Vince Agnew trained and competed at the highest level of sports as a player in the National Football League.
Now, he pours that experience and passion into training and coaching young athletes locally.
Agnew's Midland-based company, Michigan Made Advanced Athletics, has taught around 3,000 children the sports of football, basketball, soccer and cheer and has offered different camps and events.
One of those programs, the Youth Football Camps, is taking place across seven cities in Michigan this summer and will soon leave for Gladwin. It will also offer a free back-to-school camp on August 19.
“We’re very lucky with the families that we have and the kids that participate,” Agnew said. “We have great people with great integrity. They cheer and they support. ... The families and the kids really make it something that’s special.”
The start of Michigan Made Advanced Athletics
Agnew started Michigan Made in 2013.
The idea was born when he was traveling to cover athletes' lives as a writer for the NFL. At that time, he was also putting on pop-up training for kids. One of those was a youth football camp at Bad Axe High School.
“(We) really made a true camp experience and brought it to the kids of Bad Axe instead of having them come to some schools or to a college or stay in dorms or pay for travel,” Agnew said.
The camp encompassed a two-day training in which everyone learned something new. Agnew’s wife, Stephanie, watched his passion be ignited during the experience.
“My wife is like, ‘That’s you, that’s your business. That’s something you should do,'" Agnew said. "She’s my biggest cheerleader. She really encouraged me, and I pushed the idea forward. And it grew into something that we didn’t even imagine was possible. It’s really incredible to see how it is now.”
The business really took off after the COVID-19 pandemic, when they found a clear focus of how to bring the joy of flag football and youth football camps to different communities.
The first Michigan Made independent football league had 300 athletes, and “there’s been no looking back since then,” Agnew said.
The community behind Michigan Made
The coaches for each of the sports at Michigan Made are volunteers.
“We have a lot of amazing people in the community that care, and they’re passionate,” Agnew said. “The Michigan Made family of sports is built around people who love something. It’s all people that approach us or come to us with an idea or concept.”
One of these people is Chad Klopf, who is the Coleman High School head varsity football and softball coach. He has also been a volunteer 7v7 football coach at Michigan Made for nearly five years.
“It’s a second family for us, a second home,” Klopf said. “It’s been a great experience to allow my kids to meet kids from other school districts ... to be able to experience other people’s lifestyles, cultures and doing it with football, ... football’s been in our blood.”
Agnew agreed that a unique part of Michigan Made is that it welcomes diversity and players come from different places across the state.
Klopf has usually coached for Michigan Made in the age bracket that his younger son has played in.
“I’ve watched him grow and develop not just his athletic ability, but his confidence,” Klopf said.
'The community is really what drives us'
Agnew said the National Football League taught him a lot that he is now carrying into his coaching, such as building good relationships with people, communication skills, being organized and paying attention to the details.
Agnew started his football career at Central Michigan University, and then played for the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and several teams in the Canadian Football League.
“I think that the NFL is the most competitive level of sport there is,” Agnew said. “I don’t know another profession where you can do a great job, do everything that’s asked of you and ... every single week, they’re still going to try out new people at your (position).”
Agnew said something that he still applies today from his NFL experience is the passion and energy that he puts into Michigan Made.
“The community is really what drives us,” he said. “That’s truly the team. That’s truly the family. The people that support us and do all work behind the scenes, that volunteer ... really is the reason why this exists.”
To give back to the community, Agnew also runs the Swagnew Foundation, a nonprofit that supports young people's health, wellbeing and opportunity to do sports and donates to public charities and community outreaches.
“Our nonprofit really serves a multitude of things, basically making sure that people of all populations and all abilities have an opportunity for equal play and that kids are never left behind, regardless of cost,” Agnew said. “They should never have to miss out on things they love for financial reasons.”
Michigan Made is located at 564 E. Isabella Rd. But Agnew said they offer programs in parks and camps across Michigan. He said there are about 100 kids at each football camp.
Agnew said those interested in joining can learn more at https://www.michiganmade.net/.
