right dialogue and communication that fit our expectations and our goals, certainly year one, and then I think second part then would be, like we just said, the infrastructure and building community presence and how do we do that. I think will be a learning curve and it's certainly going to be a high value towards us. But I think first and foremost is getting the right players within
our group, which we do have a solid base. We played in the last two seasons in under twenty three and some success. And we do have a number of, like I said, PDA players that are playing in college or are still going to continue this path, and hey, are they searching? I haven't latched onto a USL side yet. Can we can we be here and then have a good season. So I think we'd rather to explore and be open to all those different paths. But more importantly,
it's it's getting the right players into our system. I think can be our first and foremost priority.
How would you describe PDA soccer to someone from the outside that is blowing up your phone saying hey, I want to be a part of this, From from the fabric of the individual to the on air the on field presentation, how would you break down what PDA soccer is? And yes I did just use their quotes.
Yeah, yeah, Well, I think in general from our club perspective, right, it's a it's players development academy. So we do place a high intrinsic value on individual development. But then as as you climb that ladder through the club, it's it's how do you win games collectively? Out of an older age that's applicable, right, that's the sixteen seventeen and nineteen, I would say, you know, you hear coaches all the time say, you know, we want to put an attacking
brand of soccer onto it. I think PDA that we do want to be attacking minded club, but we were also very mindful of what we require all of our players to make, you know, quality decisions on the field, and then what is the game giving us? So we're always you know, we're big into those decision making processes. So I think year one intil certainly this this club as we do. If we can oppose ourselves into the game, and that's that's excellent. But if not, then how do
you solve this picture? How you solve these situations? Because this is now what the game is telling us. I think we have to be adaptive and we have to grow within the game.
Has PDA's collective phone been blowing up since the announcement, whether it's from inside players with PDA experience that want to come back and circle back and or outside And do you have international dialing on your phone to where you're getting these odd WhatsApp numbers and things like that where you've got to trace it. What's the what's it been like for for the in reach.
Instead of that, I think all above what you just said. So when we when we uh uh, you know, when everything went published and everything, I didn't I didn't really know what to expect that. You know, we had like an internal obviously text dialogue, say what's going to go on? I tell you, within whenever they published it at three o'clock, I'm telling you probably from the next twenty four hours.
It was. It was there was a lot going on within the club, you know, even on the girls side, you know, other local clubs and you know, like Motown reaching out there's it was a it was a really good vibe. So yeah, I think all above with them.
I was going to say, you mentioned justly surprised. Oh, I mean, hey, I mean that that that adds to that list of that six by eight dry erase board document that you got going in house. The fact that Motown reached out, I think that that's really cool, knowing the pedigree that Motown has established in the NPSL. They reach out, they knock on your druds like, yeah, come on in, bruh water's great. You know, well we'll see you soon enough. Basically, I guess, And that's what the phone call was.
Yeah, no, it was great, exactly right. It was you know, short messages with that. But I told them and did they do a terrific job? Right? So it's you know what they do, their pedigree and how they go about everything from an infrastructure, roster coaching staff, it's excellent. So I think if anything, you know, it's a phone call to them and say hey, what works for you guys, what doesn't? And then how does it apply, you know, to us? And again what it comes down to, what's
what's achievable for us? And then you know, for us is what can we be? Not if you go to three different categories? Can we be average here and spread our wings in too many places? Like? How can we be great? And what can we do to you know, get off to a really good start?
How difficult is that to have all of those different categories and grade it from one to ten and try to figure out, okay, if we're a ten here, we try not to be a three here. Yeah, the best thing might be to just be like a six or a seven across the board instead of sitting there and going, yeah, okay, we're a ten, but we're a three and then we're a four. But then we're not you know, how do you how do you make sure that you're as even keeled across the board in all those categories.
Yeah, I think it's surrounding yourself with with smarter people, right, No, but no, And honestly it's it's all of us a collection of efforts here and then look, I think the constant dialogue and sometimes yeah, there's other I guess differences of opinions and one hundred percent, And then how do
we leave that? And then how do we come together and formulate an idea and say, Okay, this is what we're going to go and run with, and then also have an understanding of if it's If it's not going to work, then we have to again adjust and grow and reflect on it and say, okay, this is this wasn't working for us. We thought of what year one, year, two, year three, what's more obtainable given our environment, our resources, and what we now know from the league?
Who's on your speed dial, who's on who's on PDA's speed dial. Now that you're into this next step, obviously I'm sure that Motown is on your speed dial. But when it comes to the speed dial, and I've got questions. You know how to do things a lot, but this whole franchise thing is a little different when it comes to, you know, trying to ask questions who who can you dial up? And you know they'll pick up the phone.
Well, I think, you know, it's I guess maybe a little bit nerve racking or you know, uneasy, but I think that's a yeah, we are going into a more uncharted territory within our club, you know, so I think meaning on one another and then obviously some of the other teams that are in within the league we will
get to know. You know, we have the annual meeting coming up at the end of October, so we're really excited about that as we meet new owners and directors there, and then you know, I think just having all those communications platforms will be helpful.
All right, So what are the next markers that you have there? At PDA We mentioned the next thing that you can cross off the board. My guess is you're probably writing things down. You're probably adding two or three when you cross one off. What are some of the next markers that folks need to keep an eye out for when it comes to getting ready for the twenty twenty five season.
Yeah, I think right now we have a good start with this our staff. We would like to maybe probably add a couple more staff members to our roster and technical technical staff, so that'll be coming up in the
next month. We're already up to a good start just internally with all of our coaches, and then I do think we'll start building again what's achievable from an infrastructure standpoint, and I do think community outreach is going to be important to us, so we'll start hiring people starting within the club if we can about some ideas of how do we incorporate the community with certainly our home games and maximizing all those opportunities.
Media Hibernian's director Brian Grazier is PDA now joins the NPSL coaching Staff's going to include Dan Keith and Scott Scott Loser. Did I get there?
Scott Loser?
Yep, closer And so it's gonna be all in New Jersey, Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The home venue mon Senior Walter E. Nolan Stadium on the campus of Notre Dame High in Lawrenceville, and you've got access to your own field, which I think is also key to all of this, especially with practice development, making sure that all of those different, you know,
trapdoors that you might come across are attached. Here to twenty twenty five, which is coming up right around the corner Facebook at PDA Soccer, Insta or Graham or ig as the hip kids say at PDA Boys and on the two hundred and eighty character app at PDA Soccer. As always, it's great to see you, Brian, thanks for dropping by his PDA Hibernians and the PDA folks. The Player Development Players Development Academy hoops into the NPSL in
twenty twenty five. Thanks for dropping in, looking forward to the progress. Don't be as stranger will catch up with you soon, my friend Ah, Thank you so much