Eric Cadell Supports Son’s European Football Dream

Eric Cadell, Vice President of Operations at Dutch Hollow Supplies, Inc., his wife, Jessica, and his son, Chayse, at Munich Stadium.

Key takeaways:
• Dutch Hollow Supplies Executive Vice President Eric Cadell demonstrates the personal side of jan/san leadership by supporting his son Chayse’s emerging international soccer career.
• Cadell’s approach emphasizes helping his son evaluate options and prioritize enjoyment and personal happiness over pressure to pursue soccer professionally.

Eric Cadell takes the role of “soccer dad” to a whole new level. Eric, Executive Vice President of Dutch Hollow Supplies, Inc., and his wife, Jessica, have a soccer-playing son named Chayse who, at just 14, is already being scouted by European football (“soccer” as we know it in the United States) teams. 

“All my free time revolves around being a soccer dad,” says Eric.  

Chayse started playing soccer when he was 4 years old in a pre-kindergarten league. He kept advancing into more competitive leagues until second grade when his coach said, “Chayse is doing things on this field that should be on the cover of athletic magazines.”  

As he moved into the soccer world, Chayse participated in multiple summer programs. His performance at a particular five-day summer soccer camp in St. Louis resulted in an invitation for Chayse to travel to Barcelona. 

“I went to his coach and showed him the invitation,” Eric reflects. “He said, ‘You’re sending him, aren’t you?’ And we did.”  

In Barcelona, Chayse participated in 14 days of training sponsored by one of the world’s leading professional football clubs, FC Barcelona. According to Eric, European clubs like these include children from the United States in their summer programs as a way to introduce them to European-style football. They also cover the entire costs, minus airfare. 

“There is a more rigid plan to get into playing soccer in Europe than in the United States,” Eric adds.  

That plan includes inviting team scouts to watch the kids play, as well as scheduling activities for the parents. As part of the experience, parents are brought to the camp to go through their own form of training: an introduction to European football.  

“This is a great pathway for kids and their families who are interested in European football,” Eric shares. “It's also a way to get into the soccer academies, which is necessary to eventually get on a professional team.”  

After Chayse’s performance in Barcelona, the then 11-year-old was invited to go to Madrid the following summer. Since then, he has trained with various professional teams across Europe, including Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Arsenal FC, and Manchester United. As Chayse progresses in the sport, offers continue to roll in, the competition gets tougher, and the groups get smaller. 

“Could our son really perform professionally?” Eric says, describing the conversations he and Jessica have started having regularly. “What would it look like? How would it work for him to go to school overseas?” 

Eric notes that Chayse’s coach—a former professional footballer for Manchester United—has been helping with insights and options.  

“He can provide insight into what it means to attend a football club academy,” Eric says. “It’s about thinking deeper than just signing on with a team.”  

Chayse has received multiple offers for the upcoming school year to study and train in Europe or a European football club’s stateside academy. There are many options available and decisions to make.  

“It’s Chayse’s decision,” Eric says. “We’re helping him consider what all the options could look like. I hope he chooses to do whatever makes him happiest. We’re not obsessed with living through our kid. I don’t want it to become a job for him. I want Chayse to be interested, engaged, play, have fun, and love what he’s doing.” 

In the meantime, Eric is very much enjoying being a soccer dad. 

Gretchen Roufs, a 25-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns a marketing and public relations company in San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “Freetime,” contact her at Gretchen@GretchenRoufs.com.