Glens Academy soccer club exec chosen for U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight

Michael McNeill never thought he'd pick up a phone call from the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. 

"They were seeking people who are influential in youth sports, in the Bay Area. So obviously, I expressed my interest it's an amazing opportunity. I've never been on a fighter jet before," he told CBS News Bay Area. 

For the annual Fleet Week show in San Francisco, the Blue Angels selects a key influencer and media influencer to jump onboard a fighter jet for an exhilarating experience. 

After passing his physical exam, McNeill and his family headed to the Oakland San Francisco Bay airport Wednesday morning. 

"I hydrated, I ate toast this morning three hours before," he said. "I don't know what to expect but hoping they give me the full experience. I've prepared for that."

McNeill was onboard for about 45 minutes, scoping out the scenes across the Bay Area. 

"Breaking the speed of sound was pretty cool. Hitting the 7.1Gs was a lot. It was tough to stay awake, I must admit. But it was a lot of fun," he said. 

McNeill leads the San Francisco Glens and the North Bay Glens academies, the largest nonprofit youth soccer organization in the San Francisco area. He said they have about 1,700 players, and many of their club's athletes pursue the sport professionally. 

"Accessible to all players, regardless of level of play and socioeconomic status," he said. 

McNeill also coached soccer at the University of San Francisco and San Francisco State University. 

"I love what I do. I always knew I wanted to be in the game of soccer," he told CBS News Bay Area. "This year alone, we've given out over $360,000 in financial aid. It's something that we're really proud about. It's something that I think is important for our mission as a club."

Lt. Commander Ronny Hafeeza was the pilot for McNeill's flight, and said he is thankful he's able to take part in these key influencers' day. 

"We took off, we did the high-performance climb. Beautiful weather out here, we went out there, we did light G, heavy G. Did the minimal radius turn," Hafeeza said.

"It was an incredible experience being above the clouds. At one point we went under the clouds and right over the ocean, over the Golden Gate Bridge. We went from Monterey to almost Santa Rosa, it's incredible you're in that much space in that amount of time," McNeill said. 

Organizers of Fleet Week say that general admission to Marina Green is free, and VIP tickets are still available for the ultimate Air Show experience.