The beautiful game is big business. Football is loved the world over and provides many business opportunities for sports enthusiasts wishing to combine their love for the game with the chance to run a profitable business and inspire children and young people.
When football is combined with the success of the franchise industry, this winning combination provides an exciting and rewarding career, especially when partnering with a dedicated and committed franchisor.
Based in north London, Pro Elite Football Academy was founded in January 2016. It started with one class in Enfield with two children and two coaches and there are now more than 1,000 players each weekend, 54 coaches and 12 locations.
“Our mission at Pro Elite is to engage with and positively influence as many children as possible through our football coaching methods,” says Ali Mustafa, Director at Pro Elite Football Academy. “There are few guarantees in life, but there are always children being born and they will always want to play football.”
The success of the Academy has led Ali to franchising as he explains: “Franchising for me was always the next step. It allowed me to re-define all of our processes to ensure that they are of the highest quality and grow into areas that I would never physically be able to myself, due to logistics. Franchising will give opportunities for other like-minded individuals to have a flourishing career in football. I know that it has given me so much joy already so I can’t wait to see whose life it can change next.”
Ali has recently begun working with Franchise My Business, to be guided through the whole franchising process and recruit new franchisees. “James, Ben and the team have been great for me,” Ali explains. “I had little experience of franchising before meeting them, but they guided me through the whole process so that it was a seamless experience. What stood out to me was how much they challenged me to think about my business. Without that, it would be hard to ensure you perfect your systems. I have already recommended them to my friends in business, so that says it all.”
With more children wanting to be part of the football community, Pro Elite is able to bring something unique to the market as Ali explains: “No other football franchise has the framework that we do at Pro Elite. We have the foundations in place to support children from 18 months, right through to 18 years. And, once established, the influx of children through the age groups means that we never have to recruit for players, only promote them from within.
“Our head office houses our Head of Football, our Head of Marketing and our Head of Academy Support – all of who will support franchisees on their journey. From session plans, to digital marketing, franchisees will have full support across all avenues so all they will have to do is enjoy the coaching or the management of coaches.”
Franchise My Business are currently looking to recruit the right candidates to join this successful network. “There’s no doubt that there is a huge demand for football coaching academies and Pro Elite has all the structure in place to allow people with limited business experience to succeed, says James Cotton, Co-Founder and Franchise Development Director of Franchise My Business. “This is a market that offers huge growth potential and will be very appealing to football coaches, ex-players, fitness professionals and those who have the desire to turn their passion into a profitable business.”
Ali explains how the Franchise My Business team have been helping to source candidates: “Adam in the team has been unbelievable at managing candidates from the minute they enquire. I have been super impressed by how much he has learnt about Pro Elite so that when he talks to candidates, he doesn’t miss anything out.
“We are looking for people who share our passion for either football or sports. Individuals who can be entrepreneurial, be pro-active and who have a high charisma. This hasn’t felt like a job for me in six years, so like-minded individuals will thrive.”
Franchise My Business and Pro Elite are committed to building a community that people trust and ensure the children are developing both their football skills and their life skills. “We will ensure franchisees will follow the same objectives, which will help them to achieve financially and build a strong and sustainable business.”
