United Kingdom-born twin brothers Frankie and Tommie Hession-Harris translated their skills on the pitch to soccer scholarships at California State University Dominguez Hills. Now with their two franchise concepts, they aim to help more young athletes do the same.
Frankie Hession-Harris launched Ballers Elite in 2019 as a ball mastery and technical training program for youth football—aka soccer—players ages 5 to 14. “We’re about developing players and their technical ability,” he said, also incorporating “street football elements” to encourage creativity and problem solving on the pitch.
Hundreds of kids have gone through the program “and we’ve developed more than 40 into pro players at clubs like Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Man City, West Ham United,” Hession-Harris said. Now with 11 locations in England and a growing franchise system, Ballers Elite is looking to develop its presence in the United States alongside Player Path, the company created by Tommie Hession-Harris to help players secure American college and university soccer scholarships.
Groe Global Brands, an investment division of U.K.-based Groe Global Outsourced Franchise Management, acquired a majority stake in Ballers Elite and Player Path in July, with Groe founder Sean Goldsmith as the lead investor. Formed in 2018, Groe Global also owns Skill Samurai, a coding school franchise with 16 locations in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Singapore.
Twin brothers and former collegiate soccer players Frankie, left, and Tommie Hession-Harris want to expand their youth sports programs in the United Kingdom and United States.
Goldsmith’s international franchise experience stretches back more than two decades and includes stints at Anytime Fitness U.K. and as a board member of the British Franchise Association. He said he sees an opportunity to create a pathway for athletes to develop their talent at a young age with Ballers Elite, with some going directly to professional clubs and others on to play in college with help from Player Path. Skill Samurai will also have a role.
“We see this opportunity to get students involved across the different brands, to do coding education with Skill Samurai as part of Player Path to create well-rounded student-athletes,” said Goldsmith.
“We want to build into kids that education is just as important, if not more important, than football,” said Frankie Hession-Harris.
Tommie Hession-Harris, who after college went on to play professionally for clubs including Tonbridge Angels and Cheshunt, started Player Path in 2019. Its program involves a trial day where prospective players are evaluated for their potential to succeed at the collegiate level. For those selected, Player Path creates promotional videos and highlight reels, along with an online player profile, then draws on its database that includes 99 percent of U.S. college coaches and recruiters.
“Frankie and I, we were both All-Americans and we have strong reputations and relationships with coaches and recruiters,” said Tommie Hession-Harris as he noted Player Path has a 100 percent success rate securing scholarships. He hosts a showcase event each year in England that’s attended by numerous U.S. scouts and coaches and is also livestreamed.
Sean Goldsmith and his Groe Global Brands acquired a majority stake in Ballers Elite and Player Path.
“There’s a huge demand for these services in the states,” said Goldsmith. “The U.S. is very much a target for franchise expansion, and we also see opportunity in many countries where the kids are so disadvantaged but so talented. We want to help provide them with access and that visibility.”
As for prospective franchisees, Goldsmith said several well-known athletes are interested, and Frankie Hession-Harris noted he recently signed a franchise agreement with Ollie Eagle, a former West Ham United F.C. player. Former professional soccer players, he continued, often face similar challenges after leaving the game as professional athletes in the U.S., where many struggle financially and emotionally.
Many professional footballers in the Premier League, where they’re earning £100,000 a week, will go bankrupt within four years of retiring, said Hession-Harris. He hopes to bring more former players into Ballers Elite and Player Path as franchisees, where they can remain connected to the game.