United Football Academy

A club that is experiencing massive growth throughout Georgia is the United Football Academy (UFA). Established in 2010, UFA grew out of the need to promote the game of soccer in all corners of the state and to provide a new, modern soccer experience for the thousands of soccer-hungry youth in the community. UFA initially resulted from a merger between Atlanta Soccer Academy and Forsyth Fusion Soccer Club in 2010. Since then, UFA absorbed Norcross Soccer Academy in 2014, followed by South Georgia United in 2015. The mergers have allowed UFA to establish a larger presence throughout the state. Since its founding, UFA has also expanded into additional areas of the state, including Dawson (2011), Lumpkin (2013), Lilburn (2014), Milton (2015), Lawrenceville (2016), and Pickens and Fannin Counties coming in the spring of 2017. United Football Academy serves over 7,000 players throughout Georgia and is the fastest-growing club in the state. The club has even expanded beyond Georgia, establishing an academy in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2016. UFA is devoted to providing a developmental structure along with quality instruction for children ages 3-18. In order to experience the game of soccer at every level, the club offers various programs within its structure, including recreational, academy, select, and TOPSoccer, which encompass each child’s soccer potential. UFA also offers an adult league for those over 18 years old. UFA functions under the belief that the true value of success in soccer lies through the overall development of the individual player’s technical, tactical, physical, and psychological skills as opposed to the results of each game. “To allow each player to develop at his or her own pace, we operate under the club system utilized around the world in which every player in each age group has the opportunity to reach their full potential,” says Deo Moleka, executive director of United Football Academy. “Our goal is to promote the game of soccer by providing a positive learning atmosphere,” adds Moleka, “where players can achieve their full potential in the development of their technical, tactical, physical, and mental skills, regardless of skill and ability.” In 2014, UFA delivered its first 2014 National Championship team with UFA U14B Elite. Two players from that team, Andrew Carleton and Chris Goslin, signed with new MLS franchise Atlanta United FC in 2016 as the first home-grown players of the franchise. UFA also encourages its players, parents, and coaches to give back to the community, spanning from providing turkeys at Thanksgiving to local residents in need to delivering soccer equipment to children in Africa.