Local Information
Anthony Calvano – Owner
Anthony is a professional soccer player, a gifted soccer teacher and a kid enthusiast! He played for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, the area’s professional soccer team, before retiring in 2012. He played professionally for eight years. Anthony played at Penn State University, making it to the Elite 8 and winning a Big Ten Championship.
Anthony has coached high school, middle school and club soccer and has worked with thousands of youth soccer players as a Soccer Shots instructor. In addition to playing and coaching soccer, Anthony has a degree in elementary education from Penn State. Anthony is an active member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children (PAEYC).
Above everything else is that Anthony loves being able to positively impact kids through the game of soccer!
Carla Stewart – Executive Director
Carla graduated from Grove City College in 2011 with a B.A. in History and a minor in Political Science; she spent the summers of her college years working with children as the Day Camp Director and Playground Program Director for the Penn-Trafford Area Recreation Commission. After college, Carla gained experience in a variety of fields including human resources, administrative support, financial research, and non-fiction writing & editing.
A Pittsburgh native, Carla grew up playing soccer for local clubs including Foothills, Penns Forest, Hotspurs, Allegheny Force FC, Arsenal, and the Barbarian Football Coalition. In high school, she captained WPIAL champion and two-time state runner-up Greensburg Central Catholic. At the collegiate level, Carla played varsity and intramural soccer as well as club ultimate frisbee. She enjoys being active and is an avid participant in a local adult learn-to-play ice hockey program.
Carla is a strong advocate for instilling self-esteem, exceptional character, and a love for physical activity in children.
Cassidy Graham – Director of Operations
Coach Cassidy is originally from Slate Lick, Pennsylvania but spent 7 years in Raleigh, North Carolina where she attended North Carolina State University and worked for Soccer Shots RDU. She moved back to the Pittsburgh area so that she could be closer to her family. She has two dogs, Cash and Bentley and a miniature horse, named Silverado. In her spare time, she loves to read, spend time with her family and run. Coach Cassidy is looking forward to meeting all of her new friends and watching them grow!
Maureen Hanlon – Operations Coordinator
Maureen graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in Child Studies. She has worked in early education since 2012 and has a passion for teaching young children. She loves the ways in which Soccer Shots celebrate each child and teaches lessons that expand way beyond the field.
Hershell (Teddy) Hutson – Administrative Assistant / Office Manager
Hello! My name is Hershell Hutson and I am from Parkersburg, WV. I have loved the game of soccer ever since I began playing when I was 4 years old. I have played and coached many different levels of the game over the years. My love for the game has led me to wanting to impact the youth and give them the best experience they can have. I want my passion for the game to rub off on those around me. I also graduated from West Virginia University with a B.S. in Athletic Coaching and a minor in Sports Communication. I look forward to using my experience and education to help impact everyone at Soccer Shots!
John Metzler – Director of Coaching
My name is John Metzler, and I am very excited to join the Soccer Shots Pittsburgh team. I grew up in the Pittsburgh area and developed my love of soccer after participating in youth soccer in this area at various levels. I’ve remained an enthusiastic fan and supporter of the sport throughout my life. After living in the New York metropolitan area (including living in Kearny, NJ; known as “Soccer Town USA”), I was excited to take advantage of an opportunity to return to Pittsburgh with my wife Joanna and my son William. Eager to get my son involved in my favorite sport, signed William up for Soccer Shots was immediately impressed with the quality, professionalism, and care shown by the coaches. Soccer Shots reaches kids at an age that has the greatest potential to instill a life-long appreciation of the sport and its ability to encourage both teamwork and individual improvement. It is my goal, as Director of Coaching, to continue to maintain high standards and make Soccer Shots a highlight of every enrolled child’s week.
Michael Kozuch – Coaching Coordinator
Hey everyone! My name is Michael (he/they), and I’m stoked to be a soccer coach this season! I have been playing soccer for the majority of my life, and I hope to become a high school coach in the future. In my down time, I love to play tennis, write creative fiction, and play tons of board games/card games. I look forward to playing soccer with y’all very soon!
Core Values
Every day at Soccer Shots involves living out our Core Values. We pursue excellence through high expectations and high-quality service. We care about impacting lives positively, prioritizing people and treating them with respect. As team players, we know we are stronger together than we are apart. Promoting a spirit of independence and initiative, we own our roles and responsibilities. But we also leave room to grow, allowing for experimentation and continuous learning. In everything, we are candid, providing constructive criticism and inviting the perspectives of others.
Employment
If you have a passion for positively impacting children, we’d love to talk to you.
The “Three Cs” – Coaching, Communication and Curriculum
The foundation of Soccer Shots is our relentless commitment to providing best-in-class coaching, communication and curriculum.
The best coaches in the business
- Every Soccer Shots coach must complete our comprehensive training program to receive certification.
- All Soccer Shots coaches are trained in the use of developmentally appropriate techniques.
- Coaches are routinely evaluated and undergo ongoing training.
- Our coach selection process evaluates not only the ability to coach soccer, but also the ability to engage and inspire children.
An exceptional customer experience with ongoing communication
- You will receive a weekly summary of what your child is learning at Soccer Shots.
- We proactively communicate cancellations due to weather or other circumstances.
- Our staff understands the importance of timely, responsive communication.
Expert-approved curriculum that aligns with early childhood education standards
- Our developmentally appropriate curriculum places an emphasis on character development and skill building.
- Our program is created under the guidance of childhood education specialists, professional soccer players and experienced and licensed soccer coaches.
- We constantly re-evaluate and update our curriculum to stay current with childhood education standards.
Our Vision: To provide a beloved growth experience for every child; a remarkable experience for every family.
The History of Soccer Shots
Our founding partners, Jeremy Sorzano and Jason Webb, were soccer teammates both in college and professionally. They formed Soccer Shots® in 1997 after recognizing a lack of quality soccer programs for children under age 8. They shared an entrepreneurial spirit, a deep love of soccer, and a passion to inspire children to live fit and healthy lives.
The success of Soccer Shots in Charlotte, NC and Harrisburg, PA, where Sorzano and Webb first launched their businesses, led to several of their friends and former teammates wanting to get involved. In 2005, Soccer Shots began franchising and opened its first four franchises in OH, DE, FL, and PA. The business opportunity began to attract more soccer entrepreneurs, and Soccer Shots has enjoyed growing around the country and into Canada.
In May of 2009, Justin Bredeman, another former college soccer teammate, became the third Soccer Shots partner. Justin brought with him eight years of experience from Auntie Anne’s, Inc., a pretzel franchising company, where he led a team that supported nearly 800 franchise units. His deep understanding of the franchise business model also comes from the knowledge gained from his five years of owning and running a Soccer Shots business of his own.
From its humble beginnings, Soccer Shots has grown beyond Jeremy and Jason’s biggest dreams, with over 200 territories across 37 states and Canada. There were over 440,000 enrollments into Soccer Shots programming in 2018.
The business is consistently recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as the #1 Children’s Fitness Franchise in the U.S. And today, Soccer Shots is positioned as the best-in-class children’s soccer program with a focus on character development.
And while the accolades are appreciated, our mission remains focused – positively impacting children’s lives.
Soccer Shots Franchising, LLC is based in central Pennsylvania, just east of Harrisburg. Learn more about franchising with Soccer Shots at soccershotsfranchising.com.
Stronger Youth. Beyond the Game.
We believe that soccer is a powerful vehicle for positively impacting youth. Through our partnership with the U.S. Soccer Foundation, we aim to impact children who live in underserved communities through quality soccer programs that support their physical and personal development.