Time for a soccer down here one v one and for this one, we go to Jacksonville and catch up with a friend of the network, President and CEO of Sporting Club Jacksonville Sportingjax dot com on the worldwide Web, Steve Livingston. Steve, great to see you. We got a lot to talk about, don't we, brother.
Yeah, we got a couple of things.
Joan, great to see you again, and I'm glad to see you working away there and getting the good news out.
So it was a pleasure.
I want to work backward here and start with the most recent stuff and then go to the other announcement. It was a really busy day and a big day for the franchise where you now have an announcement about women's professional soccer. It is the USL Super League that you're now going to be a part of. You've got a venue. Everything seems to be fitting in place now.
Yeah, I mean the announcement the other day was monumental for us.
Historic as well.
This is the first ever women's professional, high level women's professional sports team that Jacksonville has ever had. Now we've had, you know, athletes in terms of golfers and tennis players that have come out of the area and represented it,
but really nothing on a team level. So the opportunity to actually be on the ground floor with that, create it, get it out there in the community and create this pathway or make this connection between youth soccer all the way up to professional soccer at a high level in
our community was it was just awesome. And to be able to announce that with the mayor, who's our first ever female mayor, just that the u n F, that the timing was was just right and perfect, and we couldn't be more excited and happy at the way the announcement went.
How far back are we talking about here when it came to the idea of okay, let's do this, when it came to the USL Super League, to the announcement earlier this week. How long a timetable are we talking here to get everything right where you lined it all up.
That's a really good question.
So we really began the process in twenty seventeen, as we've talked about before, but it.
Really began to crystallize.
Around twenty twenty, and then we had COVID and then we were set back a little bit. But I think in terms of the particular announcement around the women's team. We've been working on that really for the last two years or so. We always knew that we wanted to
lead with the women's team. We saw an opportunity there to do something special, do something historic, and really that this idea of creating something in the marketplace where fourteen and fifteen year old girls that had potential didn't have to leave Jacksonville to pursue their you know, their careers or an elite level soccer in cities like Orlando or Atlanta was something that really drove.
Us and really made it important. I get two dollars.
I'm a dad girl, and both of them played soccer, and I wish they're kind of older now, but I wish we'd I had something like that for those guys to look up to, those girls to look up.
To rather when they were they were that age.
And I think that's something that's really come through and some of the you know, the discussions that we've had, some of the announcements, some of the work we've been doing around Florida Elite, the youth club, and listening to the girls there, they're absolutely thrilled by this opportunity to look beyond what they're doing right now and see an opportunity to represent you know, Jacksonville in the first coast professionally here in women saw for the first time ever.
So that was definitely a big motivating factor in what we've been doing here.
Of course we've now got the men's team.
As well to look forward to hopefully we get that done in twenty twenty six, and that's something we're working towards as well. So, yeah, lots of different things to balance and spin, but you know, leading with the women was always something we wanted to do.
And I know that you're looking for that right venue in the right place to have that first home for them.
How long and.
Deep were the negotiations and trying to find a that venue and then b settling on the University of North Florida and Hadges. How far back did that go when you guys were like, yeah, let's go here.
That went relatively quick, Johin, probably in the last six months or so.
And you know, it was always a kind of plan to you know, potentially kick off in the new stadium with the women, but just with a timeline and how that was working out and our negotiations with the city. We began to realize fairly quickly that twenty twenty five was going to be difficult to have us kicking off from the new stadium, and we talked about this internally a lot, you know, should we wait, should we wait
and roll the whole thing out together. And then we looked at clubs like Rhode Island and someone's success that they've had in kind of getting out in front of things a little bit, beginning the team, beginning the club, starting the brand.
And then graduating into the stadium.
I was involved in a similar situation up in Louisville as well, where there was something established and then we moved into the stadium. So I think at that point we decided to a good old Scotty's term, you know, grasp the thistle and go for it and go ahead.
With a launch of the women's team.
And from there it was then a case of well, where we're going to play if the stadium's not ready. But fortunately we've got a great facility in Jacksonville at the University of North Florida Hodges Stadium. I was involved with they are matter there ten years ago when we played some matches there at the stadium. And it's a great facility and it's been upgraded somewhat since then as well, so things like field.
Surface, the floodlights are broadcast quality.
There's some other things that we want to kind of improve around the stadium for our matches. Will be bringing in things like chairbacks, great a club seat section. We'll be enhancing some of the hospitality areas, will be working on some of the field components and upgrading the locker rooms and bathrooms, that sort of thing. But generally speaking that that stadium has got great bones, a great structure, and you know, it just it made that decision fairly easy.
And then the other great thing was the University of North Florida themselves have been so supportive of us. They really stepped up to it. When we told him what we were planning to do and about our timeline, they really embraced it.
And we see this.
As part of a bigger partnership with UNF that will, you know, last more than just the women's season. We hope to continue, you know a couple of years with that partnership, showing support for them and their programs, their athletics programs, in particular their soccer programs at which they've been doing.
Really well and as well.
Their men won their title for the first time in about ten to fifteen years fairly recently. So again, we want to be supportive. Part of what we're doing with Sport and Jack's is to make a difference in the community and which we operate, and this is one way that we can certainly do that.
And you're going into instant rivalries within the state in the league because of what's going on with Tampa Bay Sun and what's going.
Down in Fort Lauderdale. You're diving into the deep.
Im what's the radius on that thistle that you're grabbing diving in with these es.
It's a fairly big one pair the lab Stiff. So yeah, that's for sure. You know, the rivalries are great. I mean, that's that's just it's just icing on the top of the cape there.
And you're already been talking to some of the the ownership teams and management teams at Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.
They're looking forward to having another, you know.
Florida team to be part of that rivalry. It helps a lot in terms of preparation, things like pre season scrimmages, those sorts of things. But yeah, we we hope to develop a real healthy rivalry between those those two other Florida clubs, and it will be exciting to you know, to go down to Tampa to to have Fort lad of Dale come up here, and you know, maybe we can get together and come up with some kind of version of the Florida Cup for women.
And work that out as well.
So yeah, we we definitely have a respect for what the guys. Those guys have done in a short period of time to get going with our Super League teams, and we've learned a lot from them as well. So we're looking forward to those rivalries for sure.
Steve Livingston, president CEO Sporting Jack's hanging out with us here for a soccer down.
Here, one d one.
How much advanced scouting do you do? How when do you hit the USL Championship season? Just wrap up? USL Super League's going on right now?
How much? How much?
How many frequent flyer miles and miles on the car at fifty eight cents a mile and flying and hotels? Are you getting to scout what's going on in the Championship and in the Super.
League is a part of your getting everything together?
Well? The great thing is I don't have to do all that.
We have a technical team that helps us on that side, so yeah, I just I just make sure they can get to where they need to go. But our technical director, Marisio Ruez, a former head coach at JU, has been fantastic. He spends an awful lot of time going out and scouting and looking around for us, both on the men's and women's side.
He's also got a fairly.
Strong position with US national team, so he does a lot of the youth development for those guys too. The other person that I have to kind of paying my respect to is Becky Burley, the legend in women's college soccer, who has a roller dex about the size of that thistle that we've been talking about.
It's extensive. She knows everyone in the business and really having that specialized intelligence, if.
You like, particularly on the women's side, has been incredibly important. Our friends over at Florida Lee have been great as well. Sean Bubb and his team phenomenal. They've run the most successful w League team last year, you know, they won the regular season and with some of plumb as well, so they've been a great resource for us as well. And you know, things like why scout, things like you know, watching watching games, you know, using the technology to try
and stay up to speed. We're obviously have a close eye on Super League. We also have a close eye on some of the other rival leagues out there. But I think one thing that we are really focused on as a club is to develop talent locally and bring that through the club and into the club and maybe onto.
Other clubs from there.
So our youth academy are set up is going to be vital to that. And you know, we've all Northeast Florida has been a great hotbed for particularly young female talent, and the sad thing is they've had to leave the market to be able to advance. Now we hope to provide a solution to that, and you know, there will be nothing better than to be able to see some you know, talent that's been developed on the First Coast make it into our pro teams, both on the men's and women's side.
And obviously, since you've been reading my notes about what to ask you about with all of these questions, I want to get into the relationship now with Florida Elite Soccer Academy. You're talking more than twelve thousand registered members across First Coast. It's a merger combining your resources in Florida Elites and you get pre pro and you've got this merger here with the professional level operation. This is something top down where you mentioned, Okay, we want to
keep folks home. This is that tent pole, that big tent pole that you're really sitting there. You're planting your flag with this and with the FBSA.
And it was definitely a kind of strategic decision on our part to do that. We've been talking to Florida Elite now for the last couple of years. They've always been part of the USL family, operating the USL League two and W League teams and a USL academy as well, So that was any conversation for.
Us to have.
I think the more that we got to know Flora Elye, the more comfortable we got in those discussions, the more comfortable they got in terms of what we were bringing to it. And I think we just realized at some point the opportunity to bring these two organizations together, albeit will be combining with them through our foundation, which is a five oh one C three and their five oh one C three and we'll continue to be a not for profit organization that we'll look at developing talent into
our pro ranks. It became clear fairly quickly that the best thing for both clubs was to combine, and you know, we're really excited about it.
They are a world class youse soccer operation.
They are one of the arguably one of the best in the country. They do a fantastic job both in terms of player of development and also running as a business. The way that they run their operation put many professional clubs in North America to shame.
So we really feel grateful and.
Honored to be able to make this combination with them. We are not going to go in and change things around. They have operated quite happily without us for the last ten years. So for us, it's a learning exercise, particularly on the youth side, and you know, we'll be relying
on their expertise now. Obviously we want to bring a professional element to things, being able to upgrade facilities, upgrade processes, bring an expertise and give the kids that are in the Florida Elite ecosystem something to look up to, I think is very important. So it was just a great kind of combination between the two and really a no brainer when it came down to it.
I was going to ask, when you have this train going down the tracks that is Florida Lake and then it reminds me of the scene in the Western movies where you've got at the hero and he's trying to catch the train and the train is speeding off and the the guys either on the horse and he's got to get off the horse and hop onto the train
to make sure everything's going on. I mean, what's it like for Sporting Jacks to notice that train and go, yeah, man, we've got to get there, and we've got to we've got to be up to speed with them from the second we hop on here.
Well, to be honest with you, I mean the way the way that we look to the development of the club, we weren't initially going to get involved in youth soccer at all. We were just looking at setting up the pro teams and really working with all of the youth clubs in the area, and that's something that we're still committed to. There's some lines drawn.
Within our market, if you like, but we have.
Been consistent in this from the start that we want to work with everyone, and we are definitely a big tent organization and open to working with all.
And every every youth club in the area.
I think for US, we you know, we knew it was going to be a long process doing it that way. We didn't want to come in and take anything over or upset anybody, or set up our own youth program or or anything like that.
And we knew it was going to be probably.
A ten year process before we got to the stage that that Florida the leader at.
Right now in terms of the youth.
So we were actually approached approached by Florida Elite in the first place, which was really really amazing that they would they would think of us, I think in terms of what we're trying to do and bringing.
A USL product, in terms of what.
We're trying to do, in terms of the facilities that were developing the stadium development. They they I think they saw, you know, an organization that was as ambitious as them and wants to be as successful.
As they be.
So again, their leadership, Stephen mel Shawan Bubb I think saw that opportunity and we sat down with them, and you know, I didn't.
Know if they were serious to start with, but.
Then we get into conversations with it and we realized that that there was a lot of kind of shared goals here, shared vision, a lot of you know, want to do things the right way, be.
Excellent and world class, and our approach.
And I think it was more from their side that they felt comfortable with what we were doing, the new guys on the block, you know, the new kids in town, if you like. And at the same time, I think we felt very respectful to them and what they were doing. So again, it wasn't something that we were looking for, but it's something that developed and something that's brilliant and you know, essentially accelerated our plans.
And programs by ten years or so, which is just phenomenal.
What are you the most excited about for twenty twenty five and what do you think as you're piecing everything together, the Sporting Jacks still needs the most spit and polish going into twenty twenty five.
It's a good question, John, you know, I think for where it kind of begins and ends in terms of what we are doing as a club is stadium and facilities. Really without that you can't really achieve what you need to achieve long term and you can't fulfill that larger vision of creating something that's going to be meaningful to the community.
And that then you can start doing stuff in.
The community to influence and make the community a better place. We really need to start with the stadium and the facilities.
That's the most important thing.
That's what gives us the credibility, that's what gives us the opportunity to bring in partners, sponsors, to grow the brand, to grow the club. So I think our focus as an organization will for Elite continues and they will continue under the Sport in Jack's brand in the new.
Year to develop youth and develop.
Talent and grow the game and that respect, our immediate priority is to get our stadium development going, get that stadium coming out of the ground and you know, be in a position to play soccer in that stadium sometime in twenty twenty six. That's our goal, and that's a real ambitious goal. But at the same time, it's vitally important that we get that done because without it, we're really nothing. We're just another clubs that's renting a facility
somewhere and that's not long term. So again to meet our long term aspirations of long term goals. Really focusing on on that stadium is important. And I guess then the second thing is, you know, I shouldn't say second thing because it's parallel, is getting a women's team up and running off the ground, getting the right people in there, finding the right players, launching that in a you know, a world class way at UNF So we're kind of
owning parallel cracks there. To answer the question, those are the two things that we're really focused on.
Steve Livingston, President and CEO down at Sporting Jacks. It's been a big week. It was a happy Thanksgiving. It's a great early December, and you know we're going to keep knocking on your door when things keep happening. Thanks for the progress report. Great to see you, my friend. We will catch up with you sooner than you think because things are really going to start hopping. Thanks for dropping by for a one v one my friend.
Thanks Sean, it was a pleasure.