Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Bauer.
Benjamin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I love the game of soccer. I have played soccer, whether competitive or just for fun my entire life. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati in 2014, I moved to Dallas to work for FC Dallas as a Complex Field Supervisor. Essentially, I helped take care of the 20 grass fields at MoneyGram Soccer Park. Throughout my career with FC Dallas, we earned multiple state and national Field of the Year awards for the quality of our pitches.
Since being in Dallas, I have played in numerous soccer leagues in the area, but there were never many options for adults to play on quality fields, like at MoneyGram. In 2019 I decided that needed to change and started organizing a 7v7 soccer league to play at MoneyGram. I looked at all the things that were working and those that needed improvement from the other leagues in the area talked to fellow teammates and others in the soccer community and created an ideal league built for players.
The three main pillars that Dallas Soccer Alliance was built upon were quality fields, great customer service, and tech-savvy features. When teams sign up, they know they will be playing on professionally managed grass fields. They know who I am and how to reach me if they ever have a question, comment, or concern. We also have the most user-friendly website with online registration built-in. We started in June 2019 with 14 7v7 teams and about 150 members. As the first season started, word quickly spread about the new soccer league in Dallas, which led to our expansion into full-sided 11v11 divisions. We just started our second year and currently have about 45 teams with over 1,000 members this Spring season. Right now, we have 7v7 Coed and Men’s; 11v11 with six divisions including Open, Over 30, and Over 40. Members have reacted very well to our player-first approach which is why we have grown so quickly.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It is near impossible to execute a vision flawlessly. While our leagues have run about as smoothly as I could have hoped for, we have not been without struggles. The first obstacle we had was educating other players ad teams about our league. When teams have had loyalty to a league for decades, they do not take the possibility of change very lightly. However, once when we shared our goals and visions with them, players reacted very favorably to our league.
Once we were able to get the first season started, my next challenge came from working a full-time job with FC Dallas and running a business on the side. Trying to be fully focused on two different jobs can be quite challenging, but it was well worth it. After almost a year of managing two jobs, I decided to leave my full-time job to focus on Dallas Soccer Alliance which has helped narrow my focus.
The last major obstacle I have faced is the competition in the soccer world. There is no shortage of soccer leagues across the Metroplex. The soccer community is a very tight-knit group where most people know of each other or know someone who knows someone. Most people love to help each other and build our community, but that is not always the case. We have had harsh criticism and lies spread about myself and the league because some people see DSA as a threat to their product and their cash flow. However, I have always viewed this as a strength because I know that their frustration is confirmation that players value what our league can provide.
Dallas Soccer Alliance – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Dallas Soccer Alliance is an adult soccer league played on professional grass fields. We have 11v11 and 7v7 leagues fit for all skill levels. We have Men’s, Coed, Over 30/40 divisions with some of the best soccer teams in all of Dallas. Our registration system is all online, and we have some of the best referees in Dallas. We believe soccer should be played on well-maintained pitches where the ball rolls smoothly between passes. This is why we work with award-winning MoneyGram Soccer Park to host all of our events.
This facility, which is managed by FC Dallas, has won Texas Soccer Field of the Year three straight years. Our use of technology to implement a seamless registration process and communicate with members through an app helps set us apart from other local leagues. Soccer is a way of life for us and we strive to build a community that can truly connect with others in the area. We love to support other local Dallas companies and hope to have others support us.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It’s hard to pick one moment that stands out as my proudest throughout my journey. The appreciation and enthusiasm I hear from our members is what keeps me going. Any time I see someone wearing one of our league shirts in public, or see a car driving down the road with our decal on the back, or someone posting a picture of their dad playing in a game, those are the moments that really resonate with me. Those are the moments I truly believe that I am making a difference in one way or another.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dallassocceralliance.com
- Phone: 614-581-6013
- Email: dallassocceralliance@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsa__soccer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DallasSoccerAlliance/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dsa_soccer?lang=en
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