Hidden Gems: Meet Michael Magid of The Union Sports GK Community

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Magid

Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The Union ‘s story begins in the midst of the Pandemic. As many of us, we were constantly on social media sharing content, but realized there was a real disconnect between the soccer goalkeeping community and what was being shared. There was a lot of misinformation and very rarely was there any context given. Current Angel City (NWSL) GK Coach Omar Zeenni (who was an original co-founder) approached about finding a solution. I had connected with former college soccer player Jeff Kohn CEO of Top Fan about an App along similar lines. I told Omar I agree, and we met with Jeff to share a creation of a platform that is for the goalkeeping community, by the goalkeeping community.

He mentioned they normally only work with Top Established Brands developing white label apps (Such as the Denver Broncos, Eminem etc) but he was intrigued with this project as he felt if done right it could be scaled among several vertical, and he also recognized the need for such a community based on what he was seeing in the youth landscape (his son is in the Colorado Rapids System) himself. So he agreed to partner with us at a significant discount understanding how difficult it is for a start up to fund such an endeavor.

We then approached our 1st round of Angel Investors for start up capital and began the R & D /Beta Testing phase of the platform. We launched officially in Nov of 2023 ,and have begun phase 2 of our growth plan!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Arguably the greatest obstacle/ challenge for any start up is capital. It takes time to build a revenue generating model and sometimes your burn rate is higher than you’ld like it to be. :/

Following that is coming up with the proper marketing strategy to get the platform in the right hands. You could have the greatest application in the world, but if your community doesn’t know about it, or the value proposition isn’t shared properly, then it won’t go any further than a concept.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Union GK App is the All in one resource for parents, youth goalkeepers, and young coaches for top notch training, expert tips, and immersive experience with Pros, Coaches & Mentors.

The Union GK believes that all Goalkeepers, parents, and coaches should have access to personal mentoring, college recruiting, and training, which can be thousands of dollars annually. The Union GK Premium subscription breaks the barrier to entry to these exclusive offerings with a cost-effective subscription.

This innovative platform offers a wide array of premium services at a low yearly subscription cost, making it a game- changer for youth athletes aspiring to excel in this unique and challenging position.

As the only app explicitly tailored for goalkeepers, THE UNION GK addresses these athletes’ inherent challenges, providing a comprehensive solution to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity. Goalkeepers, often isolated figures on the pitch, require specialized coaching, mental and strategic guidance, and exposure to the right teams and recruiters.

THE UNION GK steps in to fill this void, offering easily accessible in person or remote training, cost-effective resources and open forums that facilitate connections with world-renowned pro goalkeepers, coaches, mentors, therapists, and fellow goalkeepers worldwide.

Co-founders Saskia Webber and Michael Magid, both distinguished personalities in the soccer world, bring their wealth of experience to THE UNION GK. Webber, a 1996 Gold Medalist and 1999 World Cup Champion, alongside her roles as a former UCLA Coach, On-Air Talent at CBS Sports, and Co-Owner of NWSL’s ACFC, is committed to empowering goalkeepers at all levels. Magid, Owner of LAGKA and former Director of Goalkeeping at LAFC Youth, brings his extensive expertise to provide a unique perspective to the app.

THE UNION GK’s Premium subscription breaks down financial barriers, allowing goalkeepers, parents, and coaches access to personal mentoring, college recruiting assistance, training sessions, game video analysis, mindset and sports performance coaching, and more—all for an affordable annual fee of $49.99.

Some of these services include, but are not limited to,

1-on-1 Mentor Session with Top Coaches, World Class Trainers, Athletes, and Professionals

College Recruiting Assistance

Game Video Analysis

Training Session Designs

Mindset & Sports Performance

Finding the Right Youth Private Training or Club

Nutritional Plans

The possibilities are endless when you can access top names in the game and their resources!

Any big plans?
Our plan is to scale out to 5 more niche sports communities by 2028, but we chose soccer goalkeeper as our 1st community  because of our established reputation in the market. These connections have already allowed us to obtain over 30 top quality Mentors from leagues such as MLS, NWSL, EPL just to name a few.  We also have over 3,000 subscribers currently on the platform without any money spent on marketing & advertising.  Just word of mouth from the community.

For our goalkeeping community, we have already begun expanding into a full on podcast network with several GK centric shows hosted by different personalities, and have just begun integrating in person training sessions into the platform.

We see the need for such a community driven platform across several verticals in youth sports, but we want to make sure that acquire a healthy amount of the TAM% before scaling. It’s about growing effectively, not just growing.

Pricing:

• 4.99 a month Premium Subscription
• 49.99 a year Premium Subscription

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theuniongk.com
• Instagram: @theuniongoalkeeping
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goalkeeperpodcast
• Twitter: @goalkeeperpod
• Youtube: Inside the 18 goalkeeper podcast; https://youtu.be/kt_0gRbP6nk
• Soundcloud: https://bleav.com/shows/inside-the-18/
• Other: www.insidethe18media.com – www.theunionsports.com. Download the App for Free on Apple Or Google Play Stores At The Union GK Community

Image Credits
Frame Marketing – Chelsea Schneider & Jody Green