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Club Overview

Southern Soccer Academy is a 501-(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing soccer participation opportunities for 3-19 years-old boys and girls of all ability levels and backgrounds through participation in local and regional leagues, and for adults in co-ed recreational leagues and pre-professional USL men's and women's programs. The club, in its various forms, has been in existence since 1982 and has locations in and around the metro Atlanta area in Bartow, Coweta, Cobb, Fulton, Troup, and Paulding counties, as well as in the Brunswick and Jekyll Island areas in Southeast GA.

The club in its current form came about as the 2012 merger of a number of pre-existing soccer clubs in the metro Atlanta area. The club's membership now exceeds 8,000 players on 600+ teams making it one of the largest soccer clubs in the Southeastern US.

The club combines local, low-cost, parent and volunteer-coached youth programs that emphasize participation and enjoyment of the sport through a no-try-out/no-cut policy with elite-level, professional-staff-coached programs dedicated to providing our young players with the opportunity to participate in the highest levels of competitive youth soccer in the state of Georgia and beyond including the MLS Elite Youth Development Program, the Girls Academy League, NAL, DPL, US Club NPL, and US Club SCCL programs.

As a not-for-profit community sports organization, SSA has partnerships with multiple City and County Parks and Rec Departments across our locations to be the official provider of soccer programs to their residents, and to permit us access to various county and city-owned-and-managed soccer complexes to host our programs.

SSA is a member of US Soccer through our affiliations with the US Club Soccer organization, the US Youth Soccer Association, and the US Adult Soccer Association.

In 2018, Southern Soccer Academy was announced as a recipient of US Club Soccer's 'Player First' license, one of only 46 clubs across 19 states to do so. The license is awarded to a youth soccer club following a rigorous application process assessing factors such as Club Development, Coaching Development, Player Development, Parent Engagement and Education, and Player Health and Safety. In addition, SSA is one of just a handful of clubs in the US to enjoy 'Football Development Partner' status with Chelsea FC of the English Premier League, universally recognized as one of the most successful clubs in the world.

For more information on the club, including its guiding principles, please click on 'About' on the main menu, then 'The SSA Way'.

For an overview of the youth programs offered, please click HERE.

Soccer Contact:

 
 
Simon Davey
Executive Director

[email protected]

678-876-9261

 


Simon has been with SSA since 2012. Born in Swansea, Wales, Simon holds a UEFA 'Pro' License, the highest-level license issued by the governing body of soccer in Europe. Prior to moving to the US, Simon enjoyed a long playing and coaching career in the UK, including playing experience with Swansea City, Carlisle United and Preston North End. After finishing his playing career, Simon took on a variety of professional coaching roles, including coaching Barnsley FC in the English Championship League. Simon has also been a guest speaker at the NSCAA national convention, Director of Coaching at the Disney Soccer Academy, and a coach on the GA Olympic Development Program. In April 2019, Simon was elected to the board of US Club Soccer, a National Association member of US Soccer.

Admin Contact:

 
Sean Chamberlain
 Operations Manager

 [email protected]

 404-395-9703


Sean has been with SSA in its various forms since 2004. Born in Liverpool, England, Sean has a 1st Class (Hons) degree in Sports Management Studies from Staffordshire University in England and an MS in Sports Administration from Georgia State University. His research work on the relationship between Anxiety and Sport Performance was published in the Journal of Anxiety and Coping in 2007 and has been cited in numerous books, articles, and research papers since. Sean possesses USSF 'B' and 'National Youth' licenses, has coached in both Academy and Select in his time at the club, and is a USSF-certified referee. Prior to joining SSA, Sean was employed in the front office of the original Atlanta Beat Women's Professional Team of the WUSA, working in the Community Relations Department where his duties involved creating and managing the club's relationships with youth soccer clubs and not-for-profit organizations throughout the state of Georgia. Sean also served as the Beat's camps and clinics coach as part of their community outreach program.



 



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