SOCCER BUSINESS FEATURES: North American Soccer Expo is coming this August to Metro Detroit
- Dan Stickradt
- Apr 5
- 5 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
50-plus exhibitors, classes, presenters all on hand for inaugural networking event
BY DAN STICKRADT
NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF NEWS | WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR
Premier Media Group | National Soccer Network and affiliates
BUSINESS LINE: (248) 525-2349
TW/X: @msn_stickradt @MiSoccerNetwork, @NatSoccerTV
NOVI, Mich. – They’re coming.
Who are they you ask?
Many notable persons throughout the U.S. soccer community are the answer.
The North American Soccer Expo (NASE) is coming this summer to suburban Detroit, Michigan, and has already created quite a buzz just weeks after its Feb. 12 announcement. Open enrollment began in mid-March and the staff behind the scenes are working diligently in bringing in several persons of influence and notoriety in the soccer space – both from Michigan and from across the country as well.
“We’ve had this idea for a long time. For years we kind of talked about doing something on a local basis,” offered Paul Tinnion, the Director of Coaching for the Michigan Jaguars which is hosting the event. “I think the national symposium is a good platform but it's hard for (someone) like a high school coach with a small budget to be able to go to those events. Sometimes a coach will have to take time off of work because (an event) would be like a Tuesday to Saturday-type deal or Wednesday to Saturday. So we talked about doing something local. These last few years we started to do our own club summit. Mark Zafney kind of helped organize it. We shared different types of things – leadership, kind of dug down into our core values, and talked about things there. So that kind of rolled into us wanting to do something on a bigger scale and national stage.”
The NASE will be held Aug. 1-3 at the Suburban Showplace (46100 Grand River Ave, Novi, Michigan, 48374), which is located off the busy I-96 corridor in the western suburbs of the Metro Detroit region. There is ample parking at the large facility and numerous hotels within close proximity of the event for those involved or attending the NASE event.
“Obviously we have a group of partners that all felt like this was a good idea to kind of get together – with companies like Adidas, Kwik Goal, Soccer Village, Little Caesars and others,” continued Tinnion. “So we have some good partners that have kind of stepped up and are helping to put this on with us. We have several other people that will be announced soon. We’ve had guys reach out to (recognizable faces) to see if they all could come into town for this (event).
“It’s a concept where people of different levels (of soccer) could come in and have some classroom sessions, field sessions, and other things like that. We’ll have 52 exhibitors around the Suburban Showplace – whether its uniforms, software, equipment, trophies – or anything to do with the soccer industry will be represented,” added Tinnion.
Numerous soccer coaches and trainers from various youth-clubs, amateur/pre-professional franchises and the college soccer ranks will be in attendance, along with broadcasting/live streaming companies and media platforms, physical therapist companies, soccer training centers or sports-specific training facilities, soccer training companies, soccer or sports retailers, soccer academies, college coaches, coaches and front office staff from professional soccer franchises, soccer stores, equipment companies, tech companies, registration companies
and other types of vendors have already registered for the inaugural event.
There will also be a wide variety of keynote speakers, expert-led workshops, interactive training sessions, the latest innovations for soccer and more will also be on display with many more being added each week.
Current athletes from some of the bigger youth clubs will also attend the event and be used in demonstrations of drills and teaching sessions. Some artificial turf small field will be brought into the Suburban Showplace.
There will also be a media room available for working members of the press, TV stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and sports- or soccer-specific media outlets who wish to attend and conduct interviews or network with those around the soccer industry will also be invited.
The networking possibilities are endless for those involved in all spectrums of the U.S. soccer community and beyond.
Registration for a booth, to be a presenter or keynote speaker, or to have innovations or merchandise on display can visit the event’s website at https://northamericansoccerexpo.com, or contact Leslie Kirk at (248) 904-0907 or via email at Leslie.Kirk@NorthAmericanSoccerExpo.com for more details. There will be both individual or group rates in place for attendees.
There are still several time slots for presenters and keynote speakers, booths available or display locations at the North American Soccer Expo. But those slots are filling up fast.
Soccer fans can follow the North American Soccer Expo on Instagram for updates, schedules, and exclusive event details. Presenters and companies can also order an exhibitor kit online at https://northamericansoccerexpo.com.
“There’s a lot that goes into this. I’m not sleeping a lot,” laughed Tinnion, a longtime soccer coach in the Detroit area who also played youth-club, high school and college soccer in Michigan. “We’ve got a great team. Everyone I’ve talked to thinks this is a great idea. We’ve got a lot of people already coming. We have the (Michigan) High School Soccer Coaches Association hopefully approving and sending this out to all of their coaches. We’re gonna try to help them out and get them involved. Really, all levels of soccer will be there. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
“We’ve got a band reserved for Saturday night. We are renting out a venue. A band called the Killer Flamingos who covers 80s and 90s (music) as a cover band. They’ll be there to entertain,” added Tinnion. “We’ll have a party Saturday night for all of (the people attending). We’re going to have some fun stuff and some soccer stuff.”
NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK’S JONATHAN TURNER TO BE ONE OF THE NASE PRESENTERS
One of the 50-plus presenters and vendors at the event will be Jonathan Turner, President and Director of Broadcasting for the Michigan-based Premier Media Group and its flagship production National Soccer Network. Tuner is a lifelong resident of Metro Detroit who grew up playing youth-club and high school soccer in Michigan in the 1990s.
“I think this is a cool event for a lot of people around the soccer space to come together,” said Turner. “As a broadcast company that works mainly in the soccer space, although we can do other sports, this will give us a chance to talk to others around the country and to show clubs, whether that be youth, amateur and even high schools what we can possibly do for them. We are already working with a lot of leagues and schools not only in Michigan but around the country. This will give us a chance to introduce ourselves to a lot of people (and show) what we do on a daily basis.”
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(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and news@nationalsoccernetwork.com, or call 248-525-2349.
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