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Meet Adam Thelwell of The Sports Hub

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Thelwell.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Adam. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
After waking up from a one-week coma in 2005, life would never be the same again. Chances of me staying alive were bleak but I managed to pull through. From that moment on, life changed and I’d never waste a minute again not doing something I loved in life.

I moved to Phoenix in 2006 from Manchester, England and instantly fell in love with Arizona.

Not only was there the big city feel, I enjoyed but it still felt like somewhat of a blank slate when compared to other metros I had visited stateside like New York or LA where things are very saturated.

After being unable to play my beloved sport of soccer after the aforementioned injury from a car crash, I was desperate to stay in sports and stay in Arizona. After stumbling around various jobs I knew I had to make my own path. As with many entrepreneurs, it’s a combo of luck and hard work. Knowing when to press the gas. That moment came for me in 2008.

Soccer is the global game and has grown significantly in the United States over the last decade. When I got started with The Sports Hub (Small Goal Soccer) soccer still felt like a bit of a sideshow in Phoenix with relatively limited options to play.

What started as a group of guys playing 6v6, a small sided format of traditional soccer for a year the group quickly exploded along with the movement. With league’s, tournaments, social events in both youth and adult soccer the journey has been an amazing one.

With diversity welcome, community engagement at the core of our foundation our group doubled and tripled in size in no time.

As of 2018, our 10 year anniversary in Arizona alone we are over 12,000 members deep. And Arizona was just the start.

From there, our network grew and grew and we added additional soccer programs across six states (currently) and a whole new level of abundance came forth such as contributing to charities. Working with various companies and organizations and growing our community which has brought marriages. friendships, business opportunities and more in wild numbers.

Through adversity, hard work and being surrounded by tremendous people, I feel so fortunate to lead an organization such as ours. It’s truly a blessing and still feels like the beginning.

From our origins, we are now also operating a clothing line (A Healthy Obsession) directing the USA National team for the 6v6 world cup.

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?
If any business owner/entrepreneur says it’s been a smooth road, then they are very very lucky! I don’t think it ever can be smooth and if it is, you may not be asking the right questions and pressing it hard enough.

That being said, even when it’s been rough it’s still been enjoyable. I suppose that means you’re doing something right.

I think the dilemma many young entrepreneurs face is that of wanting to go at 100mph. Go go go. Add on more and more. It’s so tempting and can crush many businesses. That definitely was a problem of ours for a while. Patience is key and building for the duration, not quick results.

As with any company hiring/firing, it is always a challenge too as we all like to believe we’re good judges of character but life’s unpredictable for all humans. That being said, we have an amazing set of staff and we believe in treating everyone fairly and with respect.

Please tell us about The Sports Hub.
The Sports Hub was founded in 2008. Our company organizes various sports events across the country from soccer to flag football and beyond. We specialize in bringing people together in a fun and friendly environment. Keeping people active at affordable rates.

We’re known for our passion for all the events/sports we organize and love the community foundation our company is built on top of.

We’re proud of the culture we have created not only with the staff in our organization but also the culture for our members as it’s reflective of what I would want to be part of if I didn’t own the company.

Our biggest differentiator internally is work ethic and absolute passion to succeed and deliver the best possible experience to our members. We can’t be beaten in this regard. Front facing what sets us apart is we actually care. We answer all calls, all emails good and bad and don’t hide. This can be easy to forget but we stand up and be counted even when it might not be the fun stuff.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Walking into my local soccer stadium to watch my team play with my family. The smells. The noise. The adrenaline.

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Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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