Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Nick Hall joined us now who is with Birmingham Legion.
He's the chief business officer. You're in charge of all
the money. I guess, Sonny the.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Money, but also to main focus is re energizing the
fan base and get people come out and see.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
The leadia play.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
It's great to see you and we're just talking a
minute ago. This has been your career since you started
working out of school in sports and in doing fun
things like this.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Absolutely, but I'm about, you know, sixteen years into this
career and my very first job was a mascot, so
you know for who I was at the time. It
was the West Tennessee Diamond Jacks.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
I was a big gofer. Well, I love it, I
love it. Well, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I drove the thirteen Q Happy Honker as my first
job in radio, the promotional van that we'd go around
and hand out albums remember those days, which is pretty
much a mascot, right exactly. So well, welcome in the studio.
I appreciate you here. And before we talk about Jaegermeister
and how it affects, you know, soccer, you've brought something
for our producer, who is a huge soccer fan.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
I sure did.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
So.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
We are unveiling just yesterday our new Hunt for Glory Kit,
which is a new jersey that we're gonna be wearing
for this n season tournament that's coming up right, And Mackenzie,
we've actually brought you one of the jerseys for yourself
to have.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I'm literally about us are crying. I'm so excited. You
know where it is at? Look at that now?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Look wait a minute, it's got something written on the inside.
Is this a reversible jersey? It is reversible? So, but
the home and away kit is just one.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
So is this an official jersey? It is?
Speaker 2 (01:35):
It is?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Wow, you got a game jersey.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
I'm about to start playing out of since I was eight,
but you know, maybe it'll be good enough.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
And it's camo, dark camo on the front or well
on the outside, and then if you flip it reverse
it it's light camo on the inside.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
It's like camo.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
It's got the it's got like the deer stag antlers
on the light lighters, the lighter what we call the
white side.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
It's kind of you know, it's light green. That is awesome. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
So it's a completely reversible. So you know, it's it's
a two for one special if you hit your hands
in one of these. Oh my gosh, I have my
outfits plan for Saturday and Sunday and this is perfect.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
All right, let's talk about what's happening with Legion and boy,
the team has really expanded with you know, popularity and
attendance in Birmingham. And how is this league compared to
or relative to MLS Major League Soccer.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yeah, so it works a little bit different than you know, baseball.
So we are not directly tied to we are not
directly tied to a MLS team. We are two separate leagues, right,
two separate leagues. We are the highest classification of USL.
There is no team currently that is you know, higher as.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Far as league goes. We are on the highest, which
is great.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
And you know, we have our guys come from all
over the world.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
To play this sport.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Obviously, we have the World Cup coming up next year,
which is huge for soccer in America and we're expecting
a big boom from that, and so you know, the
sport is really taking off in the US and and
in Birmingham and in Birmingham.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
So when you talk about how you guys recruit and players.
Do some guys come from MLS down to this league,
if you can say down or over to this league,
and vice versa, guys from this league.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Go to the bigger league.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Or is the league as far as bigness and hugeness
about the same.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
No, that's exactly how it works. That's exactly how it works.
So that we have we have guys that have played
on MLS rosters. Are our CEO and Chief soccer officer,
Jay Heaps. He actually played and coached both in the MLS. Yeah,
so he's got he's got those kind of ties which
really helped things out.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Jay He's been here before. Yeah, Jay's been on the
gay probably many times.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So it's it's we have guys that are young in
their careers, and we have a few guys that have
made the transition back and forth between USL and MLS
quite a few.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Well, I got to tell you, I think soccer is
growing in popularity here. Obviously a huge sport globally. NFL
and college football still the bigger sports here. But you
go over to Homewood Park at any given you know,
soccer day during soccer season, and there's thousands of kids
playing soccer. So I would think the interest is growing
in this country. Do you get a lot of players
(04:22):
on you know, Legion's team from colleges and universities that
played soccer?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Absolutely, Yeah, that's that's our that's our number one recruiting ground.
But then just as important as colleges is the big
trend for not just the USL, but American soccer in
general is fighting these kids when they're young. Yeah, talking
middle school rights, elementary school, and putting them in some
of the programs that we have our hands in, and
and and growing with them and us actually being their
(04:50):
coaches through our system and being able to make them
actually home grown not just in America American universities, but
Birmingham home grown and playing on our on our squad.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
All right, well, let's talk about what's happening right now
with Legion and Jaeger Mice during what the big tournament is.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
What's going on? Yeah for sure.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So the main reason for unveiling this jersey, which you
can get at the game this Sunday, four o'clock at Protective,
The main purpose for this jersey is we are starting
the Yaeger Miser Cup, which is the USL Cup and
so USL a little different than other soccer, a little
different than traditional American sports. We have some mid season tournaments,
(05:28):
kind of like the NBA has, and so in this
mid season tournament is the first time that our league
of USL, the USL Championship, is actually playing against USL one,
which is the league under us So there's a lot
of excitement around Legion to go off and win this
new tournament. It's the first time that we've been in it,
(05:49):
the first time that this tournament very cool has been
structured this way, and there's a lot of excitement towards it.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
So it's Sunday. It's Sunday, Sunday, four o'clock, four.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
O'clock, let's go gonna be a nice day and get
your tickets and come on and get some of these
cool jar is ease to man, I'm so fired up
for Legion, and once again I see it happening, uh,
the growth in the excitement around the team and the
popularity of it growing as well.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Here. So Nick, great to meet you, good to see you. Great,
Thank you for having me. Thank You're welcome back anytime.
Thank you here tomorrow. He well, I won't be all
right
Nick Hall joined us now who is with Birmingham Legion.
He's the chief business officer. You're in charge of all
the money. I guess, Sonny the.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Money, but also to main focus is re energizing the
fan base and get people come out and see.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
The leadia play.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
It's great to see you and we're just talking a
minute ago. This has been your career since you started
working out of school in sports and in doing fun
things like this.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Absolutely, but I'm about, you know, sixteen years into this
career and my very first job was a mascot, so
you know for who I was at the time. It
was the West Tennessee Diamond Jacks.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
I was a big gofer. Well, I love it, I
love it. Well, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I drove the thirteen Q Happy Honker as my first
job in radio, the promotional van that we'd go around
and hand out albums remember those days, which is pretty
much a mascot, right exactly. So well, welcome in the studio.
I appreciate you here. And before we talk about Jaegermeister
and how it affects, you know, soccer, you've brought something
for our producer, who is a huge soccer fan.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
I sure did.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
So.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
We are unveiling just yesterday our new Hunt for Glory Kit,
which is a new jersey that we're gonna be wearing
for this n season tournament that's coming up right, And Mackenzie,
we've actually brought you one of the jerseys for yourself
to have.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I'm literally about us are crying. I'm so excited. You
know where it is at? Look at that now?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Look wait a minute, it's got something written on the inside.
Is this a reversible jersey? It is reversible? So, but
the home and away kit is just one.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
So is this an official jersey? It is?
Speaker 2 (01:35):
It is?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Wow, you got a game jersey.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
I'm about to start playing out of since I was eight,
but you know, maybe it'll be good enough.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
And it's camo, dark camo on the front or well
on the outside, and then if you flip it reverse
it it's light camo on the inside.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
It's like camo.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
It's got the it's got like the deer stag antlers
on the light lighters, the lighter what we call the
white side.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
It's kind of you know, it's light green. That is awesome. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
So it's a completely reversible. So you know, it's it's
a two for one special if you hit your hands
in one of these. Oh my gosh, I have my
outfits plan for Saturday and Sunday and this is perfect.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
All right, let's talk about what's happening with Legion and boy,
the team has really expanded with you know, popularity and
attendance in Birmingham. And how is this league compared to
or relative to MLS Major League Soccer.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yeah, so it works a little bit different than you know, baseball.
So we are not directly tied to we are not
directly tied to a MLS team. We are two separate leagues, right,
two separate leagues. We are the highest classification of USL.
There is no team currently that is you know, higher as.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Far as league goes. We are on the highest, which
is great.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
And you know, we have our guys come from all
over the world.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
To play this sport.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Obviously, we have the World Cup coming up next year,
which is huge for soccer in America and we're expecting
a big boom from that, and so you know, the
sport is really taking off in the US and and
in Birmingham and in Birmingham.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
So when you talk about how you guys recruit and players.
Do some guys come from MLS down to this league,
if you can say down or over to this league,
and vice versa, guys from this league.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Go to the bigger league.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Or is the league as far as bigness and hugeness
about the same.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
No, that's exactly how it works. That's exactly how it works.
So that we have we have guys that have played
on MLS rosters. Are our CEO and Chief soccer officer,
Jay Heaps. He actually played and coached both in the MLS. Yeah,
so he's got he's got those kind of ties which
really helped things out.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Jay He's been here before. Yeah, Jay's been on the
gay probably many times.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So it's it's we have guys that are young in
their careers, and we have a few guys that have
made the transition back and forth between USL and MLS
quite a few.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Well, I got to tell you, I think soccer is
growing in popularity here. Obviously a huge sport globally. NFL
and college football still the bigger sports here. But you
go over to Homewood Park at any given you know,
soccer day during soccer season, and there's thousands of kids
playing soccer. So I would think the interest is growing
in this country. Do you get a lot of players
(04:22):
on you know, Legion's team from colleges and universities that
played soccer?
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Absolutely, Yeah, that's that's our that's our number one recruiting ground.
But then just as important as colleges is the big
trend for not just the USL, but American soccer in
general is fighting these kids when they're young. Yeah, talking
middle school rights, elementary school, and putting them in some
of the programs that we have our hands in, and
and and growing with them and us actually being their
(04:50):
coaches through our system and being able to make them
actually home grown not just in America American universities, but
Birmingham home grown and playing on our on our squad.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
All right, well, let's talk about what's happening right now
with Legion and Jaeger Mice during what the big tournament is.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
What's going on? Yeah for sure.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
So the main reason for unveiling this jersey, which you
can get at the game this Sunday, four o'clock at Protective,
The main purpose for this jersey is we are starting
the Yaeger Miser Cup, which is the USL Cup and
so USL a little different than other soccer, a little
different than traditional American sports. We have some mid season tournaments,
(05:28):
kind of like the NBA has, and so in this
mid season tournament is the first time that our league
of USL, the USL Championship, is actually playing against USL one,
which is the league under us So there's a lot
of excitement around Legion to go off and win this
new tournament. It's the first time that we've been in it,
(05:49):
the first time that this tournament very cool has been
structured this way, and there's a lot of excitement towards it.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
So it's Sunday. It's Sunday, Sunday, four o'clock, four.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
O'clock, let's go gonna be a nice day and get
your tickets and come on and get some of these
cool jar is ease to man, I'm so fired up
for Legion, and once again I see it happening, uh,
the growth in the excitement around the team and the
popularity of it growing as well.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Here. So Nick, great to meet you, good to see you. Great,
Thank you for having me. Thank You're welcome back anytime.
Thank you here tomorrow. He well, I won't be all
right
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