The warehouse I said I would never get.

This is the first photo ever taken inside our HQ in Belrose.

Carolina and me, arms in the air, in an empty unit. No pitch. No goals. Just concrete, white walls and a lot of plans.

This is the story of how we got there. And it starts with a promise I made myself.

I was never getting a warehouse.

I started Joner Football in 2013, and it grew faster than I ever expected.

But from very early on I had one rule. No warehouse. Anyone who knows Sydney knows how expensive real estate is here. I knew that the day I took on my own facility, everything would change.

So I said no. For years.

Then the requests kept coming. Parents wanted afternoon training, and our programme only really ran in the mornings. Sydney has so few facilities, and even fewer with any time free. I was turning players away every week.

And I hate turning players away. I want to help every player, whatever their level, whatever their ability. Saying no to them felt awful.

It started in my house.

If you have followed us for a long time, you might remember this. At our old house, I built a small training area.

I promised Carolina it would only be Friday afternoons. That was it.

Then the players started improving. Fast. Small space, lots of touches, nowhere to hide. Parents started talking, word spread, and before long we had players coming through our house Monday to Friday. Fully booked.

Honestly, it is one of the most successful programmes I have ever run. And it taught me something. You do not need a huge space. You need the right one.

The swimming lesson.

One day, after turning away yet another player, I said to Ligia: that is it, let us start looking for a warehouse.

That same day, we got an enquiry from a mum who wanted her daughter in our programme. She owned a swim school, and she offered my eldest daughter, Mia, a spot in one of her classes. So we booked Mia in.

When I took Mia to her lesson, I noticed the unit right next to the swimming centre. It was up for lease.

So while Mia was in the pool, I went and poked my head in.

I got this feeling in my stomach straight away. This was going to be home. It is not the biggest space in the world. But if a small area in my house could develop players that fast, imagine what we could do here.

We applied, and we got it straight away.

The day I got the keys.

You can see in this video how much it meant. It was a nerve-wracking moment. Rent in Sydney is high, so this was a huge risk. It meant we had to fill it with players.

Then the hard work started.

The build was stressful. A proper pitch is expensive if you want to do it right, and I was not going to do it any other way.

We turned it into a hybrid. A training facility downstairs, and an office for our content team.

I did not do it alone.

I have to say a massive thank you to my friends and family. They painted walls, put up signs, helped with the build and hung the TVs. The lot.

Without them, we would never have got the HQ ready as quickly as we did. They know who they are. Thank you.

The first session.

I will always remember it. The turf was brand new. The place was not even finished. No logo on the wall, wires hanging from the ceiling.

I did not care. I was so excited to get a session going in there. It was a proud moment, and a real milestone for Joner Football.

And the risk paid off. Our programme nearly doubled straight away, and in that first year it was full.

Why four walls work.

The HQ is still small area training at heart. Four walls that close in on you. It drives the intensity of every session, and players have to think and move quicker.

Since we opened, we have developed players of every age and every ability in there, using the Joner methods.

And the reason we did it in the first place? We can run a session whenever we need to. 2am? No problem. No more turning players away.

The big screen.

One of my favourite things in the whole HQ was a gift. One of my best mates gave us a huge projector screen. Proper cinema size.

We use it to break down technique and show pro clips. I can show the players exactly how the pros do it, coach it, and then they go straight out and train it. Watch it, learn it, do it, all in the same room.

And yes, it also gets used to watch the boxing with my mates.

The engine room.

There was another big reason we needed the HQ, and most people never see it. It is upstairs.

Upstairs is where our team works. Our content team has its own office, and it is where I sit down with our coaches for meetings and planning.

Put that together with the pitch downstairs and we can film for the App really quickly. One of my favourite things is that if I have an idea for a session, I can walk downstairs and film it.

It is the real engine room for the Joner Football App, and now for JF Teams too.

Where we are now.

Today it is the place we call home. Somewhere our staff, our players and our parents feel comfortable.

It is also our filming studio. A lot of what you see in the Joner Football App was filmed on that turf.

Ten years.

Carolina has a room at the HQ too, where she runs her therapy practice, right next to my office. She is amazing at what she does. Sometimes we get a bit too excited in the office and she tells us to shut up.

I am writing this on our 10 year wedding anniversary. She has supported me and pushed me every step of the way, and we work side by side every day. I honestly do not think I would be where I am without her. A big part of why Joner Football works is because of her.

Nobody sees day one.

Almost everyone only ever sees the finished building. Nobody sees the empty unit, the stressful build or the night I decided to break my own rule.

I am very grateful for how we got here. Everyone who watches our YouTube channel, trains in the App, follows us on social media or trains with us in Sydney helped build this brand. That is what let us open a facility in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Thank you.

Come and train with me.

Wherever you are in the world, you can train with me inside the Joner Football App, with sessions filmed right here at the HQ.

And if you are ever in Sydney, come and train with us in person.

Keep turning up.

Lee

PS. What is the one thing you would love to see us film at the HQ next? Hit reply and tell me. I read every one.