We had the good fortune of connecting with Alan Ewing and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I entered youth sports, I had an interest is starting a program where I did not have any outside influences that would take away from the programs I wanted to create. I also wanted to be in control of my own schedule so being my own boss made a lot of sense for both.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started my business Global Sport Solutions because there was a real shortage of coaches and I needed to bring some over from the UK. I ran soccer specific programs from 2007-2014 which was camps and tours as well as bringing over professional coaches from the UK and Europe. I was doing this alongside a full-time coaching and from 2011 a full-time teaching position. We ran camps from south Florida up to Pennsylvania

In 2014 I saw a need to have a more engaging after school program at my school and bid on some programs and we started providing after school and after school sport programs in schools throughout metro Atlanta.

In 2016, I was looking for a futsal program for my 8 year old son to join. However, all websites and links were a dead end so I started a futsal program in Newnan for my son and his team mates. We ran some summer camps and then started a program that was open to anyone in the community. We affiliated with US Youth Futsal and started an academy.

We started having people travel from all over Atlanta so we then extended it to the north side of Atlanta.  We were asked to apply to US Youth Futsal’s National Academy and after an extensive application process, we were 1 of 16 clubs to be accepted. Over 100 clubs had applied to be part of the program.

The following summer (2018), I started a futsal program in Birmingham, AL and Knoxville Tennessee with some coaches I had met over the last 10 years. The idea was we could provide opportunities and events to share between cities and keep costs down.   A few months later, we also added Macon, GA.

This year we will have over 200 academy players between all locations.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Downtown for Olympic Park, Maybe a Hawks game and definitely an Atlanta Utd game.  I love the North Georgia mountains for hiking trails but also bike riding at Calloway Gardens. If it was Christmas then I would take them to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. If they were British, I’d probably take them to some cool neighborhoods around Decatur like Oakhurst as well going to some of the Soccer in the Streets facilities.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s a few.  My wife, Shannon who has supported me through all these ventures and putting up with me be gone for long hours. She has never told me to not develop an idea but she also adds a bit of realism, as I tend to be an idealist.  My older brother Chris came out to America in 1996 and gave me the idea to follow him out here in 1998.

I have a friend and coaching mentor in San Antonio called Neil Hull.  He is about 10 years older than me and I speak to on a regular basis. He holds me accountable not only as a coach but as a parent and business owner. I always feel full of ideas and energy after speaking with him.

I have had a few business mentors. 1) Tony Robbins has been somebody I have listened to for years but I attended his Business Mastery course in 2015 and it changed my whole approach. I still have to go back and read as so much information was taught and I have to go back and re-read. 2) Tim Benjamin- VP of Railserve/Marmom Group – where I had consulted with from a coaching perspective and they have given me guidance

The Book 4-hour work week by Tim Ferris – His podcast is fantastic but this book made me analyze how I was working and make better use of my time.

Website: www.SouthernFutsal.com

Instagram: @atlantafutsal

Linkedin: @alanewing

Twitter: @futsalatlanta

Facebook: @atlantafutsal

Image Credits
ATL Futsal, Alan Ewing

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