The Soccer of Success: How the Beautiful Game Can Help You Achieve Goals in Business and Life

by Ciarán McArdle

Overview

Soccer is more than the world’s favorite sport. It’s more than the beautiful game. It’s a guide to successful living, at least if you know what you’re looking for. Ciaran McArdle has spent been an avid soccer fan his entire life. He’s even built his entire career around it: founding multiple soccer-based businesses. Over the years, he’s discovered all the life and business lessons you can learn from the game.

Every successful player and every great team follow the same strategies:

• They plan how to achieve their goals.
• They perform in every game.
• They recover and review their progress.
• And they build a team around the right principles.

Within each of these strategies, there are dozens of lessons you can implement in your life—such as how to organize your time, how to ensure focus on the tasks that really matter, and how to use failure to your advantage. Ciaran has assembled all these ideas and brought them together in The Soccer of Success.

For anyone who loves the game and wants more out of their life and career, this is the way to do it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798887505244
Publisher:	Forbes Books
Publication date:	01/28/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

As the Co-founder and CEO of XL Soccer World, CIARÁN MCARDLE has built his entire business around soccer. XL Soccer World operates ten sports facilities along the East Coast with millions of annual visitors. The company’s travel branch, XL Travel, has taken thousands of teams around the world to some of the most impressive pitches on the planet. The company was recently purchased by SoFive, a City Football Group company. In his latest project, Ciaran has launched XL Academy, a fully licensed school for gifted young soccer players seeking a future in the game.

Winner of “CEO of the Year” from the Orland Business Journal, Ciaran is also on the board of Coaches across Continents, an organization that has reached more than 49 million young people across hundreds of countries.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I. Plan
Chapter 1. The Hat Trick of Success
Chapter 2. An Eye for Goal
Chapter 3. The Big Three
Chapter 4. Prioritize Your Energy
Chapter 5. The Ninety-Minute Mindset
Chapter 6. Automatic First Touch

Part II. Perform
Chapter 7. Playing to Win
Chapter 8. Practice Makes Permanent
Chapter 9. Daily Improvement
Chapter 10. Mental Toughness
Chapter 11. Don’t Jump into Every Tackle

Part III. Recover/Review
Chapter 13. Postgame Review
Chapter 14. The Formula for Growth
Chapter 15. Facing Failure
Chapter 16. You Don’t Have to Be Ronaldo

Part IV. Extra Time: Leading a Team to Success
Chapter 17. The Need for Teams
Chapter 18. Building Your Best Team

Conclusion

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Ciaran's enlightening insights brilliantly show how the beautiful game's wisdom can lead to extraordinary achievement. It's a must-read for any soccer fan who is passionately pursuing excellence in all facets of their life."
— Michelyne Pinard
Coach of 3 x NCAA Champions

"As a former professional who encountered a few challenges when transitioning from the routine of professional sport I feel that this book will offer a succinct understanding to help others realise the transferable skills they have developed in their previous field which can assist them in making the transition into the next chapter of their life a more manageable journey Alternatively if you are just starting out on your new venture or life change the steps are there in the book to help you navigate this unpredictable terrain."
— Gary Teale
Former English Premier League and Scottish National Team player

"I never thought I would ever recommend taking advice from an Englishman let alone a Manchester United fan. However, I have personally witnessed the incredible business that Ciaran has built and sold. He is respected for his genuine commitment to soccer, his community and family. It is a rare opportunity to have a great leader allow you to peak into their playbook, do not miss this chance!"
— Brendan Moylan
Co-founder SOCCER.COM

"You don’t have to be a professional player to love and understand the game. Ciaran has embraced this and written a book for all soccer fans who want to use the lessons from the game as tools for success, in business and life."
— Robbie Mustoe
Premier League Studio Analyst, NBC Sports

"Ciaran’s background and clear passion for soccer have inspired a unique exploration of life’s challenges and triumphs through the lens of the beautiful game. With keen insight and clear analogies, he investigates how the soccer pitch mirrors our own journeys, offering invaluable lessons to help on our everyday pursuit of victory. A very interesting read that will make you reflect and act!"
— Luiz Muzzi
GM and Executive VP, Soccer Ops, Orlando City Soccer Club, MLS

"Following a twenty-year professional career, Ciaran’s book has allowed me to take all the lessons from the game and translate them perfectly into business fundamentals which has helped me tremendously in my post-playing career."
— Alan Smith
Premier League Winner and England International

"Ciaran has written a fantastic book for every soccer fan that teaches them how to plan, perform, and recover in both the long and short term, to ensure success in both business and life."
— Ally Mackay
General manager, DC United, Major Soccer League