West Florida Flames announce Paulo Neto as Technical Director

Brandon, Florida (Via West Florida Flames) –  West Florida Flames and Executive Director, Gary Rach, have appointed Paulo Neto as Technical Director overseeing all programs and the clubs’ technical structure.

Neto comes to West Florida Flames after serving as Technical Director for Pennsylvania West Soccer Association. With PA West, Neto was responsible for leading the technical operations of youth recreational and competitive soccer through the development of both players and coaches. This included leading the Olympic Development Program (curriculum development, periodization, and staff training), and Coaching Education Programs at the Grassroots level and beyond (to ensure that all PA West youth coaches were properly trained and licensed so as to allow PA West players to maximize their potential at all ages).

Neto boasts over 15 years coaching experience at various levels of the game as well as a strong academic background. Most recently, he was the head men’s coach at Saint Francis University PA (NCAA-I), a position he previously held in three other NCAA and NAIA collegiate institutions. Neto also has extensive experience with ODP serving over 14 years combined state and regional coaching positions in Regions I and II. In addition to his collegiate and ODP experience, he manned the helm of semi-professional teams, with head coaching stints at Baton Rouge Capitals-PDL (2009), Gulf Coast Texans-NPSL (2013), Knoxville Force-NPSL (2014-2015), and Fort Pitt Regiment-NPSL (2018).

“Paulo’s experience and knowledge of multi-level competitions will enhance our ability to develop world class players. His addition to our already high-profile staff adds tremendous value to the organization,” said Gary Rach.

Neto hails from Sorocaba, Brazil, and is a 2003 graduate of Union College (Kentucky) with triple majors in Business Administration, Physical Education, and Sports Management. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Lincoln Memorial University in May of 2008.

Before coming to the United States, Neto played in the youth system of some of the best clubs in the world including Fluminense FC and SC Corinthians. Collegiately, Neto was a four-year starter at Union College (NAIA) earning All-Conference honors each season including Conference Player of the Year his Senior year. His various other achievements include being named All-Region in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and All-America in the same years. He’s the all-time leading scorer at Union with 69 goals and 50 assists. Professionally, Neto was part of the Cincinnati Kings squad (USL) in 2005 before taking over his first head coaching position.

Neto’s experience includes:

• United States Soccer Federation (USSF) “A” License, a USSF National Youth License, and a USSF Instructors License.
• Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) “A” License