ONE OF THE NEWER SUPER CLUBS TO EMERGE ON THE FLORIDA SOCCER SCENE, FLORIDA ELITE Soccer Academy has quickly established itself as one of the premier soccer clubs in the country, not just the Sunshine State. Based in Jacksonville, Florida Elite was formed in 2015, the result of the merger of two north Florida clubs that came together to provide greater resources and opportunities to players in the area. While it’s only been two years since Florida Elite’s founding, Executive Director Sean Bubb says the merger has far exceeded expectations. “I think the impact has been tremendous in all areas. We’ve been able to provide more resources into our rec program. We offer now programs within recreational soccer, for instance, that the majority of clubs around the country cannot do,” Bubb says. “It’s because of our combined resources we can offer skills clinics, extra training, goalkeeper clinic, day-to-day coaching education, parent education seminars and things like that that just make the game better. From that standpoint, it’s been fantastic.” The club has experienced massive success on the field as well. Since its founding, Florida Elite’s third-level teams now are playing at the same level its first teams at this club were playing two years ago, and its top teams are now competing in leagues on the national level. Within the last 24 months, Florida Elite has earned a national league championship, eight southeast region premier champions, and seven state champions. While the early success is certainly worth cheering about, Bubb says it’s only the beginning. “These are just baby steps right now to what’s really coming because all the work that’s been done these last couple of years is building to and for the future of the club and what’s going to happen in the next five to ten years,” he says. Florida Elite now offers elite soccer programs in five locations throughout north Florida - Jacksonville, World Golf Village, Port Orange, Palm Coast, and Oakleaf. Bubb says the growth and success of the club is due to the Florida Elite’s coaching staff that has worked diligently to develop the work ethic, training, and a passion for soccer among the region’s youth soccer players. “Our success has come all down to the hard work that’s been put in by the coaching team that we’ve assembled. We’ve put a lot of time and effort in bringing this staff together,” says Bubb. “Our coaching staff now is second to none in the country. We’re very excited about that.”
SEAN BUBB
Executive Director UEFA A License TYPES OF PROGRAMS OFFERED Future Stars (ages 2-4) Recreational (ages 4-19) Jr. Academy (ages 6-8) Academy (ages 9-10) Competitive (ages 11-19) ADDRESS P.O. Box 57065, Jacksonville, FL 32241 PHONE: 904-230-4445 WEBSITE: www.FloridaEliteSA.com