Courtesy of Versus
Ali Krieger and David Copeland-Smith
In August, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol and his wife, Amber Marmol, launched their sports ed-tech app Versus with baseball and fast-pitch softball content. The Marmols were inspired to create a sports ed-tech app when Oliver was transitioning from player to coach. Parents approached him for lessons, and he learned that the quality of some online instruction was poor. And it wasn’t just because it was filmed on an iPhone in a garage. “There were a lot of people who weren't experts but who were claiming to be experts,” he told St. Louis Magazine last spring. He wanted to hear from elite athletes and their coaches. Now app users will get to hear from those in a different sport: Versus has added a roster of soccer stars who can help kids learn everything from juggling fundamentals, to performing under pressure, to overcoming adversity.
Versus works like this: Users choose a subscription package and then are allowed to access content where their favorite athletes teach a lesson and then answer their questions using conversational AI. It’s sort of like MasterClass but with an additional component of discussion between the user and the athlete. There are three subscription tiers. The first is free and comes with one video session and 10 interactive questions. The second is $199, billed annually, and comes with unlimited video sessions and 20 interactive questions per month. The third is $299, billed annually, and includes unlimited video sessions, unlimited interactive questions, and behind-the-scenes content.
The new soccer vertical includes lessons from:
- Tyler Adams, a midfielder for Premier League Team Leeds United
- Tim Howard, a former U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team goalkeeper, considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers in American soccer history
- Kelley O’Hara, a two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, and current defender for the Washington Spirit and the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team
- Ashlyn Harris, a two-time world champion and current goalkeeper at NY/NJ Gotham FC
- Ali Krieger, an Olympian, two-time world champion, and current defender at NY/NJ Gotham FC
- David Copeland-Smith, the creator of Beast Mode Soccer, and mentor to top athletes including Alex Morgan, Rachel Daly, and Kristie Mewis
Courtesy of Versus
The full Versus soccer lineup
Eric Frye, Versus' CEO, says that feedback from parents whose children use the app has been that Versus is helpful in understanding the mindset challenges that athletes face.
“While there's interest, obviously, in their child improving from a skills perspective, they also realize their child faces tremendous social pressure,” Frye says. “As an athlete, I can tell you, I would love to go back and compete at 12 years old with the mindset I have today as an adult. The mindset content has been key. And a lot of kids find it very cool to be able to ask their favorite athlete questions.”
And if users are unsure of where to start, the courses can help. Each course has a topics list where kids can choose to ask pre-selected questions that appeal to them, versus having to think of queries on their own.
Frye is mum on the next sport to drop, but app users can keep an eye out for specialty content around recovery, nutrition, sleep, and more. “World-class athletes will tell you that yes, they had talent,” he says. “Yes, they probably had support along the way. They had resources along the way. But those resources often included some of the world's best in sleep, nutrition, fitness, all those things that help them optimize their performance over time.”
Watch a trailer of O'Hara's course on defensive soccer footwork and strategy below:
