Staff Spotlight - Erick Garcia

Part 2 of our series featuring the people who make your child’s youth soccer experience happen.

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For those who read Part 1 of our Staff Spotlight series, featuring our club registrar, Jacqui Cannon, you may remember that her first experience with Florida Rush was when she brought her twin sons out to the fields for player placements. In that interview, Jacqui fondly recalled meeting one of our Directors, Erick Garcia, and how their conversation ultimately led to her choosing to enroll her boys at the Club.

For many of our club’s members, that first experience that Jacqui had is nearly identical to theirs, even over a decade later. That’s because our long-time Coaching Director, Erick Garcia, is still around! And happily guiding new players and their families through their first few days at Florida Rush. 😁

As you’ll read in the interview below, Erick is Central Florida soccer guy, through and through. He’s been coaching in the area for over two decades, and has the experience, relationships, and know-how to back it up.

Having started as a volunteer coach for a family member, he’s spent his professional life giving back to the game in the community where his family calls home. And he’s here to stay for good, as he continues to build a legacy for the Club and himself through the sport that has enriched his life and — now that he’s also the parent of a couple of Florida Rush players — the lives of his children.

In his own words, here’s our Club’s Director of Coaching, Erick Garcia:

First things first: how did this all start for you? When did you join Florida Rush, and why did you do it?

This started for me when I was asked to coach my nephew back in [20??], and then it went from there. Before joining Florida Rush, I coached in the local Association of Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), at clubs in Maitland and Seminole, and then finally Inter-United Soccer (IUS).

I was one of the coaches who originally came to Florida Rush when Orange County Strikers and IUS came together to form the Club. We spoke about joining forces for years, since the two clubs always shared the same complex, and we both wanted to create a strong, centralized club in Orlando.

I was a Director of Coaching at IUS when the idea of becoming part of Florida Rush was introduced to us by one of our coaches, and it sounded like a great idea.

Now that you’ve been working in the game for a couple of decades, can you tell us a little bit about your soccer journey? When did it start, and what are your earliest memories?

I come from a family with parents who played soccer, so it was a part of growing up. My dad played in Colombia and New York in the 1970’s. He started coaching me when I was young, and I remember always going to his games to watch him play.

Later on, he started coaching youth teams, and I loved to attend his games and practices. He would always put me in the trainings to play against the older players.

Having grown up in a family that dedicated part of their life to the sport, how did your earliest soccer memories shape who you are as a coach?

It created a passion and love for the game. I fell in love not only with the game, but also with the culture of the game. And now, my goal is for every player to experience that same passion. Because if they don’t, what’s the point in them playing?

Now that your passion for the game has transferred from player to coach, what are your favorite and least favorite parts about coaching?

My favorite things are watching the players grow while playing the game they love, building personal relationships with the players, getting a phone call about how good they’re doing in school, and seeing them get an offer to college.

My least favorite thing is watching parents put too much pressure on their player, or players putting to much pressure on themselves.

The game will take care of itself, we are just a part of the journey.

 [Before moving on, let’s just take a moment to appreciate the profound truth in that answer… 👏]

Now that you’ve moved on from coaching teams to coaching other coaches, what aspects of coaching education do you think are are important for parents and players to know?

Effective communication and being approachable are the key for coaches, parents and players. You can have the formal education, highest level of licenses, and gone far in soccer as a player, but if you can not learn how to communicate with the players and their parents, you’re going to make a lousy coach.

 And now that you play such an integral role in the development of our Club’s coaches, what are your goals as a Coaching Director? How do you measure your own success?

 My goals, first and foremost, are to encourage and support the coaching staff. After that, it’s to help the staff and the club continue to grow.

A good measure of my success is the quality of the relationships that I build with the club’s staff and membership, both on and off the field

At the end of the day, I want to leave the room (in this case, the Club) better than when I first entered it.

For parents who are new to the Club, or just new to the youth soccer experience in general, what’s the best advice that you can give them?

I would say that, ‘this is a journey, not a sprint’. Let your child find their way in the sport and don’t put any pressure on them. Kids already have enough pressure from their friends, themselves, and parents. You want this to be a great experience and for them to fall in love with the sport. If it becomes a chore, then they won’t like it anymore. 

Now that you’ve shared a bit of wisdom, how about sharing some wisdom that’s been given to you? What’s the best advice that you’ve ever received, that helps you in your role?

To just remember why you do this, to give back to the players, and (hopefully!) be a good influence in their life.

Lastly, a fun question that’s sure to cause some controversy… 😉

What club team do you support in world football, and why? 

Manchester City — Carlos Teves was the player that I liked to watch back in the day. He was a small forward, but worked hard and was relentless on the field. From there, I just followed the club and have enjoyed the way that they have grown to become a club that’s recognized across the world. They were never this strong, but they are now.

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Gabriel Colon