Skylar Thomas creates soccer playing cards
March 15, 2021
A unique business idea conceived while playing cards with teammates inspired Canadian soccer player Skylar Thomas to find a niche market.
Shortly after joining Charleston Battery in March 2017, he started coaching youths in South Carolina.
“I had a lot of time on my hands, so I thought it was time for me to start giving back to the young people in the community by sharing some of the knowledge and experiences I have acquired,” the 27-year-old centre back said.
The volunteering soon turned into a business.
“Kids came to me for individual training,” said Thomas who completed an undergraduate degree in Economics at Syracuse University in 2014. “We worked for about an hour on technique, agility and strength training. But when they were at home, they didn’t know what to work on to get better.”
Why not insert 52 different ‘at home workouts’ on a deck of playing cards?
“The more I thought about it, the more it made sense,” said the former Pickering Power Extreme and Ajax FC Gunners member. “I went straight to Amazon and purchased a blank set of cards and markers.”
Creating different exercises for the cards that his young athletes fell in love with led to the launch of KickDeck in August 2019.
“When I got the material from Amazon, I began scribbling and creating different exercises before giving them to my athletes and asking for feedback,” he noted. “I wanted to know if it was too easy, too hard and whether or not it was a fun activity.”
Skylar Thomas launched KickDeck two years ago (Photo contributed)
The positive responses inspired Thomas to create a product that provides young soccer players around the world with a fun, developmental and convenient way to train in their own environment.
Just by shuffling the deck and selecting random cards or using the letters on the cards to spell simple words, children can easily create and complete their own fun workouts.
A total of 13 cards each is dedicated to technique, juggling, strength and core.
“The only thing that’s required for every workout is a deck of cards and a soccer ball,” said Thomas who led Dunbarton High School to three Lake Ontario Secondary School championships. “The workouts can be completed on a field, in the gym or in your house in a very small area. And because the deck is being constantly shuffled, the workouts will be fresh and fun. As a kid, you are used to doing the same thing over and over. There are drills that I use that challenge me. They increase my fitness, technique and strength. It’s simple, fun and effective.”
The cards can be ordered through www.kick-deck.com.
The soccer playing cards generate fun and learning (Photo contributed)
Tom Croft, who ran the Ajax FC Gunners program, isn’t surprised that Thomas has embarked on an entrepreneurial journey.
“When we signed Skylar at around age 12, it was evident that he had leadership qualities and could do anything he set his mind to,” said Croft who owns FC Durham Academy. “He was our captain from the moment he arrived. He’s a go-getter and I could tell that when he got older, he’s the type of person that could run his own business.”
Selected 11th by Toronto FC in the 2015 Major League Soccer (MLS) Super Draft, Thomas spent 22 months with Toronto FC II in the USL. When his contract wasn’t renewed, he joined Charleston Battery for two seasons before becoming Valour FC’s first signing and team captain in the Canadian Premier League founded in 2017.
Released by the Winnipeg-based team after the inaugural season, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds signed him in February 2020.
Currently unattached, Thomas is weighing his options.
“I have been playing soccer my whole life and it’s definitely my first love,” he said. “I, however, love what I am doing with KickDeck and doing it full-time as a business is something I am thinking about. That would mean that I would have to hang up the boots. At the moment, I am trying to figure out what works best for me.”
Growing up, Thomas competed in track & field and played basketball and volleyball. Soccer, though, was the sport he gravitated to.
“With soccer, I had a lot of confidence every time I stepped on the field,” he pointed out. “I liked being outside and playing with my teammates. It also brought our family together as my dad coached me and my family were always there, cheering me on. That made me feel as if I was making them proud.”
On a full athletic & academic scholarship at Syracuse, Thomas left six years ago as a member of the Athletic Director’s Honour Roll.
Recruited by several National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One schools, there was never a doubt as to which university he was going to attend.
“Syracuse was at the top because of it’s close proximity to the Greater Toronto Area that meant I could go home for weekends and my parents, siblings and friends could come down occasionally and watch me play,” said Thomas who was a member of the 2011 Canadian Under-18 team. “It is also highly ranked in terms of education.”
With a dismal record of just five wins in 35 matches in 2009 and 2010 and in a rebuilding phase, much was expected of Thomas who didn’t disappoint.
In his sophomore season interrupted by a broken leg after making 11 starts, Syracuse made an NCCA tournament appearance for the first time since 1984 and, in 2014, reached the NCAA Round of 16.
“I always had a feeling that Syracuse was going to be a very good team and it was exciting to be part of that rebuilding,” said Thomas who co-captained the team in his final two years.
Thomas’ parents, Sydney and Sonia Thomas, are retired Toronto Police officers.
“They have been extremely supportive of me,” he said. “Now as I move forward and embark on more challenges, I know I will appreciate even more the substantive and substantial roles they have played in my life. I couldn’t ask for anything more from my parents.”
