Our Story
Emerald Coast FC was founded by Andrew Wentz, Tyler Smith, and Richard Moore, three players whose soccer journeys were shaped right here along the Emerald Coast.
Growing up in Northwest Florida, Andrew, Tyler, and Richard came through the same local soccer landscape that has developed generations of players in the area. Between them, their playing experiences included local youth and travel programs such as Navarre, Emerald Coast United, FC Dallas, and Gulf Coast Texans, along with representing their schools throughout their playing careers.
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As they grew older, they experienced firsthand a challenge that many players from the area eventually face.
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The Emerald Coast has continued to produce talented players who move on to compete at the collegiate level, as well as high-level players looking for opportunities to test themselves and continue progressing. But once players age out of the traditional youth soccer system, opportunities to continue playing at a high level locally become much harder to find.
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For many, taking that next step means traveling significant distances outside the area simply to find the right level of competition.
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Over the years, Andrew, Tyler, and Richard continued to see the same gap. Players would grow up competing for local clubs and schools, develop into talented athletes, and then leave the area for college or other opportunities without having a high-level local team to return to or continue competing with.
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That shared experience eventually became the foundation for Emerald Coast FC.
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The idea was simple: create the type of team they wished had existed during their own playing journeys—a team based on the Emerald Coast where talented players from the area could come together and compete at a higher level.
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Emerald Coast FC brings together players from different clubs, schools, colleges, and backgrounds who share something in common:Â the Emerald Coast is part of their soccer story.
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What began with three local players recognizing a need has grown into an opportunity to bring some of the area’s talent back onto the same field, this time under one badge.
Emerald Coast FC is the next chapter in a soccer story that started right here at home.
