The Story of Eryck Avila and Avila Creative Soccer
Eryck Avila’s journey with Avila Creative Soccer began in New York in the 1970s, at the family dinner table. Each evening, he would listen to his parents, Sylvia and Peter, both dedicated social workers, who never missed an opportunity to weave soccer into their conversations. As a child, Eryck’s discussions about soccer were kinetic, filled with the energy and excitement of the game. However, under the thoughtful guidance of his parents, these conversations evolved, taking on a more reflective tone. They emphasized that sports are mechanisms for socialization and social integration. This nightly discourse and the family’s ethos inspired Eryck’s lens. Eventually he would envision a business that transcended mere soccer skills training, aiming instead to foster community and personal growth through the beautiful game.
At his Grandma’s house, Eryck, his sister Karen, and cousins Lincoln and Jason would always play soccer in the street. Even Aunt Lisi or Grandpa Cabrera would join in as the goalkeeper. For Eryck, this is why Avila Creative Soccer had to be more than just a methodology for teaching kids to think; it had to be a sociology that made them feel connected and included. Anyone watching an Avila Soccer Scrimmage quickly sees this principle of inclusion in action, especially with the “Rules for Play,” where every team member must possess the ball at least once before a goal can be scored.
At the age of six, Eryck was selected for a special squad led by German coach, Ernest Boedner, who emphasized spacing drills and tactical awareness. This captivated Eryck, sparking what some say is his obsession with triangular play. Subsequently, triangles became the most prominent graphic element in the symbol of Avila – the Avila Coat of Arms.
Around the same young age, Eryck experienced an epiphany that the true measure of one’s passing ability lay not merely in the quality of technique, but in the nuanced application of the skill. Today, at Avila Creative Soccer, a pass transcends mere technical execution; it embodies the thoughtful conceptualization behind it. Did you alter the point of attack? Did you impart the appropriate weight to the pass? Did you engage in what Eryck would eventually coin “geometric loading,” deceiving the opponent and shifting their balance (load) to the wrong foot even before the pass is made? A distinguished passer at Avila is not only technically adept but also makes astute decisions and bodily maneuvers that carve out time, space, and opportunities for teammates. Both intent and execution must be meticulously strategic.
Eryck Avila eventually traveled the globe, spending time in Winterswijk, Holland, and London, and even had a tryout with Liverpool FC. He also played in Buenos Aires under the guidance of the brilliant Argentine Coach, Raul Caratella. In 1994, Avila had the honor of being selected to play in four World Cup qualifiers for Puerto Rico.
ERYCK’S BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED SOCCER TEAM
Avila Creative Soccer wouldn’t be the Austin institution it is today without a deep-rooted commitment to empowering players and fostering self-attainment and individual creativity. For Eryck, the breakthrough that solidified his passion for making a difference through soccer came while he was still in Argentina. There, he coached a blind and visually impaired soccer team – his first formal coaching position.
It was as if they were “connected.” Many of the players could even trap the ball dead with regular consistency. This ability fascinated Avila endlessly. He was mesmerized by the idea of “feeling” the ball rather than just seeing it.
The story goes that Eryck’s team embarked on a 10-hour bus ride into the mountains of Córdoba for a soccer tournament specifically designed for the blind and visually impaired. During this journey, Eryck had the chance to sit with each squad member and learn their stories. Many came from humble origins and had grown up only listening to soccer on the radio, without a formal way to actually experience playing.
When they arrived at their destination, the tournament was truly grand and did not disappoint, though the players were quite intimidated. The soccer field was specially designed for the blind and visually impaired, with a wall cleverly positioned along one sideline to help players use the echo to orient themselves. The special soccer ball had a whistle inside, and depending on how hard it was kicked, the players could locate and control it by the differences in pitch.
IT’S ABOUT SEEING BEYOND THEIR LIMITATIONS
The team arrived with limited substitutes and minimal preparation time, but Eryck quickly recognized the deep pride within this group of Argentine players. This pride could be harnessed to help them rise to the occasion. Eryck’s men advanced to the semi-finals in dramatic fashion, culminating in a penalty shoot-out that brought tears of joy. The celebration was exuberant, and the players treated Eryck, their young coach in his early twenties, with incredible reverence and care—something he had never expected, especially from men in their 30s.
This feeling of profound meaningfulness affected Eryck and he developed a deep love for coaching. He was forever changed. He understood that individual mentoring was the heart of coaching. It’s about seeing beyond someone’s limitations.
Later, Eryck was accepted to study at the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama, where he completed a master’s degree in Sports Management. During this time, he developed the Avila Theoretical Model of Player Development, which focuses on teaching players to develop their soccer IQ by building on a concept he would pioneer – the players sense of “predicative momentum.” Many years later, this concept would become the central tenet of the Avila Paradigm, which all Avila team members are trained to implement in each class.
THE AVILA PARADIGM
ERYCK MOVES TO AUSTIN
First however, in 1996, Eryck moved to Austin, Texas, and began working privately with young aspiring soccer players along the banks of the Colorado River, known as Town Lake. Without money for cones or props, he used public garbage cans for goals and whatever else he could find. The sessions were creative, reminiscent of playing on the street as a child.
Working in the Texas summer sun was grueling, especially one-on-one. However, as more players began to bring friends, his sessions grew. Before he knew it, he was coaching small groups and had 39 attendees.
While working at universities, private schools, and youth clubs, Eryck decided on the final concept for Avila Creative Soccer: a brick-and-mortar indoor facility. He saved $1,000, received $2,000 from his parents, and took out a $5,000 construction loan and a $5,000 business loan. With a grand total of $13,000 and a lot of courage, he opened his first location on Anderson Mill Rd in March 2004. Initially, it was just 1,630 square feet with high ceilings and wood floors, but he later expanded to 3,300 square feet and modernized by acquiring the adjacent tenant’s space.
AVILA SOCCER – ANDERSON MILL
A POSITIVE OMEN
On the day of the opening, the very first parent, a soccer mom, fell asleep in the comfortable lobby while waiting for the training to end. Eryck knew this was a great sign that he had created a home-like environment for parents too, and that mattered.
That day reminded Eryck of his own soccer upbringing in the pre-internet era. His mom would frantically drive him to soccer events using paper maps, and his dad never missed a single game. It was like a full-time job for them. He could remember them parked in the car, braving the wait, with a pen and folders full of paperwork to pass the time while he trained.
AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT
Something else fortuitous happened on the day Eryck opened his doors for business: it began to rain. And it didn’t stop. It rained every day for more than three weeks straight. This turned out to be the perfect time for people to check out Avila’s new indoor facility. The Soccer Gods smiled!
By the end of his first month, Coach Avila had over 89 paying clients, more than doubling his outdoor patrons. Word spread around town about a coach who had set up a soccer field in the shopping center of all places – with a new type of soft turf product, sparking curiosity and interest.
HOME TURF ADVANTAGE
Did you know that part of the early success of Avila Soccer can be attributed to the fortunate timing of its inception? While Avila Soccer was a new venture, two major players in the artificial turf industry, both based out of Austin, Texas, were simultaneously honing their products. Avila Soccer’s first location at Anderson Mill benefited from this serendipity, as Hellas Construction donated turf to experiment with their innovative materials. Later on, the Avila Soccer location in Round Rock received its turf as a donation from Act Global, who were also eager to test their cutting-edge turf systems.
This collaboration not only provided Avila Soccer with high-quality playing surfaces before they were known, but also positioned Avila at the forefront of a new industry. By embracing this enormous breakthrough in synthetic turf technology, Avila was able to create a training environment that felt like an authentic outdoor experience. Only those of us who survived it remember the brutal old turf days, which quite literally embodied the phrase “blood, sweat, and tears.” More importantly, it was the authentic roll of the ball on this new turf, mimicking an outdoor roll for the first time, that made all the difference.
Some ten years later, Act Global of Austin went on to provide the synthetic turf for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, supplying their Xtreme Turf system across all six tournament venues. Avila Soccer was fortunate to begin in Austin, setting a precedent in more ways than one, as modern artificial turf also has roots in this soccer-crazed city.
AVILA PUTS ON ITS DIGITAL CLEATS: AVILA APP
In keeping with the pioneering spirit that embodied Avila Soccer from Its inception, we continued to innovate and evolve. In 2023, this commitment to progress was exemplified by the launch of our proprietary software, the Avila App. This revolutionary web-based platform connects Avila patrons with trainers, enabling parents to effortlessly track their child’s progress and identify areas for improvement.
Indeed Innovation has always been a hallmark of Avila. Explore the list of Avila Creative Soccer’s Milestone achievements, many of which have been inspired by the soccer moms and dads of Austin, Texas.
Today, Coach Eryck is completing a doctoral program in sports management. His dissertation introduces an original concept he developed, the “Predictive Momentum Theory of Geometric Loading.” Through this educational journey, Eryck aspires to engage in the most enriching discourse on coaching for children, with the ambition of expanding the Avila brand. He finds immense joy in researching cutting-edge ideas and techniques, akin to those that initially helped him grow Avila Creative Soccer, Austin’s longest-running indoor sports-specific skills training center.