Alexandria Soccer Association (ASA) is thrilled to formally introduce and offer a belated welcome to Johnatan Nuñez—Outreach Coordinator and Adem Gokurk—Academy Director. Johnatan and Adem officially started during the summer months in the Recreational and Academy programs respectively. Their first year at ASA has looked different than anticipated but both arrived ready to learn, lead, adapt, support the team where needed, implement new strategies and grow.
Both Johnatan and Adem jumped in seamlessly while two amazing program leads, Peter & Jennie, transitioned to new opportunities outside of ASA during the Summer months. We thank Jennie and Peter for all their contributions to the club and wish them the best in their new endeavors!
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Johnatan Nuñez, former ASA Rec and Academy player and graduate of TC Williams, is a familiar face around the club. Over the past decade, while in high school and college, he coached soccer camps, helped organize Academy tryouts, assisted with multilingual office administration and much more. In his new full time role as Outreach Coordinator he supports operations and administration of the Recreational League; assists in managing office administration and provides customer service; connects with community members to explore new ways of supporting kids in the community; and manages on-field weekend support. The Recreational League supports 3,000 participants annually and is made possible by an amazing group of volunteer coaches. Johnatan was a familiar face on the fields this fall as he managed game day logistics, support staff and implemented necessary safety measures to ensure our community could play soccer this season.
Prior to working full time at ASA Johnatan was a student at the College of William and Mary. Of his new role Johnatan said, “I’ve been happy to be a part of a club that helped shape who I am and I’ve enjoyed being out at each field every weekend, seeing everyone playing soccer and having fun.”
Johnatan poses with his U9 boys team after a fall tournament!
Jim Hogan, Deputy Director of Tournaments and Programs said, “Johnatan seamlessly transitioned into his full time role with the club after working in many different programs over the years. He gained valuable experience while wearing many different hats and was someone we were excited to immediately add to our staff once he graduated college. He cares deeply about the community where he grew up and we are excited to see the many positive impacts he can make on kids and adults in and around Alexandria City.”
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Adem Gokturk joins ASA with a strong background in soccer, futsal and club administration as a former Program Director at the Player Progression Academy (PPA). In his role as Academy Director at ASA Adem supports and oversees 45+ Academy coaches; leads tryout coordination, IDPs and team creation; facilitates the technical team, Academy Director and Operations Director to set effective training and competition schedules; and helps oversee general operations of the Academy program.
The Academy program hosts 1000+ passionate soccer players and their families on 68 teams, delivering over 250 hours of quality programming for each player annually. The program is nationally recognized for its diversity of participants, supportive parent community, well developed curriculum and progressive approach to teaching. Chris Arnold, Deputy Director of Academy and Futsal said, “Since joining our team, Adem has used his strong background to effectively impact the day to day management of the Academy program, Adem’s passion to create a safe and positive learning environment that develops the whole person aligns well with our program goals.”
Adem celebrates a tournament victory with his U10 girls team!
Of his experience so far Adem said, “I’ve really enjoyed my first 8 months at ASA. I felt very welcomed even when my first couple of months were mostly remote! It’s been a great experience working across the different Academy age groups, seeing the ASA style of play and appreciating the content that guides players to execute. I’ve learned a lot from our experienced administration and coaching staff. I’m excited to be able to continue contributing meaningful programming to our community in a time where opportunities to socially engage with friends and family is so limited. Excited for Spring ’21. Go ASA!”
Johnatan and Adem have also stepped into coaching roles within both the academy and futsal programs, sharing knowledge and experience with our players. They join nine full time ASA staff members to round out an energetic, passionate and experienced team. The addition of an Outreach Coordinator and an Academy Director has helped ASA provide a gold standard experience on and off the field to community members throughout the pandemic. The team at ASA looks forward to utilizing their expertise and experience in a more “normal” environment in the future!
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