PROtential Sports is a unique after-school program and summer camp. Founders Tony and Nyree Bland shared their uncommon approach to children and sports. Tony said, “We like to think that all of the kids have professional potential – not just in sports.” He explained that they hope to instill skills that transcend sports and will be applicable to every facet of life. Integrating Christ-like characteristics into a sports program for children came naturally to these former professional athletes. They enjoy the correlation between their spiritual walk and athletics. Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” The principles taught at PROtential Sports will long outlast a child’s youth. These seeds sown will undoubtedly generate fruit in later years and produce well-rounded individuals who display respect, kindness, and compassion toward others.
PROS
Tony was raised in St. Petersburg by his evangelist grandmother. She was also a social worker and her personal mission in life was to bring people to Jesus. Tony spent much of his youth in the church and explained that because of his background, his foundation is deeply rooted in the Spirit. He went on to play football and attend Florida A&M University, where he majored in Political Science. After earning his degree, he walked onto the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings as a free agent where he played for four years. He also spent a little time with the Tampa Bay Storm before retiring from the game.
While playing in the NFL, Tony met his wife Nyree during an off season. A couple of years later they were married. As a youth, Nyree played tennis and was ranked #1 in North Carolina. She traveled around the nation competing against other top ranked junior players. However, Nyree was sidelined early on in her professional career due to a serious back injury. This led her to the fulfilling profession of a Tennis PRO, teaching the game she was devoted to as a young woman. “She enjoys inspiring children to visualize dreams and go after them” (www.protentialsports.com).
The Birth of PROtential
Tony wasn’t pleased with being cut from the NFL. He thought that God desired for him to continue playing in the NFL, but it didn’t work out. Consequently, Tony wanted nothing to do with football. He then switched to the mortgage business. “I applied all of the same principles of sports to mortgages,” Tony said. He worked hard and was blessed financially; however, deep in his spirit, he knew God was calling him in another direction. He just didn’t know what it was yet. Tony began to realize that he needed to let go of any bitterness he felt towards football and be thankful that God had blessed him with the opportunity to even play in the NFL at all. Tony recognized that God had gifted him with his athletic ability for a reason and was preparing him for an even greater career of impacting the lives of children.
Tony followed the Lord’s leading and left the mortgage business. Nyree explained, “God blessed him with a vision to do a football camp,” in the summer of 2003. His good friend and old teammate, Brad Johnson, came out along with other players and speakers to encourage and motivate the kids. The three-week camp was overwhelmingly supported by the community and 300 kids attended.
During this first camp, Tony said, “That’s where I found out that I can actually speak to kids and influence them and inspire them to do better.” More recently he’s had the opportunity to speak to kids at schools and share with them how sports have affected his life. After the success of the summer camp, Nyree said, “People were [asking] what are we going to do next and God directed us to start an after-school sports program.”
Making a Difference
PROtential Sports is more than a youth sports program; it’s making a difference in lives of children well beyond the physical activity of athletics. The purpose of the program is to teach valuable principles alongside the sports, such as discipline, how to listen, respect for others, teamwork, leadership, and encouragement, among others. Tony said, “You don’t have to be a great athlete to succeed here.” Nyree added, “We are trying to teach life lessons through sports: patience, honesty, perseverance, integrity, character, being excited for someone else’s victory, and good sportsmanship.” As former professional athletes, the Blands understand that characteristics like these need to be taught and preferably at an early age. They coach the children on how to appreciate teammates, and show respect to the coach by listening and executing requests. It’s not about competition. PROtential Sports is different than other sports programs in that their main goal is to teach these guiding values over the technique of a specific game. The Blands and their coaches are speaking into the kids and showing them what sports have done in their lives beyond their athletic careers.
Tony explained that many athletes later in life will accredit their success to an earlier coach who made an impact on them. “The program is aimed to target these moments and really get our coaches to relate with the kids,” he said. The coaching staff are all athletes who have played a sport in high school, in college, or professionally. Tony and Nyree hire coaches that have a passion for sports and knowledge about the coach-player relationship. Tony explained that he oversees the coaches and teaches them the principles of coaching. The coaches aren’t necessarily drilling the kids on technique, but rather teaching those useful principles in an athletic environment. The kids aren’t the only ones impacted by this program; the coaches are also positively affected by their jobs. They are required “to be on the straight and narrow,” as Tony put it. They have to be disciplined and stay out of trouble to remain a coach at PROtential Sports. They become role models to these children and have to live their lives in a way that reflects the values they teach.
Sports Programs
The after-school program is offered to children ages 5 to 12 between the hours of 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. This program started with only 3 kids; however, Tony and Nyree stayed faithful to what the Lord had called them to do. The next year they had 10 kids and the next 20. Eight years later, the program now teaches over 100 kids each week during the school year with a staff of 12-16 coaches. The after-school program offers two to three different sports a day, as well as a snack and rest time. The children receive a lot of individual attention because they are put into small groups for the drills and exercises. PROtential Sports is a basic camp that provides the opportunity for the kids to learn about most sports. “We do soccer, football, lacrosse, basketball, tennis, and golf. We want the kids to be able to touch almost every sport,” Tony said. The sports are set up in drills, rather than games, so they can learn the fundamentals of each sport. During each drill, a child is performing and the rest of the group watches and cheers them on. This set-up also gives the coaches an opportunity to individually instruct each child, which is not possible while playing a game. Tony explained, “You can’t stop in the middle of a game and do a teaching point or a lesson on how to show sportsmanship. In a drill you can control it and stop the [activity and talk with the kids].”
During the summer PROtential Sports sees up to 250 kids, ages 5 to 15, with a coaching staff of 20-24. The camp runs from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tony described that a typical day at camp begins with the children being greeted and given an inspirational talk for the day. The coaches fire the children up and make sure they are ready to listen and work together as a team. “We rotate through the morning (from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) with three different sports. Everything on the hour,” Tony said. Within that hour, 15 minutes are spent discussing the sport: history, currents events, and how to play. The children are given a chance to ask questions and the coaches explain the drill. After that, they spend 30 minutes doing the activity and the remaining 15 minutes allow for a water break and rest time. With each rotation, the children work with a different coach. This structure keeps the kids from losing interest and getting burned out. “I wanted my program to be a little bit more disciplined and structured so the kids get something out of it,” Tony shared. They have lunch and a break at noon. Then, they resume with another sports rotation at 3:00 p.m.
The coaches are able to share with parents which sports their children are excelling in or where their interests are so they can possibly pursue that sport in the future. PROtential Sports also offers weekend leagues for soccer, basketball, and NFL flag football. This allows for the kids to show what they have learned.
Ready to sign your child up? You can find PROtential Sports in five Tampa Bay area communities, including Heritage Isles, Seven Oaks, Grand Hampton, Tampa Palms, and Bridge Water. Tony shared, “I like the concept of the community kids playing with each other.” Through PROtential Sports, the Blands are allowing children to build relationships with each other where they live. Most of these communities are gated and provide a safe and secure environment for the children to play and enjoy the sporting activities.
Success with God
The Blands strive to be good examples for others and share Jesus through their actions with the coaches, the children, and even the parents. They don’t push their beliefs on anyone, but rather show the love of God in whatever they do. Both Nyree and Tony give credit to God alone for the achievements of PROtential Sports. In the past eight years their business has seen growth and success beyond what they could have imagined. They can clearly see, now, the path that the Lord laid out for them and how He was training them up for this assignment. Helping to mold children into respectful young people is rewarding enough in itself, but to have a successful business, too, they are blessed beyond measure. Nyree shared Luke 14:11 and said, “I feel like we should always stay humble because it is all God’s anyway, and I would much rather God exalt us than [doing it ourselves].” The Bible clearly tells us that God honors those who humble themselves and rely solely on Him (see also James 4:6, 10).
Tony and Nyree continue to rely on God not only for the success of their business, but also for each day that a child steps onto the field. Tony explained that he is a strong believer in prayer. “The power of prayer is really a motor in this business,” Tony shared. Each morning he prays over the day and the activities. Tony does a large amount of the set-up for each field and he uses this quiet time to pray over the field as he works. Then later in the day he gets to see the children playing; they are happy and healthy. “It’s like the prayers are being answered immediately,” Tony said.
Nyree has some words of wisdom for young aspiring athletes: “Do not quit; work hard and it will pay off.” Tony shared a Scripture that his grandmother taught him: “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord” (Colossians 3:20, NKJV). He explained that if a child cannot learn to listen to their parents, they will have a hard time later in life with other authority figures. He also quoted Proverbs 13:18 (NIV), “He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.” Tony explained, “Discipline is the #1 secret to success. Once you learn this through sports, you can apply it to all parts of your life.”
The Lord has blessed this couple with a business that they enjoy running. The love they have for people, and especially children, is obvious, and this love is why they will continue to thrive and be successful. God’s hand is over PROtential Sports, and your child would be truly blessed to experience such a wonderful program. Glory!
