Support Brendan

My Story

In February of 2021, before Anglers FC was ever a thought in my mind, I sensed I was supposed to drop to part-time as a teacher.  I had been established in the classroom for four years and enjoyed my job, but I believed I should not be working full-time for whatever adventure was next.  I took the leap of faith with no plans and crucially, no renters at the time.  For several months that year, I Airbnb’d a room in my house as I searched for long-term renters and tried to figure out what the Lord was doing in my life.  Money came inconsistently in those days, but each month, between part-time work, odd jobs, and Airbnb, I always covered my mortgage and monthly expenses; even my saving grew, though very slightly…

The Lord’s provision was evident, but what was even cooler was that he had opened an exciting new door, one I would not have been prepared to walk through had I been working full-time.  In October of 2021, the opportunity to acquire a small youth soccer club presented itself.  The current owner was considering folding the business, but instead, a friend and I took over to try and save what had become a niche but important service in the community.  We immediately reincorporated the organization as a nonprofit to better serve the mission and vision we had for Anglers FC.

Since the acquisition, the Club has grown in size, scope, and financial viability.  The season prior to the acquisition, the Club had roughly 60 players across four teams; in spring 2024, we anticipate nearly 170 players across thirteen teams.  We now offer far more than just fall and spring soccer seasons, but also technical sessions, a futsal league, summer camps, and international Christian mission trips, among other programs designed to holistically develop players and coaches.  In the eleven years the Club existed before the acquisition, coaches and the director had never been paid.  The Club was a labor of love for their own children; however, in our last fiscal year, we paid out a total of over $17,000 to our coaches and an additional nearly $13,000 went to me as director pay.  To go from $0 being paid out to the hardworking people who carry out the mission of Anglers FC to over $30,000 in two years is a huge accomplishment.  It has set us on a path towards financial sustainability.  But it has also highlighted a truth: getting here took me working far more than part-time.  The next evolution of the Club is for me to be the full-time director.  That would require me to have a salary of at least $40,000 annually.

Most youth soccer clubs have two streams of income.  The first is their service revenue.  The national average that youth soccer clubs charge for a year of soccer is $1,188.  From my experience in Colorado Springs, clubs around here are higher (often much higher) than that national average.  We reach many families who could not afford playing at another club by keeping our prices at less than $300 per season, so our service revenue brings in far less profit than the clubs around us that sometimes charge as much as ten times more.  The second income stream is corporate sponsorships, gifts, and grants.  This is an element of nonprofit management that I have tapped into at Anglers FC and have plans to dive deeper into over this next year.

While we have strengthened our revenue in both these areas over the last two years, if I am to transition to a full-time salary, I have two options.  Option 1 is to substantially raise our prices, something that would be contrary to our stated mission at Anglers FC.  Option 2 is to add a third revenue stream and go down a road that I have been hesitant to go down for some time now: personal support raising.

The Lord has been doing a work in my heart and humbling me in order to opt for Option 2.  I used to believe that I could make Anglers FC financially successful purely through my own business acumen, that to ask for personal support was a show of weakness or admitting defeat in the marketplace.  I have been seeing that that is not the case.  Even with great growth and more success in such a short amount of time than we would have ever expected in October of 2021, Anglers FC is still dependent on our local community, and there is nothing wrong with that.  It is the reason we incorporated as a nonprofit in the first place.

Thus I am on this journey with renewed drive.  I am seeking monthly supporters to join Anglers FC at between $100 and $200 per month, though any amount is welcome.  My initial goal is $2,500 in monthly support.  This will help me reach my salary goal, provide employer-paid health coverage for Merlinn and me, and cover my personal ministry expenses.  Every dollar given goes directly towards these goals.  The Club does not take any percentage.  Givebutter, the online processing platform, does charge a 2.99%+$0.30 fee for card transactions or a 1.9%+$0.30 fee for ACH transactions; you may cover those fees if you would like.  They also add a “tip” which goes to them, but this is optional.  You can change the tip to any amount, including $0.  Donations are tax-deductible.

I am so grateful you have taken the time to read my story.  It is a story I love sharing with my friends and family.  It has been an amazing experience of seeing God’s direction through small, incremental steps.  So often, we want God to shine a spotlight down the path and illuminate the ending; however, I think he often opts to simply show us the next right step.  By taking step after small step, we are able to look back and see that there was a path all along.  Thank you for considering joining me as a monthly supporter on the next step of this journey!

Media Coverage

January 2024

My Job

As Executive Director, I lead in the business direction and development of Anglers FC.  My job is very entrepreneurial, and as such, I wear a number of hats.  I fill the traditional youth soccer club roles of both a Director of Coaching and Technical Director; I work as a development officer like what would be seen at a typical nonprofit; and I perform various operational and administrative tasks such as managing registration, renting field space, and even designing the website.

I am passionate about completing all these administrative tasks to the best of my ability, but what I am most passionate about within Anglers FC is working with our global ministry partners.  I love cultivating relationships with like-minded soccer clubs and academies from around the world for continued missional, global impact through mission trips for high school athletes and discipleship programs for graduates.  I am super excited to see what the Lord will do as these international partnerships continue to grow in breadth and in depth.

My long-term hope is for my experience with Anglers FC to springboard me into an administrative role with a club overseas.

More about Anglers FC…