Warm Introduction Mapping for Youth Soccer BD¶

Why This Matters¶

Cold outreach to youth soccer clubs converts at roughly 2-5%. A warm introduction from a mutual connection converts at 30-50%+. Systematically mapping who knows who is the highest-leverage BD activity you can do.

How Youth Soccer Networks Are Structured¶

Understanding the landscape helps you know where to look for connections.

Club Decision Makers: - Club Director / Executive Director: makes partnership and vendor decisions - Director of Coaching (DOC): influences technology and training tool adoption - Board President / Board Members: approve budgets, often parent volunteers - Tournament Directors: separate role, controls event-related partnerships

How They Are Connected: - Club directors know each other through state associations (Cal North, Cal South, US Club Soccer) - DOCs rotate between clubs frequently; a DOC at one club likely worked at 2-3 others - Board members are parents who often have kids in multiple programs or know parents at other clubs - Tournament directors network at conventions (United Soccer Coaches, US Youth Soccer Workshop) - Coaching education instructors (US Soccer licenses) train coaches across many clubs

Key Networking Events: - United Soccer Coaches Convention (January annually) - US Youth Soccer Workshop (typically spring) - State association annual meetings - Regional league meetings (ECNL, MLS NEXT, etc.)

Mapping Shane's Network¶

Step 1: List Your Network Circles¶

Create a document (or spreadsheet) with these categories:

Stanford connections: - Teammates (men's soccer) - Alumni network in sports/tech - Coaching staff connections - Stanford Athletics department contacts

Earthquakes connections: - Former teammates - Coaching staff - Front office / business side - Academy staff (this is directly relevant -- MLS academies interact with youth clubs constantly) - Other MLS contacts through your playing career

Youth club connections: - Any clubs you trained at, played for, or coached at growing up - Parents you know in the youth soccer world - Coaches you have worked with

Personal network: - Friends whose kids play youth soccer - Family connections in sports - People from other professional contexts who are involved in youth sports

Step 2: Match Against Target Clubs¶

Take your list of target clubs (the 20ish leads) and for each one:

Search LinkedIn for the club name. Note the director, DOC, and board members.
Check if anyone in your network circles is connected to those people.
Check if anyone in your network has kids at that club.
Check if any former Earthquakes academy staff now work at that club.

Step 3: Build the Connection Map¶

Use a simple spreadsheet with these columns:

Target Club	Decision Maker	My Connection	How Connected	Strength (Strong/Weak)	Status
Bay Area Surf	John Smith, DOC	Mike Jones (EQ teammate)	Coached together at ODP	Strong	Ask Mike for intro
De Anza Force	Jane Doe, Director	None found	--	--	Cold outreach

LinkedIn Sales Navigator¶

What It Does¶

Advanced search: find people by title + company (e.g., "Director" at "Bay Area Surf SC")
Relationship mapping: shows 1st, 2nd, 3rd degree connections
Shared connections: shows exactly which of your connections know the target
InMail: direct message people outside your network
Saved leads and alerts: get notified when targets change jobs or post

Cost¶

Core: $99/month (annual) or $79.99/month (annual pricing varies)
Free trial: usually 30 days

Is It Worth It?¶

For a focused 1-2 month mapping exercise, yes. Here is how to use it efficiently:

Sign up for the free trial.
Search for every target club's decision makers.
For each one, check shared connections (2nd degree).
Export your findings to your connection map spreadsheet.
Cancel before the trial ends if you have what you need.

You can repeat this quarterly as your target list evolves.

Alternative: LinkedIn Free¶

You can do most of this manually with a free LinkedIn account: - Search for people at target organizations - See 1st degree connections (but limited 2nd/3rd degree visibility) - Check mutual connections on individual profiles - Much slower but works for 20 clubs

Manual Approach: The Connection Audit¶

If you do not want to use Sales Navigator, here is a structured manual process:

The "Ask Around" Method¶

Make a list of your 10 closest contacts in soccer (former teammates, coaches, friends in the industry).
Send each one a message: "I am working on a youth soccer technology product. Do you know anyone at [list of 5-6 clubs]? Even a loose connection would help."
People often know more connections than they realize. A specific ask ("do you know anyone at Club X") works better than a vague one ("do you know anyone in youth soccer").

The LinkedIn Manual Scan¶

For each target club: 1. Search "[Club Name]" on LinkedIn. 2. Look at the people who work there. 3. Click on each decision maker's profile. 4. Check "Mutual Connections" (visible on free LinkedIn). 5. Record findings in your spreadsheet.

Time estimate: 15-20 minutes per club. For 20 clubs, that is about 5-7 hours of focused work.

Tracking Template¶

Simple Version (Google Sheets or Markdown)¶

# Warm Intro Map

## [Target Club Name]

### Decision Makers
- Director: [Name] -- [LinkedIn URL]
- DOC: [Name] -- [LinkedIn URL]
- Board President: [Name] -- [LinkedIn URL]

### Connections Found
- [My Contact Name] knows [Decision Maker] via [how]
  - Strength: Strong / Medium / Weak
  - Last spoke: [date]
  - Ask status: Not asked / Asked / Intro made

### Path to Intro
- Best path: [describe the most promising intro route]
- Backup: [alternative approach if primary does not work]

What to Track¶

For each potential introduction: - Connector: The person in your network who knows the target - Target: The decision maker at the club - Relationship strength: How well does your connector actually know the target? - Your relationship with connector: How comfortable are you asking for this favor? - Ask status: Have you asked yet? What was the response? - Intro status: Intro made? Meeting scheduled?

Specific Tactics for Youth Soccer¶

Leverage the Earthquakes Connection¶

MLS club connections carry significant weight in the youth soccer world. Even if you are no longer with the organization: - Youth clubs aspire to feed players into MLS academies - Club directors attend MLS-hosted events and respect MLS-affiliated people - "Former Earthquakes player" opens doors faster than almost any other credential in NorCal youth soccer

Use the Coaching Education Network¶

If you hold a US Soccer coaching license, the instructors and fellow course participants are a natural network. Coaching license courses are one of the few places where people from many different clubs are in the same room.

Parent Networks Are Underrated¶

Board members at youth clubs are parents. They are connected to other parents across clubs, schools, and community organizations. One well-connected parent can introduce you to board members at 3-4 clubs.

State Association Pathway¶

Cal North (NorCal) and Cal South (SoCal) staff know every club director in their region. Getting an introduction from someone at the state association level is extremely powerful. Check if anyone in your network has a Cal North connection.