Website: www.soccershots.com/greenville Employer Description:

Founded in 1998, Soccer Shots is an engaging children’s soccer program with a focus on character development for children ages 2-8. Through franchising and a commitment to strong systems and training programs, Soccer Shots is now offered in 190+ territories in over 37 states and Canada. Over 600,000 children will enjoy Soccer Shots this year! Soccer Shots is consistently recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as a Top 500 Franchise. In 2016, Soccer Shots was listed #194 on the list. Soccer Shots has been named the #1 Children’s Fitness Program in multiple years. Rankings are made based on categories such as financial strength and stability, growth rate, size of the system, years in business, and start-up costs.

Local Franchise:

The local Soccer Shots franchise, called Soccer Shots Greenville, has existed for 10+ years. Our office is located in Mauldin SC. Our franchise is owned by Buddy and Amanda Hall. The Company offers year-round Soccer Shots programs at over 100 locations across the upstate, serves over 5000 participants per year, and employs approximately 25 part-time coaches.

Professional Development Value:

Soccer Shots is a leader in leaving a lasting, positive impact on the youth it serves. Through the game of soccer, children learn creative play and character skills. With supervision from the Executive Director and Director of Coaching, the student intern will be exposed to a successful franchise system and the inner workings of a small business while increasing proficiency in delivering an athletic program to youth.

Academic and Experiential Objectives:

The student intern will be required to handle and present him/herself in a professional manner, consistently arriving on time to assigned office hours, coaching sessions, and events. S/he will be expected to assist in the overall execution of a Soccer Shots season and will gain knowledge in the planning, scheduling, sales/marketing, customer service, and management side of the business. Throughout the season, the intern will have the opportunity to lead the efforts in organizing and coordinating an annual clinic or event, which is an important aspect of Soccer Shots’ community outreach. The student intern will also participate in instructing Soccer Shots sessions, giving him/her experience in coaching youth and working with parents and directors of childcare centers.

Obtaining Academic/College Credit:

This internship experience may or may not already be an approved academic credit internship with your school. Please make sure to notify us immediately if you are seeking academic credit through your school for this experience. With your help, Soccer Shots will work directly with your school’s registrar, your academic advisor, or your school’s internship/career department TO ALLOW THIS INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE TO COUNT FOR ACADEMIC CREDIT.

Responsibilities (can include but are not limited to):

LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENT:

Assist in the overall execution of the scheduled Soccer Shots season

Plan and run free clinics

Coach sessions throughout the season

Video/photo projects

SALES/MARKETING/CUSTOMER SERVICE:

Run demos and attend promo events

Participate in selling

Correspond with childcare center directors

Create and communicate social media content

ADMINISTRATIVE/SUPPORT:

Create, print, and distribute enrollment forms and promotional materials

Prepare and keep a record of equipment sets and gear for instructors

Assist in preparation of instructor training meeting

Prepare marketing documents

Data entry

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Attend Leadership Team meetings, as needed

Attend GiANT Worldwide leadership development trainings

Attend director round table discussions and staff meetings, as needed

Submit final report to Soccer Shots on your internship experience

Goals & Evaluation Method:

A performance evaluation will occur at four weeks and at the conclusion of the internship experience. The evaluation will consider the following general areas of professional operations and specific intern goals within each area:

Core Values

Core Skills

a. Attitude b. Effort c. Initiative d. Productivity e. Communication f. Professionalism

Job Specific Skills a. Planning

b. Business Development c. Marketing d. Coaching e. Administration

Continued formal and informal supervision will occur between the intern and the onsite supervisors. Clear and open communication will occur on an ongoing and as-needed basis, with a 30-minute weekly meeting and daily check-in via email or phone call.

Internship Structure and Compensation:

The Soccer Shots internship will vary on the season of the internship. In general, it will encompass a minimum of 20 hours over an 11-to-13-week period. Internship seasons are as follows:

SPRING SEASON: February through end of May

SUMMER SEASON: May/June through mid-August

FALL SEASON: August/September through end of November

WINTER SEASON: Mid-December through mid-March

The internship will include 12-15 consecutive work weeks at 20+ hours a week for the duration of the internship. The number of hours may vary per week and can be determined by supervisor’s and the intern’s schedules. Please communicate if you need to adjust your amount of hours and we will be happy to talk that through with you.

During the first four weeks of the internship, the intern will be working closely with the Executive Director or Director of Coaching on preparing for the upcoming season – scheduling instructors, running demos, promoting the season and training for upcoming coaching sessions. Once the season starts, the intern’s focus will shift to executing the program by coaching a minimum of 10 sessions per week (sites and times TBD) and training, evaluating and supporting other coaches. Time spent in the office/admin compared to on-field assignments during the 8-9 week season is approximately 50/50. Session timeframes include some sessions during the daytime, sessions on two weeknights (3:00 pm – 7:30 pm) and Saturday morning sessions (9:00 am – 12:30 pm).

Sessions will be scheduled within close proximity of the intern’s residence, some travel will be required.

Interested candidates should a send a cover letter and resume to gswilling@soccershots.com within following time frames based on the intern’s preferred season. Please indicate which season you are pursuing within the body of your email.

SUMMER SEASON: Submit by May 1

FALL SEASON: Submit by August 1

WINTER SEASON: Submit by December 1

Internship positions will be filled on a rolling schedule, so the earlier the submission, the better. The deadlines above are the absolute latest submission dates that will be considered for the upcoming season. However, there is a chance these positions may have already been filled.