Local Information
Ryan Murphy, CEO / Owner
Soccer Shots North Florida, Central Florida, Tallahassee, and Emerald Coast
Ryan has been involved with soccer in some form or fashion — either as a player, coach, official, or parent — for the last 38 years. After attending high school at St. Joseph Academy in St. Augustine, Ryan attended Texas A&M University on a Navy ROTC scholarship. Ryan graduated with a B.S in Chemistry and then subsequently received his master’s in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University. After graduating college Ryan was commissioned in the Navy and served 10 years on Active duty in the Navy as a Submarine Officer, and another subsequent 11 years in the Navy Reserve, serving in Afghanistan and Germany during that time.
Ryan decided a change of pace was in order and in 2009 started a Soccer Shots franchise in Jacksonville, expanding to St. Augustine two years later. Recently in 2021, he expanded operations to Soccer Shots Central Florida, Soccer Shots Tallahassee, and Soccer Shots Emerald Coast.
Ryan keeps active by playing adult soccer and powerlifting. Ryan holds a Level VI Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, an “F” License from U.S. Soccer, and a Level 2 Coaching Certification in Archery. He has three great children, Connor, Mackenzie, and Saoirse.
Matt Bullard, Director – Emerald Coast
Serving Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa Counties
Coach Matt originally hails from Kansas, but is a Floridian at heart. He started playing soccer at 4 years old and continues to play today (when he can!).
For the last 18 years he has been coaching every age group and now has found a favorite in our core group, Preschoolers! Last year Coach Matt’s club team won a State Championship and his high school team won the AISA State Championship.
He holds a US Soccer D license; he loves helping players improve their soccer skills but most of all he loves when he can cultivate an environment where players choose to give their best effort every time! Coach Matt is married to Andrea and loves being a Stepdad to Bailey.
Nicole Blumberg, Chief Financial Officer & Business Director
Nicole is a native Floridian born and raised in Orange Park. The only member of the team to not play soccer growing up, Nikki started dancing in her youth in various styles including clogging and swing dancing, and later on in ballroom and Latin styles. In her youth, she was also very active in her local 4-H program multiple times representing Florida at various state and national events as well as a founding member of the Teen Court program in Clay County. Graduate of Flagler College with a B.A. in Communications and minor in Advertising she was also the only recipient of the Presidential Service Award for her graduating class.
Nicole joined us with a wealth of experience from her previous work with an organic food company based out of Australia where she traveled throughout North America in various roles in her 9 years and received her company’s BASIL award for Benchmark, Attitude, and Innovation. From her skills in managing and training retail sales teams, coordinating trade and consumer shows, databases and websites, customer service, forecasting and budget management we are happy to have her and her organizational skills on the team.
Outside of work Nicole and her husband Charles enjoy trivia nights and ballroom dancing together. They welcomed their first son Caleb in July 2021 and love spending every moment they can together with the cutest addition to the team!
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.