Local Information
Walter Ballard – Owner
A native South Floridian, Walter graduated from Florida State University earning a B.S. in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sports Management. For the last 18 years he has served his community as both a Firefighter for the Iona McGregor Fire District and youth soccer coach for children playing at the recreation and club level. Through coaching he has experienced the joy of the game and the lasting positive impacts it has on children. He believes that Soccer Shots provides the perfect opportunity to continue building stronger youth beyond the game. In his spare time, Coach Walter can be found seeking outdoor adventure on local trails, tinkering in his garage, or hanging out with his wife Britney and three children, Jayda, Walter, and Kennedy at the park.
Michael Gannon – Owner
Mike was born and raised in Fort Myers, FL. He graduated from UCF earning a B.A. in Graphic Design. He was a stay home Dad for 12 years for his twin boys, Keller and Luke who are 16 years old and also love soccer! Mike has played soccer his whole life and has coached sports at different levels for over 25 years. He loves teaching the valuable life lessons that come from playing team sports and is always looking for opportunities to grow. Mike is very involved in the Church and is passionate about serving the Lord both locally and globally. He believes in the power of teams, is constantly building relationships and loves being a part of the Soccer Shots community. Mike is passionate about leadership development, creating positive cultures and encouraging others! His favorite football team is Liverpool FC – YNWA!
Sarah Davis – Director of Programming
Coach Sarah can’t wait to meet all of her new soccer friends out on Soccer Island! Coach Sarah grew up in Southwest Florida and currently lives in Fort Myers. She started playing soccer at 5 years old out at Bayshore, and she continued to play through high school where she was the starting varsity goalie all four years. She played various levels of soccer during her career, but her most favorite thing about soccer is making new friends, learning new skills, and having fun. Some of her favorite things to do are baking and cooking for others, going to Disney World with her best friend, and watching movies. Sarah is responsible for keeping all of us in line and staying on track!
Emily Calderon – Director of Coaching
Coach Emily was born and raised in New Jersey. She started playing soccer at age 5 and continued to play competitively for school and club teams for 12 years. As captain for her high school and travel teams, she was ranked one of the top 3 goalkeepers in the State of New Jersey. She attended Coastal Carolina University and graduated with a degree in Exercise and Sport Science. While in South Carolina, she interned with Coastal Carolina’s Division 1 Athletic Training staff and worked on modality treatments and rehabilitation programs for the 2016 National Champion baseball team as well as the softball, golf, soccer, and track and field teams. She was also a Physical Therapy Technician post-graduation, working on rehabilitation programs for older adults. Soccer has always been a positive outlet for her and taught her values at a young age that she still uses today. Being able to give a positive experience for kids to have fun in athletics and learn is her coaching goal! She also loves to go to the beach, garden, paint, and bake!
Holly Hagan – Director of Partner Services
Coach Holly was born and raised in Southwest Florida. She has experience as a private swim instructor, a youth acting coach, and a middle school P.E. coach. Having loved soccer in her younger years, she finds it incredibly fun to watch children experience the joys of the sport for the first time. Working with children is the most rewarding thing she has ever done. In her free time, Holly enjoys crocheting, painting, and playing any sport with her friends.
Britney Ballard – Program Coordinator
Coach Britney also know as “Coach B” was born in Illinois and raised in South Florida and has played sports her whole life! Coach B attended Barry University where she was an all conference division 2 softball player! She has three kids who she enjoys taking to their soccer games cheering them on from the sidelines; Coach B enjoys going to the gym, hiking with her family, and most of all, making every child she coaches feel known and loved.
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.