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Coaching/Playing: Philadelphia KiXX Head Coach, Omid Namazi, Talks About His Dual Role by Sydney Nusinov he Head Coach of the M IS L Champi on Phi l ade l phi a K iX X is coming back to play another year. Player/coaches, not common in the ol d M I SL , became prevalent in the N P SL. The NPSL at that time was operating on a small budget and player/coaches were a way to save money. It was also hard to argue with success. Player/coaches won four chamJ pionships in the NPSL (Ji m Ga bar r a , Pa t o M ar get i c, Da r y l Do r an, and J im Sc hwa b) and T three in the W I SL (Tat u, twice, and I ai n Fr a s er ). No player/coach, however, won a championship in the old MISL, N AS L indoor, or the CISL. In the first season of the new MISL, the first championship went to the Philadelphia KiXX and their player/coach Omi d Na ma z i. Namazi, who will turn 38 in December, returns as a player/coach to the KiXX this season T to help them defend their title. The only other player/coach in the league is Tatu, whose Dal la s Si de k i ck s are joining the new league for the first time this year. It will be Namazi's 4th full season behind the KiXX bench since he took over the reigns from Dav e M a cW il l ia ms midway through the 1998-99 season. Omid, the NPSL's 2000-01 De f en der of t he Yea r sat down and answered some questions and gave some insights into the sports phenomenon known as the player/coach. Q. Why di d y ou be gi n l as t s e a s on s t r i c t l y a s a coa ch a n d w h a t p r o mp t e d y o u t o r e t u r n t o t he f i e l d? A . I started last season strictly as a coach due to the fact that with the new league, and its salary structure, and a cap in SUBSCRIBE TO GOAL INDOOR First Name ______________________ Last Name _________________________ M/F_______ Age _______ E-Mail Address _____________________ Street Address ________________________________ Telephone ____________ City ________________________ State _______ Zip/Postal Code ______-______ PLEASE SELECT THE OPTION THAT BEST CHARACTERIZES YOURSELF: I am a: o Player o Parent o Fan o Referee o Sponsor o Administrator OCCUPATION AND SCHOOL/BUSINESS NAME: ___________________, _____________ NAME OF INDOOR FACILITY/IES ATTENDED: ___________________________________ FAVORITE PRO TEAM OR LEAGUE: ___________________________________ HOUSEHOLD INCOME: o $0 - $25,000 o $25,001 - $50,000 o $50,001 - $75,000 o $75,001 - $100,000 o $100,000 + I WOULD LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE FOR: o One Year at $15 o Two Years at $25 EITHER MAIL CHECK T0 USINDOOR, P. O. BOX 6569, ARLINGTON, VA 22206, OR SUBSCRIBE ON LINE AT USINDOOR.COM 22 • Oct.-Nov. 2002 • G O A L Ind o o r place, it was impossible to fit all of our players under the cap, including myself. So I decided I wouldn't play unless someone went down with an injury, or if we needed to make changes at any time. Unfortunately, Ces idi o Col as ant e, our up and coming star player, went down with a season ending injury, and we were able to use the unused portion of his salary to sign myself, and at the same time keep everything under the cap. Q. How much l onger do y o u t h i n k y o u wi l l p l a y a n d wo u l d y ou l i k e t o c ont i nue co a chi ng wh en y o u r p l a y i n g d a y s a r e ov e r ? A . I will play as long as I stay healthy, and as long as I think I can still perform at a high level and contribute to my team on the field. As far as coaching after my playing career is over, absolutely yes. I enjoy the work I do as a coach, and the interaction I have with the players. Q. Is i t ea s ie r bei ng a pl ay er / c o a c h , o r j u s t a c o a c h ? (continued from page 21) plus pledge their balance sheets to borrow the rest from available banking resources. The same investor group, or a different set, can then be brought in to invest in the operating entity that has a much lower funding requirement, no collateral backing and a much higher risk/reward factor. Simultaneously, you should investigate the appetite of local build-to-suit developers. They are in the business of looking for projects to build or fund and then lease back to you. Properly setting up the real estate entity and understanding the construction and zoning requirements necessary to avoid building a "single-use" structure will be the key to finding a willing developer. What about the profit margin built in to a lease arrangement? Aren't you better off owning your own facility? If your investment group is interested in a real estate investment, there is nothing wrong with owning your own building. But whether it's your own group or a thirdparty developer, the profit margin on the real estate, and thus the cost to the operation, should be approximately the same. Don't worry about what someone else may make on the deal. The key is to make the arrangement that maximizes your investment and your interest in the project. A . Being a player/coach is a huge challenge. Not only are you responsible for 20 or so players that you have on the team, but you also have to make sure that your individual performance is up to the standard you set for the team. However I do enjoy being a player/coach, as I have come to find out it is much more stressful being just the coach in suit and tie on the bench. At least when you are out on the field playing you can let some of the fumes and anger out. Q. H ow do y ou r c oachi ng t e c h n i q u e s c h a n ge w h e n y o u a r e i n p l a y i n g mo d e ? A . I don't think I change much as a coach when I play. Q. W ha t coa ches d id y ou l ea r n t he mos t f r om? A . The coaches I would say I learned the most from would be Pe te Car i ngi , who is currently coaching at U M BC, and Dave MacWilliams my coach with the old Ba lt imor e Spi r i t, and also here in Philadelphia. The proper financing arrangement often will make the difference between long-term success of a project and a repeated cycle of crises and required capital infusions or forced sales. If you are not comfortable negotiating a multi-million dollar investment that will hold the key to your investment and years of work establishing a profitable indoor soccer/sports facility, then you should seek advice from someone with experience. You do not want to make a key mistake that will limit your prospect for success. And now that you have successfully negotiated a reasonable financing arrangement, what's next? Now the work begins. Stay tuned for future installments on starting your own facility. Norm Gill is the owner, developer, and operator of Sports Blast International (soccerblast.com), one of the nation's largest chain of indoor soccer complexes, and a member of USIndoor's Advisory Board of Directors. Pinnacle Indoor Sports is a member of USIndoor's team of professional consultants. Those desiring assistance in developing a sports facility are encouraged to visit USIndoor's online "Facilities" page at USIndoor.com and to complete the request form for additional information.

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