Meet Coach Brian of Club HBHF Arizona in East Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Coach Brian.

Coach Brian, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Shortly after graduating high school, I began coaching in a youth organization in Southern California and after a couple of years an opening to coach at the freshman level became available at the high school I graduated from and I jumped at the opportunity. I enjoyed my time coaching there and when the opportunity to become the head coach of the freshman team came, I was ready for the challenge. However, my career outside of coaching had other plans for me. In 2007 a job opportunity brought my family and I to Arizona and at the time neither my wife or myself thought this would become our permanent home.

However, over the past 13 years we have set roots in the East Valley, the kids have started school, family has moved out here to be closer to us, and friends that we have made here have become our family. Now that my own kids are playing sports, I was eventually drawn back into coaching which has led me to Club HBHF Arizona. I didn’t know it at the time, but the relocation and every moment between then and now has somehow prepared me for this opportunity and I am thankful for the lessons.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road to where I am now was far from smooth. I was on a fast track to doing what I enjoyed, quickly moving from an assistant coach to an offensive coordinator to the opportunity of a head coach. Then a change in my job moved me away from everything and everyone I knew. It caused me to focus on my career and step away from coaching. As my career became more solid out here, I knew I wanted to step back into sports in some way and that’s when I decided to start reaching out and working with professional athletes on various projects. I tried the autograph signing events and sports memorabilia scene for a while and though it gave me some great learning moments and experiences, I found that wasn’t where I wanted to be with sports. I then decided to use some of my art school background and began working with athletes on custom figurines and bobbleheads. Although taking this avenue has given me many opportunities, it has also presented its own struggles and educational moments.

Please tell us about Club HBHF Arizona.
Club HBHF Arizona is a product of my coaching and relationships that I have created through different opportunities. The name Club HBHF (Handle Biz Have Fun) Arizona comes from the motto of former NFL wide receiver, Stevie Johnson, who I had the opportunity to work with on a couple art pieces and get to know during his time in Buffalo. When forming the flag football program, I reached out to Stevie to see if I could use the Handle Biz Have Fun motto as the team name for the program and we began the movement to give youth in my area the opportunity to play and also added Arizona to the name to represent the region.

The purpose of the program is to develop and hone the skills of our athletes both on and off the field. As we work with our players on the field, we need to make sure they stay focused off the field as well. One way we follow-up on this is by giving each player a Student-Athlete Academic Form that they are required to have their teacher(s) fill out and sign off. This form allows us to hold each player accountable for their schoolwork and the work they put in on the field, or in other words, “Handle Biz Have Fun.”

Our program is about the people first and foremost. A successful program starts with the people; that includes the players, coaches, parents, and families. We look for and develop quality coaches to give each player the opportunity to be successful. We focus off the field as much as we do on the field because every player has the opportunity to be a great person, while a small percentage will have an opportunity to be a great athlete.

People are attracted to passion when it comes to sports and our program isn’t afraid to show there are exciting things ahead and that we are growing! In less than one year we have gone from one team in the fall to have four teams in the spring and we are trending towards having a minimum of one team in each division of our league by next fall. We demonstrate enthusiasm about all aspects of the program, both on-field and off-field and we celebrate the small wins.

What were you like growing up?
Sports in general, but more specifically football, has always been a big part of my life. It is the one thing that I have always seemed to connect with and understand the most. In school, I would often use football and sports to help me remember different things in school. Football allowed me to have a bond with some of the closest friends I have. No matter how much time may pass between us all being able to get together we never have to start over once we finally do meet up.

Contact Info:

• Email: clubhbhfaz@gmail.com
• Instagram: @ClubHBHFAZ
• Facebook: Club HBHF Arizona
• Twitter: @ClubHBHFAZ

Image Credit:
Maddie C, Megan A, Michella C

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