This is the Digital Strategy Call with host Brent Lollis and special guest Keith Tozer, the hall of fame and gold-medal winning coach of the US National Futsal team, and commissioner of the Mark Cuban backed Professional Futsal League. Mr. Tozer is also a consultant to Fortune 500 companies, who want to build stronger teams.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 18:18 — 17.6MB) | Subscribe: iTunes | RSS
Announcer:
This is The Digital Strategy Call with your host, Brent Lollis. An award-winning digital strategist to Fortune 500 CEOs and superstars like Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift and American Idol mentor, and Big Machine Records founder, Scott Borchetta. Our mission is simple: to help you navigate the warp-speed changes in the digital world, and make you the undeniable leader in your industry.
Today's guest is Keith Tozer, the hall of fame and gold-medal winning coach of the US National Futsal team, and commissioner of the Mark Cuban backed Professional Futsal League. Mr. Tozer is also a consultant to Fortune 500 companies, who want to build stronger teams.
The Digital Strategy call is made possible by Creative State, helping you conquer your competition with world-class responsive websites, video production, branding, search engine optimization and social media. Go to creativestate.com or call 866-658-7423.
Brent:
Keith Tozer, welcome to The Digital Strategy Call.
Keith:
Thank you Brent. It's great to be on.
Brent:
Tell us about your first introduction to soccer.
Keith:
Well you know Brent, I grew up as a typical young boy in United States playing basically all the sports. I played baseball, football, basketball, hockey, ran track. Really the only game I didn't play was basketball. One of my older brothers, Tom, brought home a soccer ball one day and we just started playing in the backyard. I kind of was fascinated by the game because in those other games, you really needed multiple players to really train, and soccer, you can really do it on your own. I tried out for the freshman team in high school and I just became the leading goal scorer. I played 4 years in high school and led the high school each year, and then next thing you know, colleges started looking at me and I ended up playing at Oneonta State. I really got to thank my brother Tom for introducing me to the game of soccer.
Brent:
When did you realize that maybe this was something you could do professionally?
Keith:
Quite honestly, I really didn't know there was a professional league. When I was playing in college, I believe it was between my sophomore and junior season, Jim Lennox was the coach of Hartwick College which was across the street from Oneonta State. He said, "We're playing in the gym during the winter. Why don't you stop by?" I stopped by and Jim happened to be involved in the Olympic program. He then got me a trial with the US Olympic team and through the Olympic team, our coach is Walt Chyzowych, who kind of knew the two guys, Earl Foreman and Ted Pepper that started the Major Indoor Soccer League. Next thing you know I was drafted. Number 1 in the MISL in Washington and NASL was looking at me. I went from a 12 and 13 year-old kid who'd never played soccer to all of a sudden being drafted and turning pro at age of 20. It was really a wild time and an exciting time.
Brent:
In college, in that period, you actually chose to pursue a degree in business economics. What drew you to that area of study?
Keith:
I think two-fold. I think 1, it was offered only at Oneonta State and the help of my father. Oneonta State is a wonderful college that has a great nursing program, has a great teaching program and has a great business school. When I asked my father what I should do, he goes, "Well, are you going to be a nurse? Are you going to be a teacher? If you don't know really what you're going to do in your path in life, then if you take business economics, then you really can go into anything." My father was a very smart man and obviously my mentor, so I decided to go into the business economics, and I think it was a very smart decision, as it's really helped me cross all perimeters of the business world as I was going through the soccer world.
Brent:
How does a guy with a business economics degree, end up as the coach of the US Men's National Futsal Team?
Keith:
I played professionally my first 2 months at Cincinnati Kids coached by John Kowalski and Monte Phillips, then it was owned by Pete Rose at the time. Pete decided to go to Philadelphia to play with the Philly's, so the team disbanded. I then moved on to Hartford, with Kowalski. Then I was bought to go to Pittsburgh Spirit, and again coached by John Kowalski. He happened to be the head coach of the National Futsal Team and he asked me if I wanted to come and try out for it. Next thing you know, I found myself in Budapest, Hungary, being the captain of the national team, playing in the first world tournament. Then, spring forward 10 years later in 1996. He was still the coach, and the first real World Cup qualifiers were taking place in Guatemala. He was coaching Major League Soccer, could not go there. He asked me if I would take over the team. I took over the team only for the CONCACAF qualification. We happened to win the gold medal, which was great. John went on to take the team to Spain, and really that's how I got involved with the coaching aspect of the national team.
Brent:
Right now, you are, among other things, the Commissioner of the new Professional Futsal League. To take a step back for our listeners who might not be familiar, tell us what futsal is.
Keith:
Let's talk about the 3 ... really 4 areas of football, soccer, or futsal. What everybody knows, in outdoor soccer, you have 10 field players and a goal keeper played on a quite big field. Then you have indoor soccer which most people in our country understand, that's played on a hockey rink. 200ft by 75-85ft. That's 5 field players and a goalie. Then you have futsal. Futsal is pretty much what soccer is around the world. It's 4 players and a goal keeper on a court a little bit bigger than a basketball court, so about 125ft long by 65ft wide.
It's what all the best players in the world grow up playing. You know, Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo to name a few, have all said that the reason they are who they are, is because in their country, they grew up playing the game of futsal. Why? You play in a small court, which increases your technical ability, which increases your thought process, which then works on your physicality to make you quicker and faster. That really has been the big shot in the arm for futsal, just how it can help develop a great outdoor player.
Brent:
How did the Professional Futsal League come about?
Keith:
About 2 years ago ... I can't believe it's been that long already. Donnie Nelson, Jr. who is the president of the Dallas Mavericks, he used to be living in Milwaukee when his father Don Nelson Senior coached the Milwaukee Bucks. He knew of my reputation coaching the Milwaukee Wave in the MISL for 22 years. Donnie called me up about a year and a half to 2 years ago and said, "Coach, we might be buying an indoor team. Would you like to come in and be part owner, be president, coach the team?" I said, "Well, unfortunately, I'm under contract with Milwaukee." I said, "But however, have you ever heard of the game of futsal?" He said no he didn't. I said, "It just so happens that-" and this was during the summer, "...That the national team is playing France here in Milwaukee. You should come and experience it." He was not able to make it, but he sent his daughter Christie Nelson, who is now the PFL Executive Director.
She reported back to Donnie that "This game is awesome, it's something you really got to look at." It's like NBA but with a ball at your feet. 2 weeks later, Donnie flew me down there, and met with Michael Hitchcock, who formally was with the LA Galaxy and FC Dallas, and another entrepreneur named Brian Dick. Christie, we all sat in a room in Frisco, and the PFL idea was born. We started the PFL and right now we're up to 16 franchises and we're moving forward.
Brent:
You say you have 16 franchises. Have you started playing games, and if you did, when did that start? Tell us the current status of where things stand.
we all know that to be successful in business, you need a plan. You also need long runway. So many people in business think passionately and emotionally, and not logically and business-minded.
Keith:
You know, with all the business listeners listening to this great show, we all know that to be successful in business, you need a plan. You also need long runway. So many people in business think passionately and emotionally, and not logically and business-minded. When we created the PFL, we said that we needed a long runway to give us the time and the ability in order to set the plan in motion. We started a PFL event at Dr. Pepper Arena in Dallas, which was our first exhibition game. We brought in FC Barcelona from Spain to play against the PFL All-stars from Mexico and Canada. We only had 4 weeks to really ramp it up and Brent, we almost sold the Dr. Pepper Arena out. We had 52-54 hundred people in a 55 hundred-seat stadium. That was awesome.
From that success, we went to the NSCA coaching convention in both Philadelphia - Baltimore, to continue selling the business model. Spring forward, NBA owners got involved. Spring forward, Mark Cuban then 4, 5 months ago, called Donnie, myself and said "I'd like in." Now he owns 50% of the PFL. The business model has really been slowly, methodical and logical in a business sense, and I think that's one of the reasons why I'm so proud to be part of this group.
Brent:
You mentioned Mark Cuban coming in as a 50% owner. A lot of our listeners will know him from Shark Tank. What's it like to work with Mark?
Keith:
Mark is everything that you see on TV. Obviously he's a very successful business man. He starts a lot of different companies. Not only on his own, but through Shark Tank. He's a passionate individual and he loves to win. He loves the game of basketball, obviously the Dallas Mavericks, he's there almost every game. He travels with them. He even takes care of their food and takes it before or after a game, and he really fell in love with futsal and what the business model is. He's pretty much what you see on television. Extremely smart, committed, gifted, and has the ability to rally the troops around his ideas and his businesses. It's been a great honor to have Mark involved in the PFL.
Brent:
You mentioned other NBA owners. Talk a little bit more about the ownership group in general for PFL. What does that look like and where is it headed? You mentioned 16 teams. How many do you want to have? Talk about moving forward with the PFL.
Keith:
When we first started this franchise, we thought we'd be regional to start off the first year. Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, in the southwest. But when we started talking to other entrepreneurs and business owners around the country, it slowly started. One of the first individuals that I reached out to personally was Jim Buss. Jim's father owned the LA Lasers back in the mid-80s and the Major Indoor Soccer League. I had the pleasure to coach for them for 3 years. When we pitched it to Jim, he instantly fell in love with it. When he sat in the court in Dr. Pepper Arena next to me and my wife, like you would in NBA game, and watched FC Barcelona and team USA play, he turned to me and he said, "This is such a great sport. I feel like I'm in the NBA, but obviously with the ball at their feet. I think this has great potential."
You have Jim Buss, obviously the owner of the Lakers now involved. You have other NBA people that will in the next several months send out with press releases and press conferences who've been involved, and we got European clubs. One of those is FC Barcelona. It went from regional to being, "Okay, let's only do 12." Then it went, "We could have 30, but we're only going to start with 16 right now." Again, keep it manageable, being able to have our business model be followed, and be able to grow it the way it should be grown.
Brent:
How has futsal grown? You talk about its worldwide appeal and some of the major players across the world credit futsal with helping them become the players they are today. How has it grown specifically in the United states?
Keith:
The grassroots program has been great. You have 2 or 3 entities. You have the United States Youth Futsal, you have US Futsal, you have USA Futsal. All of them are youth and adult tournament, league based. They are all doing some form of coach education, or ID development for young players. That's being built everywhere. Then you have soccer clubs across our country that are now using futsal as a developmental tool. When US Soccer Brent about 5-6 years ago said that futsal will be part of our players in the United States, I think that was a big shot in the arm.
I remember being in Madrid 5 or 6 years ago, and Ángel, who's the president of Spanish football, soccer, he opened the conference of FIFA futsal instructors and said, "Ladies and gentleman, one of the reasons why the world cup trophy is next door, and please take you picture with it, is that many years ago in Spain, we decided that futsal would be part of our players' youth development." There was a Brazilian instructor who sat next to me and he said, "One of the other reasons is we're sick of Brazil beating them all the time." Obviously, the top football powers in the world are there because they've used futsal to help create that special player. That's what you're seeing here. Not only in the United States, but it's booming across the world.
Brent:
In addition to all the work that you do in the soccer and futsal world, you also do speeches and workshops for businesses that want to build strong teams. What are the principles of building successful soccer or futsal team, or organization that you think translate into the business world?
It's all about coaching and managing and getting the right people. I break a company down into A, B, and C players.
Keith:
I think an owner of a team, an owner of a company, a manager, they're no different than a coach in football, basketball. It's all about coaching and managing and getting the right people. I break a company down into A, B, and C players. Your A players, you hopefully start with 60-70% of those in your company. The qualities of an A player: hard-working, self-motivated, multi-functional which is an extremely important word now in the business world. The biggest thing, are they learners? Are they people in your company that can take information from the client regarding their service, or anything else? Their product? Are they able to make a decision right then and there? Then you have the B. They work hard, but don't work hard all the time. They're motivated but they're not self-motivated. They learn but it takes a few times. Then you have the C players. If you can get a majority of your A players together, or you have the quality of management in the company to move the Cs to the Bs, and the Bs to the As, then I think you're off and running.
Motivation, Brent, is like cotton candy. You go to a fair, it tastes great, but 5 minutes later you forget about it. I think the important thing that someone can do inside a company is to teach tools because you can go in and let's say you're doing a conference for someone who sells cars. They leave the conference and they're motivated and they're pumped up. They get back to work and they want to put everything in motion, what they heard at that conference. All of a sudden, life comes. You're not selling cars, something happens. Then what do you have? Your motivation's gone. You need to teach tools. What do you do when the motivation is gone? How to manage up, and how to manage laterally. How to communicate and listen more than talk. I think that when you have coaches and managers that have that ability to move people, then you're on your way to have a successful company.
Brent:
Keith, I appreciate you joining me on The Digital Strategy Call. If listeners want more information about you and bout the PFL, where can they find it?
Keith:
If you want more information on the PFL, you can go to www.professionalfutsal.com, and obviously I'm on LinkedIn and people can link in with me. It's been a great pleasure being with you today Brent and best wishes not only to you, your show, but to all your wonderful listeners.
Brent:
Thanks again for joining us on The Digital Strategy Call.
Keith:
Thanks for joining us on The Digital Strategy Call. Subscribe today. Never miss an episode, and be sure to visit Creative State, helping you conquer your competition with world class responsive websites, video production, branding, search engine optimization and social media. Go to creativestate.com, or call 866-658-7423.
