Plays With Purpose: The Business Behind the Beautiful Game

Bentley Men’s Soccer Captain Michael Haikal ’26 is a leading scorer as he helps power the Falcons through the season. But when he’s not chasing goals on the field, Haikal is driving a bigger mission as an entrepreneur. In 2022, he founded Elevate Soccer. The youth training program has inspired hundreds of young players to “think bigger, play smarter and give back.”   

“I’ve always had a passion for soccer — the tactics, the game, front-to-back positions,” says Haikal, a midfielder for Bentley’s NCAA Division II team. With an 11-1-3 record for the 2025 season, the team captured the NE10 Regular Season Championship — their first in 30 years.

Haikal also “loves mentoring kids.” He leaned into that interest by coaching the Boston Bolts and SFC New England club teams, and logged hundreds of hours as a volunteer coach for youth soccer programs in his hometown of Easton, Mass. Working one-on-one with athletes reinforced what he had experienced as an athlete. Traditional coaching often doesn’t click with young players.  

“The old school coaching philosophy of running athletes into the ground can be unmotivating; it’s a narrow way of doing things,” says Haikal, who grew up playing soccer year-round on club and school teams. “I had a lot of great coaches, but I also had some who crushed my passion for the game. At one point I almost gave up the idea of playing in college.” 

Being both praised and criticized by coaches can take an emotional toll on athletes. Wrestling with that, and learning how to persevere, led Haikal to launch his own soccer training program. “I knew that I could take the lessons I learned to develop a strong business model that would motivate players on and off the field.” 

Elevate’s coaching staff of high school and college soccer players, who openly share their personal experiences, adds authenticity to the training and mentorship program. “A player-led pathway helps tighten the exchange of knowledge, especially of the college recruitment process.”

Developing a Winning Combination 

Self-confidence, advocacy and humility are among the lessons Haikal took away as a young player. It’s a valuable combination for athletes, especially those who already excel on the field.  

“My goal with Elevate is to invest in players not just for today’s results, but for long-term growth, leadership and impact,” Haikal says. “We’re not only training for the next match, but we’re also building a better future for the game itself.”

More specifically, Haikal aims to help young athletes think beyond their technical soccer skills. “Building character, both on and off the field, can be beneficial for player well-being and can influence others. I want to help them to see soccer for what it is: a beautiful game that can connect people. Athletes have the power to use their platform for social good.”

Haikal sets the example through action. Elevate is an official sponsor of the Love for Linley Foundation, a nonprofit supporting childhood cancer and pediatric brain tumor research. The company has raised more than $5,000 and helped manage local soccer tournaments for the foundation. It has also donated cleats and equipment to Soccer Without Borders Boston for young people in need.

Going Beyond the Business Hustle 

Three years in, Haikal has grown Elevate to 75 clients and hired five coaches. He also diversified the program by adding online mentorship services, film analysis and media production to create player profiles for recruiters. 

When Haikal isn’t scoring wins as an entrepreneur, he’s balancing life as a Bentley student-athlete — though the roles often overlap. A Finance major with minors in Marketing and Philosophy, he uses his marketing and social media skills to attract and retain Elevate customers. The company has nearly 4,000 followers across Instagram and Facebook and has earned more than 5 million views on all the videos across both platforms.  

In marketing roles with Bentley Athletics, Haikal has expanded the digital presence for Bentley Men’s Soccer. Creating content and developing relationships with local businesses, nonprofits and university-led organizations, he helped grow the team’s online presence by more than 350% since 2022. For the broader Athletics program, he focuses on brand awareness through graphic design, videography and editing to create media for multiple teams and organizations.

Leading with Purpose 

Though Haikal’s on-field performance is strong — in November, he was named Men’s Soccer Player of the Year by the Northeast 10 Conference — he is most proud when he can positively impact those around him. Sometimes that requires learning about himself first.  

“I’ve been fortunate to have the best leaders come before me; I learn a lot from them,” Haikal says. Among them is Rick Miller ’80, former Men’s Soccer captain, adjunct lecturer in Management and an executive-in-residence supporting Bentley Athletics.  

“Rick always gives me impactful perspective and feedback,” Haikal says, sharing one lesson that particularly stood out. “Being a leader doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be the best player on the team. As a captain, my job is to make sure everyone else is at their best. Sometimes that requires stepping back and giving space for other people to be heard and to lead. That advice has been huge for me.”

Watch Haikal in action with Bentley Men’s Soccer vs. Assumption University.

(Video by Gregor Walz)

It’s his openness to feedback, and his ability to process it to move forward, that has made Bentley a strong fit for Haikal.   

“Bentley is real,” he says. “The university pushes students and athletes to be better every single day. But it is a conscious environment. People are in every corner giving you the help you need to get there.” 

Haikal also points to the importance of internal drive to get where you want to go. “The most important thing for an entrepreneur is to take risks and just go for it. Because in sports, in business, in school — no matter what it is — you only get one chance at it. You don’t want to look back and say, ‘I wish I tried a little harder.’ If it’s something you believe in, go for it.”