Is there something missing in your local soccer community? Well - don’t pout about it - build it yourself!
In Episode 75 of the Because Football Podcast, we chat with Ira Jersey, the Founder and Men’s General Manager at Real Central NJ Soccer of USL 2 and WPSL.
In this episode, Ira tells us about how growing up on the muddy fields of Long Island shaped his love for the game. After decades as a player, coach, and Soccer Dad, he looked around his local area and didn’t see any club offering high quality playing opportunities for college players.
So, he and a few partners collaborated to create Real Central NJ to represent the Central Jersey area - an area that often is swallowed up into its neighboring metropolises - New York City and Philadelphia.
We chat about his role as a General Manager, what it takes to run a summer league (USL 2 and WPSL) team and a year-round program, and how to make it an inviting, entertaining venue for local soccer fans. From financial realities to sponsorship packages and stadium challenges, Ira exposes the behind the scenes of running a club at the community level in America.
A history buff, we talk about the rich soccer tradition of the Mercer County area and the players, coaches, and clubs that laid the foundation for what Real Central NJ has created today. He also shares his pragmatic opinion on the prospect of promotion and relegation coming to the US, and the club’s current plans to make the jump from USL 2 to USL League One (IF they can get the stadium part right!).
Of course, we pick Ira’s brain for his All-Time 5-a-Side team, influenced by his childhood love for the New York Cosmos and his love for a quality Number 6!
Outside of soccer, you also may see Ira on TV as Chief U.S. Interest Rate Strategist for Bloomberg Intelligence.
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