Richard Jata was picked 58th overall and in the 4th round of the draft. Jata’s IMG Soccer Academy experience along with many successful seasons at Campbell University helped him make the leap into the professional ranks. A second-team All-American and first-team All-South Region pick, Jata played a vital role for the 2008 Fighting Camel squad that won its second A-Sun regular season championship and made its third trip to the league final in the last four years.
“I am cannot express how happy we are for Richard and his family” says Tom Durkin and Jata’s coach while at the IMG Soccer Academy. “It shows the IMG Soccer Academy truly is a place for every player to maximize their potential. We are happy to see the qualities installed in him at an early age continue to be apart of his life and we are confident they will propel him to more success in the future.”
The Soccer Academy is unique to the world of soccer training. It offers year-round programming in conjunction with room, board, fitness experts, trainers, mental conditioning coaches, sports therapists, massage therapists, great coaching, excellent competition, beautiful weather – all in one location – and 10 minutes from the Gulf beaches.
15 full-time professional coaches and staff, approximately 125 full-time soccer students and 40 USSF Under 17 National Team players and their coaches/trainers base here from September to May. Hundreds of additional players from all over the world attend for weekly sessions throughout the year. The summer camp series runs for ten weeks and includes amounting for approximately 1,500 players per summer.
