Meet Edgar Merino | Soccer Coach/Trainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Edgar Merino and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Edgar, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Social impact: How does your business help the community or the world?

In creating my business San Diego Premier Training, I not only took on the responsibility of physically
developing a young generation of future soccer players, but mentally preparing them for real life.
Putting myself in the position of coach and trainer, I hold myself accountable to higher standards.
Showing this age group (5 to 15) how success is earned through the discipline of hard work and
commitment is a difficult task and one I take seriously. I built my business on the premise of helping
youth discover their potential as soccer players and am also committed to building future successful
leaders in our society.

My program is based on teaching soccer fundamentals through education, proper health and fitness,
preserving the integrity of the sport and ensuring along the way that kids are ultimately still having fun.
One of the ways I feel I accomplish this is through creating a family-friendly environment. This translates
with activities like team bonding through professional soccer outings, community car washes and pizza
parties. It’s important to me that the parents also see that I’m focused on creating not just a culture of
soccer, but a place where kids can come together and feel like it’s their second family.
Many of the youth I serve come from underserved communities where the kids are unfortunately
already behind in various aspects of life when compared to their peers who live in more affluent
neighborhoods and attend schools with better resources.

I hope that my program helps keep kids involved in soccer. Today’s research shows that they’re quitting
sports faster than ever at roughly 70 percent by the age of 13 because they’re no longer having fun due
to the intense environment. Data reveals that very few kids will compete beyond the college level, so
training them to exceed that bar isn’t conducive to reality.

I don’t want these kids to feel like winning translates to success. As a culture we already know that we
learn so much more from failing. I want them to understand that it’s alright to lose as long as they tried
their best and come away with a lesson learned. I try and help parents understand this too as part of my
process. When it comes down to it success looks different for everyone, but my vision for San Diego
Premier Training is for kids to enjoy themselves playing soccer.

What should our readers know about your business?
I deeply care for the upbringing of inner city kids. While other coaches and soccer programs focus on working with the top 1 percent of players, I continue to focus on the other 99 percent. I know all kids don’t develop at the same ratio, so I know everyone has the potential to be great at whatever they do. Being where I am hasn’t been easy, I came from a low income family with a single mother of 5 so I know what hard work and dedication is. My mom was my hero and she taught me that no matter what, you stick with family through thick and thin.
Growing up I’ve learned so many lessons with my family and with my soccer teams that they go hand in hand when it comes to teamwork, having each others back and to continue to work together for any form of success,
As a soccer coach, I have the responsibility not just to train kids to understand the fundamentals of arguably the greatest sport in the world, but I get to have a hand in helping develop the children of our future. I’m fortunate that my purpose is intertwined with building better future leaders.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I was fortunate enough to be born and raised in beautiful San Diego, CA. If I had a friend come and visit this beautiful city I would definitely recommend to visit a few beaches.
To begin, Coronado Beach is my favorite, also Mission Beach and Ocean Beach are really fun.
A few parks that I would tell my friends to visit are Balboa Park where you can check out some museums and also the local San Diego Zoo.
Coronado Tidelands Park and Sunset Cliffs Natural Park are also a great places to take a walk where you will have a beautiful view.
If you are looking to get a quick bite make sure to check out Barleymash in the Gaslamp Quarter, Chef Kevin has one of the best menus in San Diego.
Salud and Tacos el Gordo are very famous for their delicious tacos.
And if you are looking for a delicious breakfast, Breakfast Republic is a must.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Huge shoutout to Allison Sampite for helping me put my story together. Also Nicholas Humada and San Diego Loyal soccer team for taking some amazing photos.
And of course every parent that continues to believe in my vision.

Instagram: @Sandiegopremiertraining

Other: Edgarmerino813@gmail.com

Image Credits
Nicholas Humada San Diego Loyal Sigefredo Yoguez