Soccer Pro Offers Training for All Ages

For Daryl Doran, the idea of opening his own full-service gym traces back to his childhood. By fifth grade, he was playing baseball but decided he liked kicking around the ball more.

By 1982, at 18 years old, he was playing professional soccer for the St. Louis Steamers. Soon after, he attended one year of college and turned professional. Throughout the early '90s Doran worked his way up and was a player and coach with the St. Louis Ambush as well as the Steamers. He retired after a 22-year soccer career in 2005.

He said his reason for giving up his lifelong love was twofold. He was 42, had a knee injury and wasn’t about to go through another surgery.

After hanging up his cleats, he opened the doors to a new chapter in his life, literally. It was then his attention turned to . The idea to start his own gym was sparked thanks to one of his good friends who helped him train in the '90s. The two talked about opening a gym together but when his friend moved, it was left to Doran himself to make the dream a reality.

Doran Fitness boasts a full-service gym and five personal trainers on staff. Additionally, the center offers night and weekend classes for adults including Tabata training, Zumba, yoga and various bootcamps. “We’re just trying to cover as much as we can,” Doran said.

The specialty he provides members with is athletic training. Doran Fitness currently has about 300-400 members and a fraction of the faces that walk through his door are young soccer players and teams ages 13-18 seeking assistance in training. Although he does train in all sports, his niche is soccer. The athletic training offered is for those as young as 9, although the majority of Doran’s members are between 30-50.

Becoming pro at such an early age, Doran realizes the importance of working out on a daily basis. Doran began working out in eighth grade, and by the time he was a professional, he worked out nearly seven days a week.

Doran said what sets them apart from other gyms is the athletic training he offers.

“You can go to Gold’s or Club and it’s a gym and classes and personal training, which is what we have here as well as athletic training, " he said, "And we offer a lot of family memberships. I think what sets us apart is that we do everything. I don’t think anybody else does the athletic training and all that together."

One of his favorite parts of his job is seeing results and his members' strength increase. Everyone wants something different, and he enjoys seeing his members accomplish what they came to do.

Sweating and losing inches isn’t the only thing Doran’s gym takes part in. On Saturdays, a back room of the gym is utilized for seminars he conducts for various weight loss companies.

With all the responsibilities of running a business comes the sacrifice of free time. Doran is at the gym almost every day, which means he doesn’t have much downtime, but he does enjoy golf and kicking around a soccer ball every now and again.

Doran Fitness is located off Technology Drive in O’Fallon and offers memberships varying three months to a year.

Visit DoranFitness.com to learn more or come check it out from 5:30 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week.