Keizer joins the Board; Brings USL Experience and Faith-Driven Leadership

I first met Simon Keizer in 2009 in a church in Dallas, Texas. A mutual friend, Jon Burns, the volunteer chaplain for Sunderland, called a number of his friends and connections to Dallas to share that God had placed a vision for creating a new ministry called Lionsraw. Simon served as the global engagement manager for the charity in 2010 for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Simon’s journey though in combining life, ministry, and football didn’t begin in 2010, though, it began much earlier. Born in England, Simon grew up bouncing a football at an all-boys prep school. As a young teenager, his world drastically changed as he moved to the U.S.. His unchurched, ethnically Jewish family moved from Berkhamsted, England to Arlington, Texas and he launched into his new life.

America was different. Texas was different. For Simon, he saw that church had a place in many of his friend’s lives. He recalls God grabbing his heart over a period of time, leading to a testimony service following youth camp on a Sunday night where returning church youth were sharing and affirming their faith in Jesus.. One of those campers was Simon’s brother. And at the tender age of 13, he gave his life to Jesus.

Simon surrendered his life to ministry at age 17 and believed that he would lead a worship ministry, but God had other plans. He ended up as a walk-on Division III soccer player but ended up getting hurt and stepping into coaching and pastoring. This led to him coaching a private school varsity team for  13 years and working to minister to the families and students throughout his many years. That experience led him to scale more regional camps and clinics in the North Texas region. Simon then went on a mission trip in 2008 and met Jon who invited him to that 20010 meeting.

Simon pursued several relationships and built on his relationship with FC Dallas and Lionsraw to continue growing legacy ministries long after the World Cup was over. This ignited his passion to see soccer used as a vehicle for change in the world. From 1997  to 2017, he served on pastoral staff before spending the last several years in business, with a brief stint in Virginia Beach before returning back to Texas. Fast forward a few years and in 2022, he began laying the groundwork for the USL Texoma FC franchise which successfully launched into League 1 in 2025.

My love for the sport is second, really third, in what’s most important. For me, it’s paramount to love and follow Jesus…my second is my family…but I’ve seen soccer, specifically I like to say ‘the ball,’ take us places where we couldn’t go in any other fashion. I’ve seen it break down language barriers working with Zulu tribal kids and so many other places around the globe…

Simon, on the place of his passion for soccer

Simon finds himself leading in both contexts as a consultant for a soccer franchise, and as an executive leader in a church as a sort of a “Pastor of Entrepreneurship. He is father of four children and has been married to his wife, Heather, since 2003.

If you would like to learn more about Soccer Chaplains United and opportunities to serve on our Board of Directors, please send an email to info@soccerchaplainsunited.org.

Soccer Chaplains United is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that relies on the generous support of individual donors and church partners to carry out its work of chaplaincy in soccer. You can give a safe, secure, electronic, tax-deductible gift via PushPay by clicking the button below or by texting soccerchaplains to 77977. You can also mail a donation to Soccer Chaplains United, PO Box 102081, Denver, CO 80250.