AUSTIN, Texas — Five years ago, Teddy Vickers was working at Enterprise, renting cars out during the day while at night, driving his own car all over Central Texas training promising young soccer players. But his journey actually begins much earlier than that, on an entirely different continent.
Tucked away off US 183 sits the Homestead Shopping Center. There you'll find familiar places like Petco and Barnes & Noble. But you'll also find a place that seemingly looks out of place. Yes, in the midst of a typical shopping center sits a soccer academy.
Vickers is the owner and operator of First Touch Soccer Academy. Inside, there is a sign that reads, "Caution, Ballers Only."
"This place is a community place where kids come to elevate their playing ability from where they are to take it to the next level," Vickers told KVUE.
Vickers said his training facility acts as a bridge between local competitive soccer players and aspiring professionals.
"We have fresh new concepts, with fresh ideas and good training," Vickers said.
More than 400 students of the game, as young as 5 and as old as 27, travel to train with Vickers.
But five years ago, it was Vickers who was traveling all over to train. His efforts gained steam – enough for him to open up a small spot. As word continued to get around, more people wanted to train with him, so he was able to open up a much larger shop, equipped with both indoor and outdoor turf training surfaces.
"Teddy has taught me to be more daring during the game," Westwood freshman varsity soccer player Nadia Giannetti said. "I feel like I'm less timid, as well."
Giannetti has trained with Vickers for about five years.
"I always think that when you come in here, it's always a positive vibe," Giannetti said.
Those positive vibes are intentional. Take one step inside, and you'll see yellow smiley face balloons all over the place.
"We've got a lot of smiling faces," Vickers explained. "My favorite balloons. Why? I want them to remember it's a joyful place to smile. Have fun."
These vibes did not just happen overnight. In fact, Teddy's story begins 8,500 miles away.
"I started as a youngster playing soccer in the streets of Ethiopia, and that gave me this opportunity," Vickers said. "Brought me to the United States."
His parents worked two jobs just to provide for the family. At 11 years old, he was adopted by the Vickers, a loving second family from Franklin, Texas.
"It was a great opportunity for me," Vickers said. "And also, I did want to come in, take this step to better myself and my family."
Vickers was forced to learn a brand-new language – English – and actually admitted to having a more challenging time learning how to eat new, American food.
"For like, three months, I had a very difficult time eating a lot of the different foods," Vickers said. "Now we have a pizza almost every other day."
Much like his appetite for pizza, Vickers' journey in the U.S. took time. First, he became a U.S. citizen. Then he had to adjust to life in Franklin. But Soccer remained a staple throughout. He later played soccer and earned his degree at Concordia University.
Vickers certainly has a lot to be proud of regarding his journey from Ethiopia to Texas.
"Proud of the tenacity, being able to continue and being able to accomplish my dream – and not in a way I thought, soccer-wise. But in an actually better way, it worked out," Vickers said. "It's brilliant."