Owen McBride, a 19-year-old North Vancouver native, took his experience through the elite sport system to launch Private Coaching Co (PCC) to make a difference in the approach to keeping kids active, training coaches led by industry experts, and provide employment opportunity for high school and university students. PCC provides individualized and small group training designed to challenge and develop athletes and coaches. McBride recognized a gap in the system three years ago and began to formulate his plan to address it.
‘Growing up in North Vancouver, I fell in love with the game of soccer. However, the calibre of volunteer coaches was hit and miss, so I entered the high-performance portal which led me to Mountain and eventually the Whitecaps residency program. While grateful for the opportunity, I began to lose my passion for the game, as it became a full-time job for me at 16 years old. For the first time ever, I was experiencing overuse injuries and began losing the enjoyment of the game I had grown up loving’.
After accepting a scholarship at Simon Fraser University, Owen began to be asked by parents if he could train their young kids, at first in the sport of soccer and then all sports. ‘I was very clear with kids and parents from the start in terms of my purpose, which was to foster an enjoyment of movement, activity & sport vs. train to “get the scholarship” and the response was overwhelming. I didn’t realize I was filling a gap in terms of lack of physical education in schools or quality coaching in the community and found myself at capacity in short order. It was then I thought of my plan’.
With Covid further putting youth sports and many physical activity programs on hold, more parents were turning to McBride to help fill the gap of keeping kids active in safe environments where they develop their fundamental movement skills while having fun. The plan evolved to engage high school and varsity student-athletes, teach them how to connect with kids, and formalize what has long been an underground business; Private Coaching Co. McBride noted ‘There are plenty of people coaching private sessions on the side, but the consumer has no idea if the coaches are qualified, certified, or, most importantly, effective in connecting with young kids. At the same time, there’s an infinite supply of eager, hungry high school & varsity athletes who want to engage in work they love and simply need leadership, mentorship, and business advice on how to do that. This is the demographic that young kids connect with. The variety in our coaching team, many of whom are multisport athletes, provides the range of experience kids need at the same time as working with people they can look up to and aspire to be like.’
Owen enlisted the support from industry experts and in less than three months, launched his business; Private Coaching Co, which connects consumers to qualified student-athlete coaches of their choice. Families can log onto the website, choose their location, select the session type, and book a coach. Private Coaching Co takes care of the rest.
And with the realities of Covid, lack of physical education offerings in school, and cessation of park and recreation programming and youth sport, McBride’s business venture could not be better timed. ‘We are in unprecedented times and families need solutions for their kids’ physical & mental well-being. Our biggest challenge has been getting space, but we’ve been welcomed by different groups who are more than happy to provide space for a small number of kids to connect, be active, and learn a new skill’.
Ask this up-and-comer where he sees the business growing and he’ll waste no time telling you. ‘We want more kids to enjoy movement & activity. We are here to help high school & student-athletes be better leaders on & off the field. Private Coaching Co also provides the opportunity to own a franchise business that can be scaled across North America delivering jobs and opportunities in times of a global pivot’.
For more information, contact Owen at owen@privatecoachingco.com