About Soccer HQ
Why Soccer HQ Exists
A child's first experiences with the game decide whether there is a second one.
We think most kids who walk away from soccer do not walk away because they lack talent. They walk away because the game asked them for things they were not ready to give, and it stopped being fun before it ever got good.
Soccer HQ is built on the opposite idea. Meet a child where they actually are, build the foundation in the right order, and the love for the game takes care of itself.
We respect the club system. We do not compete with it, we complement it. Soccer HQ exists to give kids the foundation they need to thrive wherever they play next.
Our Approach
Four Pillars.
One Community.
Every player is developing four things at once. Which ones lead depends on how old they are.
Technical
What a player can do with the ball
Physical
How a player moves
Tactical
How a player sees and solves the game
Mindset
Who a player becomes
Not every pillar at every age
Ages 2-4
Physical and Mindset lead
Ages 5-7
Technical leads
Ages 8-10
Tactical activates
Ages 11-13
All four firing
One Community is the environment all of it grows in. Belonging, relationships, mentorship, connection.
Justin Phelps
Founder, Soccer HQ
My daughter was five or six and a natural athlete, so soccer seemed obvious. Her older brother was already playing. What I did not understand was that her introduction went almost straight into competition. She had not had time to get comfortable with the ball, make mistakes or find any reason to care about the game yet.
The moment I still think about is her standing in the middle of the field, refusing to move. It would have been easy to read that as stubbornness or decide soccer simply was not for her. But she was overwhelmed. The game was asking her to compete before anyone had let her learn. She never came back to it.
We can decide very quickly whether a child likes a sport or has any ability for it, when what we may actually be seeing is how they responded to the environment we placed them in.
My son took a different path. I followed him from local youth soccer through increasingly demanding clubs and into the Orlando City Academy. I have seen what that environment genuinely asks of a player and a family: the hours, the standard, the pressure and the things you give up to be there.
Watching that level up close taught me how much the foundation matters. The game moves too quickly for a player to keep rebuilding the basics in the moment. Their touch, movement and decisions have to hold up under pressure, because the next problem is already arriving.
Soccer HQ does not promise academy outcomes. My son's path is his own. But it has shown me what advanced environments require, just as my daughter's experience showed me what can happen when those demands arrive too soon.
That is the space Soccer HQ occupies: protecting the beginning, then giving players somewhere serious to work when they are ready for more.
Meet The Soccer HQ Team
Soccer HQ is led by a team of parents, educators, and experienced coaches who understand firsthand what families are looking for — a structured, positive place where kids can grow.
Our Coaches
Brandon Klase
Director of Coaching, Soccer HQ
Brandon holds a master's degree in coaching and a USSF B License, one of the higher coaching certifications in American soccer. He is currently the varsity girls head coach at Clearwater Central Catholic and previously served as a boys director at a local club.
He designs every session at Soccer HQ around where a child actually is, both in their soccer development and in their development as a kid. A five-year-old and a ten-year-old are not learning the same thing more slowly or more quickly, they are learning different things in different ways. Brandon builds our sessions to match, and he holds every coach to that standard.
His philosophy is simple: keep it fun, keep it challenging, keep kids moving.
Mariana Giblin
Coach, Soccer HQ
Mariana is a St. Petersburg native who grew up in the game here. She started in rec soccer at six, played travel with Pinellas County United and St. Pete FC, and spent four years on varsity at Boca Ciega High School. She is currently a student at USF.
Mariana is our primary coach for Little Kicks and also works with Rising Stars. She has chosen to specialize in our youngest players, which is harder than it sounds. Holding the attention of a three-year-old, earning their trust, and sending them home wanting to come back takes a particular kind of patience.
Our Advisors
Jennifer Phelps
Child Development Advisor
Jennifer spent over 20 years in education and behavioral science before Soccer HQ existed. That background shaped how our sessions are built, from how long we hold a young child's attention to how coaches respond when a kid shuts down or refuses to join in.
Her view is that a four-year-old's first experience of a team is a developmental event, not just a soccer class. We built the program around that.
Leo Fernandes
Developmental Advisor – Soccer HQ
Leo brings over a decade of professional playing experience and serves as Director of Scouting for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, as well as a scout for U.S. Youth National Teams. He helped shape the development framework our programs are built on, the progression that carries a player from their first touch through competitive training.
As both a former professional player and a parent, Leo knows what clubs and national team scouts look for, and he knows almost none of it is built by rushing a young player. What matters early is touch, confidence, and wanting to come back next week.
Our Promise to Parents
When you join Soccer HQ, you’re joining a community that values growth over pressure and development over outcomes.
We promise to coach your child with positivity, structure, and care — and to partner with you every step of the journey.