Today we’d like to introduce you to Dillon Vedral.
Dillon, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m a Dallas native with a passion for the beautiful game… SOCCER. I grew up in Cedar Hill where I first started playing soccer at the age of 3 and by 10 years old I knew I wanted soccer to be a major part of my life from then on out. I dreamt of playing professionally, in front of large crowds, and on the television. I would catch myself daydreaming and be doodling pictures of myself playing the game in my notebooks at school. Fortunately for me, Dallas, is a hotbed for top-level soccer in our country. My parents placed me in competitive environments throughout the Metroplex after starting out in Cedar Hill with my friends. Playing with competitive teams allowed me to grow as an individual and travel throughout the continental U.S. as well as many countries. After years of training, meeting incredible people along the journey, I landed a soccer scholarship for college and attended the University of Central Arkansas. Arkansas was the last place I ever imagined myself while daydreaming years prior but it was perfect.
Not only was it beautiful scenery but where I met some of the best people I know to date, my college teammates. After a successful college career and gaining a degree in Business, I went to go train overseas for some smaller clubs. It was an experience of a lifetime but I soon realized the professional route was not within reach nor would it have lasted forever had I put pen to paper. Like any individual with a dream that isn’t achieved, it is frustrating beyond belief. Fortunately, I had a degree in my back pocket. It was around 2008 when my life completely changed. I was back from training in Europe, my mother passed away, and I was still unsure of what I wanted to do “when I grew up”, but I always knew soccer was a part of me. While looking for a job in the real world during a struggling economy, I joined coaching for a local youth soccer club, FC Dallas. A year later I landed a great opportunity to work in the Technology Department at The Container Store, where I am still employed as a Web Developer and focus on front-end development for the company’s website. Having received a degree in Business and learning web development on the job was both a humbling experience and gave me a new set of goals to accomplish, since becoming a pro athlete was no longer on the table. Once I got settled into my role as a Web Developer at The Container Store, I realized my schedule began to weight on me while working a full-time job and coaching throughout the week and coaching two games on the weekend. After 5 years coaching for FC Dallas, I stepped away from the game to focus on myself; from hitting the gym consistently and eating right, learning new things that would benefit my career, and traveling to different countries as often as possible I started to feel great about the direction I was headed.
After a year away from the game and feeling healthier I realized I was ready to be around the game once again in some form or fashion so I slowly started to work with recreational teams to show them the basics and build them up. I’d work with teams who were typically coached by parents that needed someone else to demonstrate the basics. This was when I decided to start my own soccer group called Vedral Soccer Academy. Having this has allowed me to be free of a hectic coaching schedule since I dictate when I’ve available and keeps me away from the “winning is the only thing that matters” mentality. I can instead, focus on helping the individual’s growth within the game.
My main focus is creating a better player through repetition of basic skills then compounding on that and moving to more advanced technical skills drills. My motto is “Turning Kids into Soccer Players”. It is a win-win situation for me as a skills trainer; I don’t dictate the kid’s playing time, which the parents love, and the kid gets better making the game that much more fun. My goal is to continue passing along my knowledge of the game through skills groups and camps and more importantly give them the opportunity to become as passionate about the game as I am.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When I started doing the skills groups it feels as if it has always been somewhat smooth sailing. However, when I first started organizing my own camps it was a struggle and a very humbling experience. I’ll never forget the first camp I ever had on my own, without the help of other coaches or club affiliates. It was camp put on by me and I had a few experienced coaches on staff ready to help out. Only 12 kids showed up! I had spent zero dollars on marketing and it was basically word of mouth, but only 12 kids, really?! I then realized I had to start from the ground level and build up. So, I continued to work with more skills groups throughout the week, and as more of the parents started to see results in their kids’ performances and a growing interest in the game. It started to feel like I had more of a core to work with in regards to hosting more camps. The camps and skills groups have continued to grow and although I expect many more challenges along the way, I’m looking forward to the opportunity.
Please tell us about Vedral Soccer Academy.
Vedral Soccer Academy’s main focus is to work with individuals, groups, or teams to improve the overall technical abilities on the soccer ball. We work on repetition with the ball, demonstrating different scenarios within a game, and building each player’s confidence with the ball at his/her feet as possible. We want players to challenge themselves on the field with us so the game becomes easier and more fun when they go back with their own team.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’ve learned a lot over the years both with my career as a Web Developer and starting up Vedral Soccer Academy. I am much more patient with youth soccer players these days than I was in my early 20’s. Each player learns at a different pace and I think having a better understanding of this in my early coaching years would have helped prevent a lot of stress I put on myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.VedralSoccer.com
- Email: dillonvedral@yahoo.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vedralsocccer
Image Credit:
Dustin Lam, Carrie Wheeler, Jenny Bessonette
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