Straight From The Training Ground Soccer Podcast
A podcast championing accessible, community-level soccer in the U.S. through interviews with grassroots players, coaches, and innovators.
This is a podcast that deliberately turns its focus away from major professional leagues to spotlight the foundation of American soccer. Through interviews with figures from semi-pro clubs like the Columbus Eagles (WPSL) and Columbus Astray (UPSL), as well as youth development experts, the show explores the challenges and triumphs of the grassroots game. It's a platform for the people building soccer culture at the local level, discussing everything from coaching philosophy to the financial realities of lower-league teams.
“Unlike most soccer podcasts that analyze professional leagues, this show's distinction is its hyper-focus on the American grassroots and amateur scene. It gives a voice to the often-overlooked teams and individuals who are foundational to the sport's culture in the United States.”
Who hosts this show
Straight From The Training Ground is a podcast focused on making soccer accessible for everyone, regardless of background. It highlights stories from local communities, from the streets to stadiums, to share a love for the game. The show is the official podcast partner of The Soccer Rebellion, an organization that promotes pick-up street soccer leagues and works to create an inclusive soccer culture in the U.S.
Credentials & credits
- Podcast Host
- Soccer Coach
- Co-founder of The Soccer Neighborhood
Other ventures
- The Soccer Rebellion (Partner)
- The Soccer Neighborhood (Co-founder)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United States
- Region
- usa
When new episodes drop
- 01Why Street Soccer Matters More Than Ever I Giovanni PaciniJun 17, 2026 · 27 min
- 026 Things Every Sports Fan Needs To Know To Enjoy The World CupJun 11, 2026 · 7 min
- 03Columbus is Talking About the NWSL...the Eagles Have Been HereMay 30, 2026 · 11 min
- 04The Reality of Being a College Athlete With Celiac DiseaseMay 27, 2026 · 14 min
- 05616 United Is Ready for the Bridge Street LeagueMay 8, 2026 · 26 min
- 06How Columbus Astray Is Building Something Different In The UPSLMay 6, 2026 · 14 min
- 07Bridge Street League Is Here…And It’s DifferentApr 30, 2026 · 26 min
- 08How He Built a Vintage Soccer Store I Retro Screamers StoryApr 30, 2026 · 21 min
Notable episodes
- 01Why Street Soccer Matters More Than Ever I Giovanni Pacini
This interview with author Giovanni Pacini encapsulates the show's core philosophy on unstructured play and authentic player development.
- 02Columbus is Talking About the NWSL...the Eagles Have Been Here
Highlights the show's mission to feature established local clubs, like the WPSL's Columbus Eagles, that form the backbone of women's soccer in their communities.
- 036 Things Every Sports Fan Needs To Know To Enjoy The World Cup
Demonstrates the show's versatility with a solo-hosted explainer format designed to make the sport more accessible to casual fans.
What you'll be asked on this show
The podcast primarily follows an interview format, with host Jay speaking to players, coaches, and founders from the American soccer community. Occasionally, the host will produce a solo-hosted explainer episode on topics like the World Cup rules. The tone is passionate, optimistic, and deeply supportive of the guests and their missions within the sport.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
- “What have you learned about your team so far this season?”
- “What do you wish more people in the community knew about your club?”
- “From a coaching/player's perspective, what does the team need to be successful?”
- “What kind of mentality does the team need heading into the next game?”
- “What was the motivation that made you say, 'I have to [start this project/write this book]?'”
- “How would you define the street soccer mentality?”
Signature segments
- · Intro: 'Welcome to another edition of Straight from the Training Ground...'
- · Outro: 'Until next time, Straight from the Training Ground.'
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically coaches, players, and founders from the American grassroots soccer ecosystem. This includes representatives from WPSL and UPSL teams, as well as authors and entrepreneurs focused on youth development and street soccer.
- Giovanni Pacinion Why Street Soccer Matters More Than Ever I Giovanni Pacini
- Tony Danielson Columbus is Talking About the NWSL...the Eagles Have Been Here
- Jaimason Brookeron Columbus is Talking About the NWSL...the Eagles Have Been Here
- Brooklyn Herberton The Reality of Being a College Athlete With Celiac Disease
- Jay DeMeriton From The Back Of The Line To The World Cup- Jay DeMerit's Mission To Help Youth Through Technology
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast utilizes affiliate codes and partnerships with soccer-centric brands like Duktig FC and Salt Athletic, suggesting a direct-to-consumer sponsorship model aimed at an audience of active players and coaches.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch this show
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People also ask
- Who is the host of the podcast?
- The host is identified as Jay. In an episode with guest Jay DeMerit, the host's name is mentioned as Jason.
- What is Straight From The Training Ground about?
- It's a soccer podcast that focuses on the grassroots and community levels of the game in the United States, promoting accessibility and sharing stories from local teams and innovators.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, based on the episode list, the podcast releases new episodes on a weekly basis as of June 2026.
- What is the format of the show?
- The primary format is interviews with players, coaches, and founders from the American soccer community. The host also occasionally records solo episodes explaining soccer concepts.
- How can I pitch a guest or topic?
- The podcast's official website and YouTube description provide a contact email and a form for submitting ideas and nominating guests.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Straight From The Training Ground - Official Websitestr8fromthetrainingground.com
- [02]Straight From The Training Ground Soccer Podcast - YouTubeyoutube.com
- [03]From The Back Of The Line To The World Cup- Jay DeMerit's Mission To Help Youth Through Technologyyoutube.com
- [04]Straight From The Training Ground - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
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