 the coaching how it started was it was just after lockdown and I'd come back from playing in Slovenia and I was actually I was just at home wasn't really doing much and then I then was training for our lockdown trying to keep myself fit and I wasn't trying to crawl into town and I was there for like it was meant to be a week trial I was there for two days I taught muscle in my quad and yeah and I was out for a very long time and I was like you know what let me start just coaching let me just start giving back doing something to literally just I felt like I had a lot of knowledge in it so that's not let me give back let me give back and yeah I just I remember being a scholar at Southend and when I was doing my um level two the guy was like to me you know you'd be a great coach if you didn't want to play football I was like oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah but um yeah that was it after lockdown I literally just went into coaching and I guess yeah I just went to coaching literally because I couldn't have played football at the time yeah I just started to coach and coach and then from that it just it grew like it just came what signature is so how how did you start what did you start off doing one-on-ones or small it started off in like small groups and then within those small groups where I've played football and my standard I pay a lot of like attention to detail one like little things I'm like very picky like parents could say I nitpick about little things but within those group settings I would like identify a child and I'd be like okay I know you're doing your step over like this and I'm not saying this wrong but I want you to go like this and then exit there and do this and then do it like that and from that bigger scale I then started to focus on private training for the children that wanted to be pushed and the children that players that wanted to progress and yeah that's literally just how it started just like it's attention to detail really on like little things so tell us a bit about signature ballers so what do you guys specialise in so signature ballers what do we specialise in we specialise in making players the best version of themselves and working in small groups and one-to-one settings with the best playing against the best because you know iron sharpens iron you're like because I wouldn't put a kid in hairline in the same group as a kid that is just playing grassroots football because the gap is too big he wouldn't get it from it he doesn't get it from it so put in level headed and like similar level players together using what I know about football what they've learned speaking to clubs and it's like what good relationship with clubs now what that club's looking for what he's looking for and put in those players that need to improve their dribbling with the players that need to improve their defending and just literally sharpening up everyone and everywhere I guess love that so when when you started your business what were some some challenges or obstacles you faced at the beginning stages so there were there's been two things that have been like quite difficult and I'm really about quality like when I first started signature it was really about quality and the obstacle that I've found is trying to scale it up without losing that quality and without losing that identity that signature is which is not to say that we don't have children in that aren't necessarily at a top category one club because that's not the case but at the start of it it was hard to in a way turn away business and turn away clients because I was like hey I'm trying to keep it of this caliber of this ilk and then push on from it yeah there is a place for everyone but at the beginning it was really just narrowed in on elite level and not only elite level footballers but parents that were willing to buy into the program parents that were willing to give me the time to implement what I know on on the child and the footballer so yeah that that was a big obstacle because there's been a lot of times where where people have come and the things that I've taught them isn't necessarily isn't social media re like isn't instagramable isn't your kid doing 15 times I'm trying to build a footballer at the end of the day so yeah I'm working on ball striking fundamentals working on different types of turns working on back to things that other coaches wouldn't necessarily touch on because it's boring to do it with a child that's six years old hey you got to work on both for receiving within 20 minutes of ball striking today it's boring and some of the parents they didn't necessarily agree with that which is fair because I'm always right but but that was a big obstacle and my second one is when it comes to football I am brutally honest about everything where your child is at where I feel like they're lacking on the football pitch where I feel like there's places they could improve what level I see them at and the obstacle has been I don't have to word it it's been while being so honest not upsetting a client because there's been a lot of times and in the football business there's a lot of people I'm business in general and life and there's a lot of people that will lie to push their engender and to help themselves out I don't need to I don't need to lie to a parent to keep a child I don't need to say your son's gonna play for Arsenal knowing that it's nowhere near the standard yeah but there's a lot of people and coaches that will do those things just to keep the client happy tell them what they hear and a big obstacle for me has been I guess staying true to myself in terms of that because I've had instances where parents have come to me XYZ coach he's ready for hair and then and I'm like no he's not that is the standard not saying he cannot get there but as of current he can he is not at the level we'll take I'd say six months of pure training but then those kids are training so where is he really at yeah for some parents they love it because they're like do you know what when I go to a morning I'm gonna get the brutal honest feedback whether it's good whether it's bad whether it's in the middle and other parents when they hear what I've got to say yeah what they're saying I'm always right I'm just giving my opinion for football just again opinions anyway I think it's okay and I think the kid is amazing my opinion is some of them like shied away and like come back away from me and signature which I don't I don't have any problems with but that has been a big obstacle trying to keep you happy they don't really go hand in hand I like that because you so from what you're saying you have your your kind of niche very narrowed down and you know I speak to a lot coaches and a lot of coaches they say what you're saying but they don't follow up on what they're saying so they would rather bring in someone for the extra 50 pound 50 dollars and then they just become an absolute nightmare headache to work with and so from what you're saying you've had to turn away some players in the past right yeah so I always try to give a fair chance to the child because when you're going into an environment where children have been training for six months and you're the new kid you know I'm gonna want to try the arsenal I know how it feels to be the trialists so I'd give them a week trial two weeks see how they do but there's children I've had to say to the parent hey I don't think that is ready even though it hasn't benefited me I'm like I don't think that is ready I can recommend XYZ I've recommended people to other places I'm like for the standard that we are right now he's not ready and I guess it's a good thing that I keep it like that because when people come to me and they speak to me they know what they're getting there's no sugar coating there's no I'm just this is how it is awesome so how many members do you currently have at your at your business your academy so that I coach or on just the books just in the well yeah under signature borders under signature borders I'd say you have around 130 children ish awesome awesome so how did you get to that level to have that many that many clients in your business um word of mouth um because I've been for the first year I've been just so focused on quality given three sessions keeping standards high and not letting children that are going to bring the level down keeping the standards high because I've put that out there and the attention to detail that I do go and give the children that I'm coaching when they are in their places so an awesome development center or hairland or cobbin or spurs when these children that my children can't like my marketing tool because when they go into these places and they smash it everyone says who is training your child yeah and it's a money at signature and the beauty of that is you keep like minded parents yeah like minded children in and around the club so I wouldn't necessarily say that signature is for someone that just wants a casual kick around that the sessions are going to be intense but we want the player to develop on and off the pitch we want them to be in the environment where it's tough but they're learning and when people all come for a similar reason because they all come for the same reason come for a similar reason it just tends to grow and grow and it's been steady and controllable which is beautiful but just the word of mouth and the children like applying what they've learned that it has grown so that's awesome so tell us a bit about the structure of your business because I know you guys you guys play matches against other teams and stuff so how is your business structured is it just purely training you guys set more as a club because a lot of coaches ask me how can I turn my training business into well how can I implement teams into but still keeping the training aspect as the number one priority so we are a training club and because I used to play football and I'm a schoolboy at Arsenal scholar at South Bend professional Slovenia and I've kind of kept good contacts and good links with those people that set me up yeah and because of that what I'm now in the position to do is we train we'll train together and then the boys that are ready after make a phone call be like hi XYZ from Spurs I've got a group of under sevens ready just let me know when you're a take a look and then we'll go in there we'll play against whatever Spurs have in there and then they'll take a fail too and the rest of the London clubs but yeah we specialize in training we don't have a gross roots team so like a Sunday team that plays consistent matches but due to my relationships with eight other academies be professional football clubs you set up regular friendlies regular matches against them and we also play in external tournaments with other clubs and other academies like around around England and yeah okay cool so tell us a little bit as well how how you have kind of your membership structure so in terms of like do parents pay monthly is our games included in that membership so parents pay monthly is saying it's a monthly subscription which for I think for parents it's just so much easier so much cleaner it's just hey every month you know you're getting X amount of sessions in X location and then that's done matches are not included it's a weird one I don't it's a bad business structure but I don't charge parents to play matches through signature um I feel like because I use it as a it's kind of like their performance stage works so hard here I want to give you now the platform to show me can you apply what you've learned yeah and growing up how I grew up I don't think it's just to charge them for it mm-hmm some people do I don't I don't disagree it's whatever your structure is but yeah we don't I don't I don't charge you for much but it's just a much description and then the one-to-one basis that is so parents will book in with the admin on a on a monthly basis so okay so you want X time for X amount of so you want a Monday at five o'clock and then after that like on the third week of like hey would you like to renew said yeah like no then okay thank you very much you're like yeah and just keep renewing it like that and that's how we do with the one-to-one basis okay so the team aspect or the matches friendlies that's kind of your unique selling point right yeah okay that's how you kind of add more value to your program yeah because these children know and the parents so not children the players and the parents know that after we train for X amount of time yeah and if we are hitting the levels that we need to yeah we will then be put into the environment to show it to a professional club yeah and that's the beauty in it is that they know is coming they they know there's they're going to be in the environment where they can shine in the shop window because it's what we do at Signature yeah train hard put ours in we will give you the opportunity to go and show your capabilities to other people to the professional clubs perfect like that so where do you see the the private training industry going in the next two to five years I see it flourishing man yeah because in as I've started to do private sessions more and how I initially started was private sessions if you've got a player that wants to learn yeah an apparent that wants to be engaged and be patient with the process of learning and you've got a coach giving good information good knowledge you have a child that will have accelerated learning because it is football and repetition if you're in a massive group of 100 kids and there's a ball each and we're doing a shooting drill for example and you're in a queue of 50 children you're probably gonna have three shots in in in like 10 minutes whereas if it's a private session that has been tailored for hey we're working on your shooting today you can have a couple of shots in the same amount of time and the confidence and repetition that all comes from practice yeah being in the environment where you know what you're going to do comes from practicing hours and hours and hours so I think as more people realise that I say people parents if your child wants to learn yeah and is willing to engage on the practice and the programs that the coaches have set up they will see that there's accelerated learning and also on a bigger scale when I think about academy level football if all children go in three times a week do the same things three times a week you leave a lot down to natural ability and be slightly down to luck whereas the child the child that goes to that club three times a week gets his reports back says these are areas to improve and areas to um that are good and has his on the side and they're working on those areas that are weaknesses and strengths that is a child that will eventually stand out and shine because out everyone's in the same mold you're doing something because it's helping you grow in growth this is for me personally it just makes so much common sense private coaching was more a thing when I was a yeah footballer yeah yeah I think about the information that I'm able to give the players now yeah if I knew the information at the ages that they knew now that I'm pasted to them at like seven eight I coach older boys 14 yeah the information that they're receiving now is information that I receive as a professional all right so we now have a younger generation of children with the mindset and understanding football at a higher level yeah as that gets better I mean the private coaching just doesn't get better and better and better I completely agree I mean I was having this conversation with a coach I think it was last week and I was saying to him that like when when I was younger private training was seen as something that only the weaker players got because he was like oh you need it in order to catch up yes but now it's a case of even even the best players on the team are doing it because they know that's that's their kind of advantage over their teammates 100% the amount of children in Cobham, Hairland, Spurs, Nottsburgh Park that have private coaches it is actually to the point where if you don't have a private coach you're actually missing out and you're falling behind because those children are away from the club working it's actually it's insane it's actually insane so for any UK coach watching yeah what's a couple of ways that you can add value to your program so you've obviously mentioned teams like showcase matches so what's another couple of things that you guys do in order to separate yourself from from everyone else we are very we're very picky in terms of the children that we let in this isn't me saying if a child isn't of the certain level that is not allowed in signature no that's not what I'm trying to say I'm saying for the levels that the children are I'll put them in a like-minded session so if there is a child that is technically weak or physically weaker I will recommend them to that class in signature whereas I feel like that is well that where they will benefit even if that child that player or parent wants to go to the session where all of the kids from Hairland are I'll say no I'll say even it would benefit me more because it's another another lesson more money I say no quality over quantity I'd rather have eight children in there and eight children in there than 16 children five times a week because then the quality that you're putting out there lesson not not the quality of the children the quality of your session if you're training at one pace at Hairland and I'm saying okay off you go let's go then into a step push drop your shoulder and then accelerate away and that's it speed their training that whereas now I'm saying okay now we're going to work on this event this is how we do this about we step here we push there he doesn't get on it and then this this player he doesn't get anything from being in that pace because he just drowned yeah so I guess we are very selective about who we let in where mm-hmm and that is one thing that signature we pride ourselves on quality over quantity keeping the standards and the players as high as possible because why is I just feel like it water stuff down it just it just doesn't have the same feeling effect energy when I can have a kid that is on the verge of getting a contract off our arsenal with a kid it's just like a football so yeah okay okay so for those watching that aren't in the uk what is hailing because you've obviously mentioned it a few times yeah probably what you're thinking what's that yes sorry sorry for those that aren't in the uk so the way the the english academy system works is before the age of seven so before and under seven you have to stay in development centers and it's where it's kind of like open football you gather bits of ability you can go to a development center and arsenal have them chelsea have them put them have them and you just go in there and they're spread out across london and from that from all of the centers coaches will go around and they will hand pick i'd say two or three from each center or each site and then put them into one place to train and that one place is hailing where soccer trained eye train all of the arsenal academy official academy products will train at hailing and yeah that is what hailing is hailing is the official academy place of training for arsenal the the same equivalent is cobbin for chelsea yeah and what spur park for full on yeah and for spurs tottenham what spurs they just have an under seven elite group at tottenham training where we're the first team train perfect thanks for clarifying that no worries xnmi so last question where do you see your business in the next five years from now um how'd you envision it okay i've i've made notes on this how i see signature on the next five years is i wanted to be the place that when you want to bridge your gap whatever that gap is to the playoff this is where you come and i want in the next five years i want to be pushing more children into professional clubs than i am now i want the standard of the children to be better because we've coached them for longer yeah i want the standard of quality of sessions just get better and better because because i'm just improving and we are just improving as coaches because i've got that unbelievable coaching team with me and i just want more children thriving in professional clubs and pushing the door to get into professional clubs and aside from that i want players whatever their level is to be the best that they can be in that level because not everyone has the opportunity to go and play at Arsenal academy but they will play in their grassroots team and i want them to be the best in that environment they might not play professional football here but they might play hollered plague and football soccer in america in the states or at university and i want them to have the fundamentals that they've learned from such a young age to help them push on and be the best that they can be and on a non-football aspect i've i've set up a charity uh signature foundations and in the next five years i want signatures to touch more people i want us to be given back more to to just be better people at the end of the day because it's football but it's also character building it's also setting good examples for the children yeah to be good footballers on the pitch what be a lovely person off the pitch i want a signature to really preach that and show what football it is what footballer is on the pitch we are amazing we're relentless off the pitch we're loving we're kind we want to push things up bigger than football next five years i i'm i'm gonna say i hope well i'd love it to be just everywhere different countries go into different countries to play tournaments good exposure for the footballers good experience for the children they'll remember for life i just want it to be whatever it's going to be yeah awesome like that so for any coach that that wants to follow uh what you're doing follow you or even getting contact with you what's what's the best ways to do that uh to get in contact with me i would just say say that um well my social media page i guess really which you just signature ballers um and then from there i've got my own personal instagram that people can map all these messages and contact me through there and for anyone that wants to go on and start something because signature is still so early it's still very young it's only a single one year old um but i would say be true to yourself and your core values and your morals and keep your standards not just in terms of the foot below that comes in but also yourself keep your standards as high as they can be and trust yourself don't look at anyone else doing this and doing that you trust your vision just stick with it perfect love that awesome all right mani well thanks for jumping on pleasure learning from you and um look forward to catching up again very soon okay thank you so much take care