For Rockford Raptors FC, going all-in with Hudl felt like a big change. But Hudl’s integrated tools and world-class support made the switch simple and sustainable.
For Frank Mateus, the breaking point didn’t happen in a boardroom—it happened on a sideline.
As the Executive Director of Rockford Raptors FC, Frank found himself and his coaches hauling heavy equipment to tournaments and doing everything manually. And the work of uploading and analyzing video after a tournament was clunky. He wanted an easier way for his coaches, teams and athletes to maximize performance.
Despite their best efforts with the tools they had, the results were lackluster: live streams frequently failed, workflows were cumbersome, and there was little support if, and when, things went south.
After four or five trips of fighting the same battles, he realized that if the club wanted to reach the next level, the status quo had to go.
"I feel like anybody that's trying to compete at this level without Hudl, they're just getting passed up pretty quickly."
Frank Mateus, Club Director at Rockford Raptors FC (Ill.)
Raising the Standard
The catalyst for change arrived when Rockford Raptors earned their ECNL badge.
Joining one of the nation’s most prestigious soccer organizations shifted expectations overnight. Mateus’s philosophy was simple: to compete with the best, every facet of your operation has to be better.
Powering a club is more than just picking a camera, but that was a key factor in moving the club forward. Upgrading to Hudl Focus Flex as their capture and livestreaming tool was step one. Consistently recording games wherever the Raptors played and providing reliable livestreams for families and fans was a must.
But Focus Flex was just the beginning. Mateus saw the potential impact of going all-in with Hudl’s video and data analysis tools as a solution to broader challenges the club was seeing.
By leveraging Hudl Focus Flex, capturing and livestreaming were simpler. And with automatic integrations for uploads to the ECNL league exchange and in-depth player breakdowns from Hudl Assist+, the Raptors immediately got hours back after each tournament to fuel player growth and build better tactics throughout the season.
Upgrading to Hudl wasn’t a luxury. It was a necessity.
"I feel like anybody that's trying to compete at this level without Hudl, they're just getting passed up pretty quickly,"says Mateus.
A Seamless Transition
Change can be daunting for any organization, but for the Raptors’ coaching staff, the switch to Hudl was almost immediately comfortable.
Mike Rizzo, the club’s ECNL Girls Director, noted that the user-friendly interface and the responsiveness of Hudl’s customer service team made the transition simple.
"The transition for us was seamless," Rizzo said. "The customer service was so good that we were able to answer any of our questions as we needed, available at all hours."
With round-the-clock support, dozens of self-help videos and tutorials, as well as a dedicated Customer Success Manager from Hudl, the Raptors were able to implement and scale faster than even they anticipated.
This support and the ease of use made it easy for Mateus and his coaches to adopt and adapt fast. Now the club has dozens of teams and hundreds of athletes using Hudl for analysis, IDP implementation and even recruiting.
Mateus’s advice to other clubs looking to make the switch to Hudl is to start small: once a few teams showcase the value of the platform, the rest of the club naturally wants to get on board.
Investing in Infrastructure
Cost is always a factor. And when it comes to the budget, Frank views Hudl not as an expense, but as essential to the club’s infrastructure.
In year one with Hudl, the Raptors absorbed the initial cost, taking on the full accountability of their new spend to prove to coaches, athletes and families how valuable Hudl could be.
By year two, the value was so obvious that they found a sustainable model to share the cost with families at a reasonable rate.
Today, Raptors’ use of Hudl is almost as fundamental as the field to play on.
"We found that this is kind of like having a facility. It's not the same without it," Mateus said.
Dimitri Tsoukalas, the Raptors’ ECNL Boys Director and coach, agrees: "Hudl simplifies everything. I just feel like Hudl gives you the most for what you're paying for."
The Results Speak for Themselves
Two years into the partnership, the results are undeniable. The Raptors now have cameras at nearly every game across their ECNL programs and development teams. The club is looking to bring Assist+ to younger teams in its ECNL development program and non-ECNL teams to provide more resources for growth and development across the entire club.
Coach Roberto Guzman, who previously worked with an MLS organization, notes that the technology now matches the professional standards he expects.
“My time in MLS showed me it’s all about technology. And when I saw that the Raptors were along the same lines with Hudl, I was excited,” Guzman said.
“Hudl helps me create more powerful, impactful training sessions. Meaningful sessions where players can take away learning outcomes. So overall, the biggest takeaway I get is for prepping our sessions, video analysis, and education.”
With the Raptors on board with Hudl, Mateus and his coaches can now focus on the future—there is no looking back.
"Making the transition to Hudl was one of the smartest decisions we've made as a club," Mateus concludes. "Operating without it would set us back three or four years."
Hudl’s club-wide packages bring smart cameras, analysis and video tools that power growth and scale as you grow—all backed by world-class support to help you maximize value from day one.
