Soccer Academy

What Soccer Academy does

Soccer Academy is a privately held youth and adult soccer training organization founded in 1981 by John Ellis in Northern Virginia, USA. The company delivers a portfolio of in-person programs including summer day camps (ages 5-14), spring break camps, travel day camps (shooting/finishing, complete player, goalkeeping), the Soccer Fiesta Indoor Winter League (U10 to high school), an adult residential camp at McDaniel College (ages 21-72), and an FWSA evening camp for female adult players. The organization also operates an annual international fan tour product line, rotating through European soccer destinations such as Madrid, Liverpool, Germany, and London since 2014. Programs are delivered at Northern Virginia facilities including SYA Sports Park, Poplar Tree Park, and South Run Fieldhouse.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer model with no external funding or parent entity. Revenue is generated through per-camper, per-team, and per-tour participant fees, with early bird discounts (typically 20%) and tiered pricing (for example, $215-$295 for youth day camps, $975 per team for indoor league, $595-$955 for adult residential, and $2,795-$2,995 for fan tours). The core technology stack is PlayMetrics, which the company adopted in 2025 to manage registration and member accounts. All sales and marketing are conducted through the company website, word-of-mouth referrals, partnerships with local clubs and associations (FWSA), and social media (Facebook). The organization reaches approximately 5,000 players annually across its programs and has been led by founder John Ellis throughout its 40+ year history.

Name

Soccer Academy

Legal name

Soccer Academy

Website

https://soccer-academy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Soccer Academy is a privately held Northern Virginia soccer training organization founded in 1981, delivering youth and adult soccer camps, an indoor winter league, and European fan tours to roughly 5,000 players annually under founder John Ellis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Soccer Training

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKACAF

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Collegiate & Amateur Sports Organizations (NCAA, Federations, Clubs)

SECONDARYMPAKACAE

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Collegiate & Amateur Sports Organizations (NCAA, Federations, Clubs)

SECONDARYMPAKACAG

Recreational & Intramural Sports Programs

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Collegiate & Amateur Sports Organizations (NCAA, Federations, Clubs)

Keywords

• Youth soccer training
• Soccer summer camps
• Adult soccer leagues
• Soccer fan tours
• Player development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Manassas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Youth and Adult Camp Programs: Revenue from day camps, residential camps, and specialized programs for youth (ages 5-18) and adults (ages 21+). Programs include summer day camps, spring break camps, travel day camps, goalkeeping camps, and adult residential camps.
2. Indoor Winter League: Soccer Fiesta Indoor League - a seasonal indoor soccer league operating from December through February in Northern Virginia, priced at $975 per team.
3. International Fan Tours: Organized soccer fan tours to European cities including tickets, accommodation, stadium tours, and guided experiences. Pricing varies from $2,795 to $2,995 depending on registration timing.
4. FWSA Partnership Camp: Evening camps in partnership with Fairfax Women's Soccer Association for female players over 21 years old.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Soccer Academy runs youth and adult soccer training programs out of Northern Virginia, including summer day camps, a spring break camp, travel day camps, an adult residential co-ed camp, an indoor adult league, and recurring international fan tours. Programs serve individual players ages 5 through adult, with registration handled online and on-site. The company supports a player development pipeline that feeds amateur, collegiate, and academy teams.

Product overview

Soccer Academy is a soccer training and development organization offering a portfolio of programs. The core offerings include Youth Programs (Summer Day Camps, Spring Break Camps, Travel Day Camps) for children ages 5-14, Adult Programs (Residential Camps, FWSA Evening Camps) for players 21+, and International Fan Tours to European soccer destinations. Winter programs include the Soccer Fiesta Indoor League. The organization serves approximately 5,000 players annually through its various camps and leagues, with programs designed to develop players from age 4 through college preparation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Day Camps

Quantifiable outcome

• ~5,000 players reached annually across all programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fairfax Women's Soccer Association (FWSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoccer Academy runs an Evening Camp in partnership with Fairfax Women's Soccer Association. The camp is open to any female soccer player over 21 years old. This partnership provides programming for adult female players in the Fairfax County area.
• McDaniel CollegeminorOthersAdult Residential Camp held at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. The college provides facilities and on-campus accommodation for camp participants.
• South Run FieldhouseminorOthersSoccer Fiesta Indoor League games are played at South Run Fieldhouse in Fairfax County. The facility has sidelines rather than walls and is used during the winter indoor season.
• PlayMetricscoreTechnology or IntegrationSoccer Academy moved their Registration and Website to PlayMetrics. All program registrations and member account management is handled through the PlayMetrics platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• US Youth Soccer: National governing body for youth soccer in the United States, sanctioning leagues and State Associations. Comparable as a developer of youth soccer pathways, but is a federation rather than a camp operator.
• American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO): National youth soccer organization running recreational and competitive leagues across the US. Directly comparable to Soccer Academy's youth development mission and player base, but operates at national scale rather than a regional academy focus.
• US Soccer Federation: National governing body of soccer in the United States. Comparable as the apex body for player development pathways where Soccer Academy alumni (Heinrichs, Ellis) have worked, but operates at federation rather than consumer-camp level.

Direct peers

• Challenger Sports: Operates British Soccer Camp clinics across the US and Canada. A direct competitor to Soccer Academy's youth day-camp business with a similar camp-and-clinics model, but with multi-region reach.
• SuperKick Soccer Camps: Traveling youth soccer camp operator running camps at multiple US locations. Directly comparable in product (camp-based youth training), though operates a roving model rather than Soccer Academy's anchored regional facilities.
• Coerver Coaching: Global soccer skills coaching franchise with US operations focused on ball-mastery and technical training. Directly comparable curriculum-driven youth soccer instruction, with similar age-group targeting and methodology-led branding.
• Roadstrikers Soccer Tours: Operates soccer fan tours and international playing tours to European destinations. Directly comparable to Soccer Academy's international fan tour business with overlapping itineraries, lodging, and match-ticket bundles.

Regional players

• Soccer Youth Academy (SYA): Northern Virginia-based youth soccer organization. Directly comparable as a local youth soccer club in the same region where Soccer Academy runs its day camps; Soccer Academy uses SYA Sports Park as a venue.
• Virginia Youth Soccer Association (VYSA): State association governing youth soccer in Virginia, where Soccer Academy operates. Comparable as a youth soccer body whose Hall of Fame has inducted Soccer Academy's founder, but is an association rather than a commercial training provider.

Emerging players

• i9 Sports: Youth sports league and camp franchise with multiple sports including soccer. Comparable to Soccer Academy in youth sports instruction delivery, but operates a multi-sport franchise model across suburban markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SoccerAcademyVA
• Facebookfacebook.com/SoccerAcademyVA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soccer-academy-manassas-va

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Soccer Academy