Franchise Awards 2018

, WeMake Footballers Milton Keynes Best Youth Football Coaching Franchise - UK WeMake Footballers: Milton Keynes (WMF:MK) is part of theWeMake Footballers franchise which is dedicated to providing weekly football training sessions, 1-2-1 coaching and holiday camps for 4-12-year-old boys and girls of all abilities from its 14 franchises across the UK. We invited Russell Lew, Academy Directory of WMF:MK, to tell us more about this innovative franchise and the range of support and services it has to offer. Dec18169 CONTACT DETAILS: Company: We Make Footballers Milton Keynes Contact: Russell Lew Website: www.wemakefootballers.com A new addition to the We Make Footballers Franchise, WMF:MK started trading in April 2018, and in just eight short months have built a reputation for providing fun, professional football coaching sessions for 4-12-year-old boys and girls of all abilities in the Milton Keynes area. Russell, who established the Milton Keynes branch of the franchise, explores how he came to choose this particular company and how it has helped him to support budding footballers across his local area. “WFM:MK is still very much in its infancy, but I am extremely proud of how far we have come in such a short time. Having played football and coached at grassroots level for many years it was always a dream of mine to start a football academy. Then, following discussions with We Make Footballers CEO, Sean Conlon, I decided to swap a 30+ year career in corporate IT with a tracksuit and a whistle, and bought the license to run WMF:MK.” “Since I started WMF:MK our growth has been unparalleled across the group, with our 100th player signing-up for WMF:MK sessions in December and an extra 4-7-year-old session being added to our weekly calendar. We fully expect this growth to continue into the new year and beyond.” This success can be attributed to Russell’s dedication to excellence, as well as the franchise’s focus on quality service and support. “We Make Footballers was a great choice for me because its core focus is on providing football training and support to a wide range of young people aged between 4 and 12. We also run birthday parties, primary school coaching sessions and have an internal coach development program that ensures we continue to develop the staff as well as our players. All franchisees have links to local grassroots teams and, for those players showing the potential to play at a higher level, we provide pathways to professional league football clubs and academies.” “Fundamentally, I chose We Make Footballers because the ethos of the organisation is absolutely aligned to my view of how football should be taught and played, so it really was a ‘made to measure’ partnership, and one that is bi-directional as my background has also allowed me to help move the wider organisation forward. We Make Footballers offer a high level of coaching at the best facilities while still keeping our prices at an affordable level. We are incredibly passionate about helping every child become the best footballer they can be, recognising that all of our players are individuals and ensuring that we always focus on what each individual requires. Our high coach to player ratio ensures that every child receives 1-2-1 contact during each session, and our fun-based approach allows them to learn whilst having fun. All of these factors have helped me drive my franchise to success.” As he looks to the future, Russell is keen to grow WMF:MK to include additional towns and welcome even more players, as he proudly concludes. “Following our successful first eight months, I fully expect WMF:MK to continue expanding. We are attracting players from across Milton Keynes and even have players travelling from Stevenage, Luton and Northampton on a weekly basis to attend our sessions. With these factors in mind, we will be looking at how we can expand to accommodate this expected growth from both a location and staffing perspective. This will offer us many exciting opportunities and I’m eager to take advantage of these in order to grow my business and build upon its current success. “I firmly believe that the quality of our service, emphasis on individual player development and provision of a safe and enjoyable environment differentiates us from others. It is therefore essential that as we grow we continue to remember our company mission and always focus on making our players the best footballers they can be.”