We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ronald Garces. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ronald below.
Hi Ronald , thanks for joining us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?
When I started The Pro GK Academy, it wasn’t a business plan — it was a mission. I was a goalkeeper who knew how lonely that position could feel, and I wanted to create a place where goalkeepers could grow technically, mentally, and personally. What started with one field, two cones, and a handful of kids has now become one of the most respected goalkeeper academies in the U.S., training over 200 goalkeepers a year and developing players who have gone on to sign with professional clubs and academies like Inter Miami, Juventus Academy, and others across the country.
In fact, it was the work we did at The Pro GK Academy that opened those doors for me — not the other way around. As our goalkeepers began earning opportunities at top programs, it naturally led me to collaborate and eventually work inside those environments, bringing our philosophy and methods to a broader stage.
The growth wasn’t overnight. It was built on early mornings, late nights, and a willingness to evolve. At the beginning, I did everything myself — from coaching and scheduling to marketing and video editing. I made countless mistakes, but each one taught me something about leadership, systems, and building culture.
The turning point came when I stopped thinking like a coach and started building a development ecosystem. I designed a curriculum around the 5x Corner Model (technical, tactical, physical, psychological, and social), created individual development plans (IDPs) for every goalkeeper, and implemented systems to track growth and accountability. From there, we launched high-performance camps, mentorship programs, and a structure that connected on-field work with off-field growth.
Scaling up wasn’t just about getting bigger — it was about getting better. I began surrounding myself with the right people: passionate coaches, performance specialists, and creative professionals who believed in the same vision. We focused on storytelling — showing the process, not just the highlights — to inspire players and families who shared our values of love, discipline, and winning habits.
Today, The Pro GK Academy operates across multiple locations, collaborates with clubs and brands, and continues to grow through purpose-driven work. Every phase still feels like the first — hungry, humble, and committed to being 1% better every day.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Ronald Garcés, and I’m the founder of The Pro GK Academy, a high-performance goalkeeper development program based in South Florida. I’m a professional goalkeeper coach, sports and performance mentor, and certified mental coach specialized in goalkeeping. My journey in this industry started long before The Pro GK Academy existed — it began with my own story as a young goalkeeper chasing opportunities, making sacrifices, and realizing how much guidance and structure this position truly needed.
After years of coaching at different levels and seeing the gaps in goalkeeper development, I decided to create something that didn’t exist — an academy built around the person first, athlete second. The Pro GK Academy started with just a handful of goalkeepers and a vision: to help them become complete athletes, strong minds, and better human beings.
Today, The Pro GK Academy has grown into a full goalkeeper ecosystem — offering structured training sessions, mentorship programs, IDP-based development plans, performance tracking, and high-performance camps throughout the year. We also work with partner clubs and organizations to provide professional goalkeeper training systems that align with modern football standards.
What makes us different is our philosophy. We don’t just teach how to make saves — we teach how to build winning habits, discipline, and purpose. Every goalkeeper that walks into our program learns to focus on the 5x Corner Model — technical, tactical, physical, psychological, and social development — ensuring their growth is not just athletic but holistic.
Our mission is to develop goalkeepers who win on and off the field. And what I’m most proud of is seeing our goalkeepers earn scholarships, sign with professional academies, and, more importantly, become confident, disciplined young men and women with a sense of purpose.
At the heart of everything we do are our values: love, discipline, and winning habits. That’s what defines The Pro GK Academy — and that’s the legacy we’re building every single day.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I first started The Pro GK Academy, I had no facility, no staff, and no investors — just a vision and a few goalkeepers who believed in me. I remember driving from park to park in the Miami heat, carrying all the equipment in the trunk of my car, setting up cones before sunrise, and breaking everything down after dark. There were weeks when only two goalkeepers showed up, and moments when I questioned if it was even possible to keep going.
But deep down, I knew this was bigger than me. I wasn’t just building a business — I was building a movement. A place where goalkeepers could feel seen, challenged, and supported. That belief kept me going through every setback, from weather cancellations to financial uncertainty to people telling me that “goalkeeping alone” couldn’t be a full-time academy.
Then one day, everything began to shift. The same goalkeepers who trained with me at public parks started getting scouted. Some signed with professional academies. Parents began spreading the word. Before long, The Pro GK Academy grew into a community that represented passion, purpose, and perseverance.
What kept me resilient was understanding why I started — to make a difference in the lives of young goalkeepers. Every challenge became part of that purpose. That same mindset is what I now teach every player who wears our logo: when life challenges you, don’t complain — adjust, grow, and move forward 1% better every day.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Without a doubt, the most effective strategy for growing The Pro GK Academy has been results and relationships — not ads or shortcuts. From day one, my focus wasn’t on how many goalkeepers I could train, but on how deeply I could impact the few who trusted me. That approach naturally built trust, word of mouth, and a culture that people wanted to be part of.
Every time one of our goalkeepers developed, signed with a club, or simply gained confidence and discipline in life, their story became our marketing. Parents talked, coaches noticed, and soon we weren’t chasing players — they were finding us.
We also built a strong digital presence around authentic storytelling. Instead of polished highlight reels, we shared the behind-the-scenes moments — the early mornings, the sweat, the emotion, the teaching. That honesty connected with families because it showed what The Pro GK Academy truly stands for: love, discipline, and winning habits.
Over time, we structured everything — our communication, mentorship programs, and events — to create a complete experience, not just a training session. Players and parents feel they’re part of something bigger than themselves, and that’s the foundation of real, lasting growth.
So for me, the strategy was simple: serve people first, deliver results, and stay consistent. The rest — the following, the recognition, the partnerships — all came naturally from that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ksgkacademyfl.com/
- Instagram: @gkacademyfl
