YOUR NAofA EXECUTIVE TEAM HAS PAVED THE WAY FOR YOUR SUCCESS!
The NAofA Executive team is dedicated to your success.
The leadership experience at the National Academy of Athletics is uniquely qualified. They are passionate about the quality of their programs and the services they provide to their Community Partners, parents, and participants. With a proven track record of success, they have a TEAM mindset and want every relationship to be a WIN.WIN.WIN.
The Partners of the NAofA came together with 5 goals:
AARON LOCKS
Athlete, Coach, Mentor, Speaker, Author
Aaron Locks is our Founder & CEO, the producer of our trademarked teaching method, talk.teach.PLAY!®, and the lead developer of our program curriculums. Aaron is a very hands-on CEO. Beyond the support he gives to the Executive Team, Aaron works closely with Franchisees to ensure their success. He is readily available to answer questions and provide support, and his background is unsurpassed in the Youth Sports Industry.
Aaron works for you.
- Visits your territory for 2 days of “in-the-field” sales training.
- Helps to develop your team of program Directors and Coaches to ensure your staff well represents our NAofA brand.
- Guides your coaches through our Talk, Teach, Play.® trademarked coaching method.
- Delivers CEO Weekly to your inbox to keep you updated on industry news, company announcements, and weekly task management based on the season.
- Creates opportunities with business development strategies for your territory to increase your revenue.
Aaron earned his BA in Communications from Sonoma State University with a minor in business and spent the last 4 decades working in sports. Aaron is a father, author of The Coach’s Best Friend series of books, trainer, coach, speaker, and entrepreneur. His background includes working with various professional organizations: The Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, Oakland A’s, Sportsworld, and legendary coaches John Wooden, Pat Riley, George Karl, Don Nelson, Greg Popovich, and Dusty Baker.
LAREE MANCOUR
Athlete, Coach, Trainer, Entrepreneur- PPR, USAPA, AFAA, WIFA
Laree Mancour is our Managing Partner and CBO. Laree became a partner of the NAofA in 2018. Her background as a brand strategist, website developer, and Sales and Marketing training professional was just the addition the team needed to plan for territory expansion. Design and developer of the company Intranet, Laree has paved the way to support and educate new franchisees. Knowing the values and life lessons she learned as an athlete throughout her life, Laree is extremely passionate about bringing the NAofA programs to children nationwide. That begins with you.
Laree works for you.
- Streamlined the onboarding process to get your business up and running
- Provides an introduction to our brand and business model
- Mentors and supports you throughout your online and virtual training
- Develops your presence on the Internet (website, social media, directories)
- Supports your development to create a marketing plan and strategies within your territory
- Provides corporate resources to support the launch of your territory
Laree has remained an athlete throughout her life. Part of a start-up early in her career, Laree was in charge of Operations, Brand Strategy, and Sales & Marketing. The company was sold to its largest competitor in less than 2 years, where she became the Global Partner Developer. Laree continued to climb the corporate ladder as an Executive Sales, Marketing & Relationship Development Trainer at a Fortune 500 Company. Leaving the corporate world to follow her passion for athletics, she successfully launched her Marketing and Consulting business in 2007, helping entrepreneurs launch their own sports and health-related businesses. In 2018 she was contracted by Aaron Locks, which led to her partnership and dedication to the National Academy of Athletics.
MICHAEL STONE
Athlete, Coach, Entrepreneur
Michael Stone is the Director of Operations at the NAofA. Our Director of Operations is a visionary who has helped to create the company culture, collaborative environment and oversees our company’s operational processes. He ensures the staff has a beautiful place to work while creating a superb customer experience.
Michael works for you.
- Supports Franchisees in their sales strategies
- Optimize the NAofA operating capabilities
- Employs strategies to maximize your customer’s satisfaction
- Helps you to establish your company’s operational procedures and use our technology to stay in compliance
Michael is a former NFL athlete turned entrepreneur. After 7 years in the NFL, he put up the pads & founded the premier membership organization for professional athletes with the goal of leveraging strategic relationships with product and service providers. Michael was the Founder and Executive Dir. of the Professional Athlete Franchise Initiative, Founder and CEO of Coliseum Enterprises. Michael holds a BA from the University of Memphis and participated in the NFL Exec Education Programs at Stanford, Wharton, and Kellogg Business Schools.
DR. MIKE HERBERT
Professor, Athlete, Coach, Mentor
Mike Herbert is our Director of Physical Education. Dr. Herbert is the Director of Athletics at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, Oregon. He has spent the last 25 years working in education and athletics at every level possible. Mike has coached basketball at the NCAA Div. 2, junior college, high school levels, and various youth sports camps over the past 25 years. He has taught physical education at middle and high school levels while holding teaching credentials in New Mexico, Texas, and Oregon.
Mike works for you.
- Supports Franchisees in understanding the inner working of the education system
- Mentors you on creating value and becoming an asset to School Partners
- Match our curriculum to the individual standards of your county or state
- Will educate and train all key FTF instructors
Mike has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in teaching and coaching. Dr. Herbert earned his Ph.D. in 2007 from the University of New Mexico in Health, PE, and Recreation with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction and a minor in Educational Psychology. Dr. Herbert has also helped to design curriculum for college courses, including, Theory of Coaching, Sociology of Sport, and Sport Psychology. Mike is first and foremost a father to his two kids, Joseph and Jackson, who participate in various youth sports, and his wife, Megan Corriea, currently the head softball coach at SWOCC. #beBETTER.
GREG COLEMAN
Athlete, Coach, Mentor, Entrepreneur
Greg Coleman is our Director of Municipalities and Recreation. Greg dedicated over 3 decades of his career working in the Parks and Recreation profession. Most recently he was the Recreation Supervisor for the City of Napa Parks & Recreation managing the City’s Youth and Adult sports division. Greg partnered with the NAofA and has first hand experience benefitting from the services we provide. Greg joined the NAofA in 2022.
Greg works for you.
- Supports Franchisees in sales and relationship building with City Parks & Recreation personnel
- Mentors you on creating value and becoming an asset to City Partners
- Supports strategies to maximize your customer’s satisfaction
- Helps you to establish your partnerships
Greg had many great mentors who contributed to his success as a coach, as an administrator, and as a parent. He believes having the right people to help guide you through life results in far greater success than being on your own. His coaching career began at age 16 and continued throughout the next 3 decades. His greatest accomplishment was successfully coaching his own four boys over the 17 years they were involved in organized sports.
JOIN THE YOUTH SPORTS FRANCHISE PARENTS & KIDS LOVE!
We are eager to partner with passionate, sports-minded entrepreneurs who enjoy working with kids. Extensive experience in early childhood and physical education isn’t necessary. If you love kids and believe in making a difference in their health and well-being, and love sports, and believe there is no better way for a child to learn valuable life lessons than playing youth sports, then we will teach you the rest! All it takes is your passion and drive to be successful.
This is a great academy! Aaron has always been so committed to providing the best camps for kids to attend. The staff is a group of very motivated, enthusiastic, and dedicated people who love to work with kids and help them improve their skills and love for the game. I recommend this academy to any parents out there who want their kids to not only learn the game but to have a fun time while doing it.
I am a high school basketball official who has attended several of Aaron Locks’s basketball officiating camps throughout the last several years. Aaron has a wealth of experience in basketball officiating at all levels. He has been trained by John Wooden, Pat Riley, and Dave Libbey, to name a few. At his officiating camps, he is high-energy, as is the rest of his staff. I have learned a lot from him about basketball and officiating. I would recommend attending his camps if you want to improve your craft of basketball officiating. It’s well worth the expense and effort!!!!
“Our little league is so much better prepared for the season. The combination of the player’s clinics, coaching clinic, and parent orientation was a great way to make sure that everyone was on the same page. The feedback from everyone has been incredible. The communication with the Area Captain and home office is great.”
“Our program has over 3,000 participants each year. The National Academy of Athletics has been an instrumental part of our success. The coaches do an amazing job of presenting topics in a manner that is engaging, entertaining, and hits home.”
“The camps are run very well. Aaron trains the staff at the National Academy of Athletics to be enthusiastic and attentive to the needs and moods of the kids. We have received nothing but positive feedback from parents and kids. I was unsure of how everyone would buy into what Aaron was presenting. However, I must say that he did it. I received very positive feedback from our coaches, players, and parents. We are looking forward to taking the next step with Aaron next season.”
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NAofA FRANCHISE
*Disclaimer: This website and the franchise sales information on this site do not constitute an offer to sell a franchise. The offer of a franchise can only be made through the delivery of a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). Certain states require that we register the FDD in those states. The communications on this web site are not directed by us to residents of any of those states. Moreover, we will not offer or sell franchises in those states until we have registered the franchise (or obtained an applicable exemption from registration) and delivered the FDD to the prospective franchisee in compliance with applicable law.