BRANDON J. WIGH
Most 15-year-old boys dream of being an All-Star in the NBA, a Pro-Bowler in the NFL or a home run hitter in the Major Leagues.
Lincoln Westcott, a communications major from Los Altos, Calif., had a different dream than most young men is age.
“Ever since I was 15-years-old I have dreamed of owning a soccer store,” Westcott said. “I have always been a huge fan of soccer, both on and off the soccer field.”
Ten years later, at the young age of 25, Westcott has now made his dream a reality. Four weeks ago, Westcott and Kyle Love, a BYU graduate, opened up a new soccer store in Orem — Soccer Rage.
Westcott felt that since soccer is the most popular sport in the world, running a soccer store would not only be a fun job but also a profitable business. Westcott said that a survey found Utah to have the number one participation rate of soccer per capita. According to the survey, 15 out of every 100 Utahns participate in soccer.
When Westcott first expressed his dream to others, all of them said he was crazy and that it would never work.
“When I was looking for a business partner, most of the people I asked laughed at the idea and told me that I was nuts,” Westcott said.”When I first approached Kyle he had the same reaction as everybody else. But I kept bugging him until finally he agreed to have the BYU Marriott School do a feasibility study.”
In a feasibility study, MBA students voluntarily figure out the costs and profit margins of running and operating a business. After the study they then recommend or discourage the proposed business.
“When we had BYU do the feasibility study I thought that the numbers would come back negative,” Love said. “I figured if the MBA students told us it wouldn’t work that Lincoln would stop pressuring me. However, the feasibility study not only came out positive but they also said opening a soccer store was a great idea.”
Westcott and Love hope Soccer Rage is just the beginning. Both expect growth in the sport and hope to eventually make Soccer Rage a national chain.To help Soccer Rage grow, Westcott was able to score Soccer Rage as the official sponsor of both BYU men’s and women’s soccer.
“Being able to sponsor BYU soccer has helped people become aware of Soccer Rage, ” Westcott said. “We have already seen a profitable increase by being the sponsor of BYU.”
At the BYU soccer games, Soccer Rage is allowed to advertise throughout the game and conduct halftime entertainment. In return, Soccer Rage provides the game balls and equipment for the game.
Soccer Rage, located at 63 West Center in Orem, will celebrate its grand opening Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Activities include free food and prizes. BYU soccer players will also be there to assist in the celebration.
