Club Soccer in Atlanta, GA: A Complete Guide for Parents (2026)
TL;DR: Metro Atlanta has nine club soccer organizations on ClubScout with confirmed league affiliations. Two clubs inside the city carry the widest footprints: Inter Atlanta FC and Southern Soccer Academy each hold four confirmed memberships — MLS NEXT, Girls Academy, DPL, and NAL — which means a family can move up or down a tier without changing clubs. Concorde Fire runs two ECNL Boys programs out of Atlanta. Outside the city line, Roswell Soccer Club (also known as Santos) is the most complete record in our Georgia data: founded in 1976 with the City of Roswell Recreation and Parks Department, 2,000+ participants, ages 2–19, with MLS NEXT, DPL, and NAL teams. AFC Lightning in Peachtree City/Fayetteville holds MLS NEXT and Girls Academy, serves 800+ players a year, and confirms financial aid for qualifying families in all program areas. Atlanta Fire United (Duluth) and Gwinnett Soccer Academy (Lilburn) cover ECNL Boys on the northeast side; Tophat (Marietta) covers Girls Academy and DPL on the northwest side. Based on ClubScout data from 23 Georgia club records, 9 of them distinct metro Atlanta organizations with confirmed league affiliations. One gap worth naming upfront: no ECNL Girls club appears in our current Georgia data. No confirmed published fee data exists for any Georgia club in our database yet, so every cost figure below is a labeled estimate. This guide covers factual information only — no rankings, no subjective claims.
Are you a club director in metro Atlanta? Georgia is one of our newest states, and our records for your area are thinner than they should be. Claim your free ClubScout profile to verify your league affiliations, publish your actual costs, and correct anything we have wrong.
How This Guide Works
We're not ranking these clubs. Every family's situation is different — what matters is fit based on where you live, your child's age and level, and what your schedule and budget can sustain for three or four years.
For each club we list what we can verify: league affiliations confirmed in our database, plus program structure, facilities, and leadership where our enrichment data supports it. Where our data is thin, we say so instead of filling the gap with marketing language. Use this as a starting point, then go watch a training session and talk to current parents. Our guide on how to choose a club covers what to look for, and the coach evaluation guide has the questions worth asking at every visit.
New to all of this? Start with recreational vs. travel soccer and the age-by-age guide. If the league names are the confusing part, the youth soccer glossary and compare all leagues tables will get you oriented in about five minutes. For the statewide picture, see our Club Soccer in Georgia guide.
Metro Atlanta Clubs at a Glance
Ordered by competitive tier, most competitive first.
| Club | Confirmed Leagues | City | Distance from downtown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inter Atlanta FC | MLS NEXT, Girls Academy, DPL, NAL | Atlanta | In city |
| Southern Soccer Academy | MLS NEXT, Girls Academy, DPL, NAL | Atlanta | In city |
| Roswell Soccer Club (Santos) | MLS NEXT, DPL, NAL | Roswell | ~20 miles north |
| AFC Lightning | MLS NEXT, Girls Academy | Fayetteville / Peachtree City | ~25 miles southwest |
| Concorde Fire Premier | ECNL Boys | Atlanta | In city |
| Concorde Fire Platinum | ECNL Boys | Atlanta | In city |
| Atlanta Fire United | ECNL Boys | Duluth | ~25 miles northeast |
| Gwinnett Soccer Academy | ECNL Boys | Lilburn | ~20 miles northeast |
| Tophat Gold | Girls Academy | Marietta | ~20 miles northwest |
| Tophat Navy | Girls Academy | Marietta | ~20 miles northwest |
| Tophat | DPL | Marietta | ~20 miles northwest |
| Southern Soccer Academy Swarm | NAL | Atlanta | In city |
| Albion SC Atlanta | DPL | Atlanta | In city |
| Georgia Impact SC | Girls Academy, DPL | Location unconfirmed | — |
For what these league names actually mean, see MLS NEXT, ECNL, Girls Academy, and DPL. For head-to-head reading, see MLS NEXT vs ECNL, ECNL vs Girls Academy, Girls Academy vs DPL, and DPL vs ECNL.
A note on the club names. Several Atlanta organizations appear in our data as more than one record — Concorde Fire as Premier and Platinum, Tophat as Gold, Navy, and Tophat, Southern Soccer Academy alongside Swarm. In some cases those are genuinely separate competitive programs within one club; in others they are duplicate records we are still working through. Treat them as one organization with multiple teams until a club tells you otherwise, and ask directly which program your child would actually be trying out for.
The Clubs
Inter Atlanta FC
Location: Atlanta, GA Confirmed leagues: MLS NEXT, Girls Academy, DPL, NAL Gender: Coed
Inter Atlanta FC holds four confirmed league memberships, spanning the top boys tier (MLS NEXT), the top girls tier (Girls Academy), and two competitive tiers below them (DPL and NAL). That combination is uncommon at any club in any state, and it is the single most useful thing to know about Inter Atlanta as a parent.
Why it matters practically: a player can enter at the DPL or NAL level and progress toward MLS NEXT or Girls Academy inside the same organization. Coaching relationships, teammates, and the drive to training all stay the same. Families whose child develops on a slower curve don't have to restart a club search at U14.
Our enrichment data for Inter Atlanta's internal program structure, coaching staff, and training locations is thin. The league memberships are confirmed; the program detail is not. Contact the club directly for age groups served, team counts, weekly schedule, and current fees.
Worth asking:
- Which age groups field MLS NEXT and Girls Academy teams, and which sit at DPL or NAL?
- How are players placed across the four leagues, and how does a player move up a tier?
- How many kids are on the game-day roster versus the full roster at each level?
- What is the full cost at each tier — registration, kit, tournament entry, and travel?
View Inter Atlanta FC on ClubScout →
Southern Soccer Academy
Location: Atlanta, GA Confirmed leagues: MLS NEXT, Girls Academy, DPL, NAL Gender: Coed
Southern Soccer Academy carries the same four-league footprint as Inter Atlanta FC, which makes these two the natural head-to-head comparison for metro Atlanta families looking at the top tier. A separate record, Southern Soccer Academy Swarm, holds an NAL affiliation and may be a distinct competitive program or a duplicate in our data — ask the club which one your child would be joining. As with Inter Atlanta, we have confirmed leagues but limited program detail: no published fees, no confirmed staff list, no training locations.
If you're evaluating both clubs, the leagues won't separate them — they're identical on paper. What will separate them is the training environment, how many teams share a field at once, how the club handles a player who has a bad year, and whether the coach at your child's age group is someone your kid responds to. Our coach evaluation guide has the question framework, and many clubs will let a player join a session or two on a trial basis — a much better signal than watching from the sideline.
View Southern Soccer Academy on ClubScout →
Roswell Soccer Club (Santos)
Location: Roswell, GA (~20 miles north of downtown) — 150 Frank Lewis Dr., Roswell, GA 30075 Confirmed leagues: MLS NEXT, DPL, NAL Gender: Coed
Roswell Soccer Club, also known as Santos, is the most completely documented club in our Georgia data — and structurally the most unusual. Founded in 1976 as a partnership between the City of Roswell Recreation and Parks Department and the RSC Board of Directors, it still operates that way. The club serves over 2,000 youth participants with programs from ages 2 through 19: recreational soccer, Santos Academy, and Santos Select competitive teams. Their DPL teams have advanced to nationals in recent seasons.
That municipal partnership is the reason to look here. A club that runs town rec and MLS NEXT under one roof gives a family a real entry point at any level — you're not choosing between rec and a $5,000 commitment with nothing in between.
Leadership on record:
| Name | Role | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Kratz | Director of Coaching | Former Atlanta United Academy coach and player; born in Germany |
| Annie Mullins | President | — |
| Brian Nicholls | Vice President | — |
| Jason Kearney | Athletics Coordinator | — |
| Molly DaSilva-Barnard | Girls Soccer Supervisor | — |
| Mark Logan | Boys Soccer Supervisor | — |
A named Director of Coaching with Atlanta United Academy experience is a real data point, though worth keeping in perspective: a coach's résumé tells you about their playing and coaching background, not whether they can communicate with a 12-year-old. Ask to watch or join a session at your child's age group before you weigh the credential too heavily.
View Roswell Soccer Club on ClubScout →
AFC Lightning
Location: Fayetteville / Peachtree City, GA (~25 miles southwest of downtown) — 1200 Hwy 74 S, Peachtree City, GA 30269 Confirmed leagues: MLS NEXT, Girls Academy Gender: Coed
AFC Lightning is a nonprofit club founded in 1984, serving Peachtree City and Fayetteville with roughly 800 youth players a year across programs from U6 to U19. The club reports having helped more than 150 players move on to college and professional soccer. It also has a region in Griffin, so families south of the city may find a closer training base than the Peachtree City address suggests.
Two things make this club worth a look for south-metro families specifically. First, it holds both top-tier affiliations — MLS NEXT for boys and Girls Academy for girls — which nothing else on the south side of Atlanta does in our data. Second, AFC Lightning is one of the few Georgia clubs in our database that states outright that financial aid is available for qualifying families in all program areas. Most clubs make you ask. If cost is a live constraint for your family, start here and ask what the aid process actually looks like.
Leadership on record:
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Steve Muccillo | Executive Director |
| Jeff Timmers | Director of Operations |
| Adriano Moraes | Boys Director of Coaching |
| Jonny Evans | Girls Director of Coaching |
| Brian Schwartz | Girls Academy DOC |
| Dave Murtaugh | Boys Academy DOC |
| Fabian Patterson | Pre-Academy Director |
Separate directors for the boys and girls academies, plus a dedicated pre-academy director, suggests a club with real staffing depth rather than one coach wearing four hats. Registration for 2026/2027 tryouts is open, with a dedicated tryout page on their site.
View AFC Lightning on ClubScout →
Concorde Fire (Premier and Platinum)
Location: Atlanta, GA Confirmed leagues: ECNL Boys — both records Gender: Boys programs confirmed
Concorde Fire appears in our data as two Atlanta records, Premier and Platinum, both with confirmed ECNL Boys affiliations. ECNL Boys is one of the two top national tiers for boys, alongside MLS NEXT. For the difference between the two, see MLS NEXT vs ECNL.
Our program detail for both records is limited — no confirmed leadership, facilities, or fees. The ECNL Boys memberships are confirmed. If your son is looking at ECNL Boys inside the city, this is the club to call, and the first question is which of the two programs corresponds to which teams and age groups.
View Concorde Fire Premier on ClubScout → · View Concorde Fire Platinum →
Atlanta Fire United and Gwinnett Soccer Academy
Locations: Duluth (~25 miles northeast) and Lilburn (~20 miles northeast) Confirmed leagues: ECNL Boys — both clubs Gender: Boys programs confirmed
These two cover the northeast corridor — Gwinnett County and the I-85 side of the metro. Both hold confirmed ECNL Boys memberships, and for families in Duluth, Lawrenceville, Suwanee, or Norcross, either is a substantially shorter weeknight drive than anything inside the perimeter.
Commute is not a footnote. A club 25 miles away is a 45-to-70-minute drive at 5:30 on a Tuesday in Atlanta traffic, twice a week, for years. Map it at practice time before you fall in love with a program. Parents tell us the commute is the single most common reason a family leaves a club they otherwise liked.
We have limited program detail for both. ECNL Boys affiliations are confirmed; contact each club for age groups, staff, schedule, and fees.
View Atlanta Fire United → · View Gwinnett Soccer Academy →
Tophat
Location: Marietta, GA (~20 miles northwest of downtown) Confirmed leagues: Girls Academy (Gold and Navy), DPL Gender: Girls programs confirmed
Tophat appears in our database as three Marietta records — Tophat Gold and Tophat Navy with Girls Academy affiliations, and Tophat with a DPL affiliation. For northwest-metro families in Marietta, Kennesaw, Smyrna, or East Cobb, this is the closest Girls Academy program in our Georgia data.
Two caveats. First, we believe these three records represent one organization with multiple team tiers rather than three clubs, and we're still confirming that. Second, our automated enrichment for one of the Tophat records pulled content from an unrelated website, so we have no reliable program description, staff list, or facility data for this club. The league affiliations are confirmed from league sources; everything else should come straight from the club.
For how Girls Academy compares to the alternatives, see ECNL vs Girls Academy and Girls Academy vs DPL.
View Tophat Gold → · View Tophat Navy → · View Tophat →
Albion SC Atlanta, Southern Soccer Academy Swarm, and Georgia Impact SC
Three more records round out the metro area:
- Albion SC Atlanta — Atlanta, confirmed DPL. A competitive tier below the national leagues, appropriate for players who want real club soccer without national travel.
- Southern Soccer Academy Swarm — Atlanta, confirmed NAL. Related to Southern Soccer Academy; ask the club how the two connect.
- Georgia Impact SC — confirmed Girls Academy and DPL, both girls pathways. The city on this record is unresolved in our data, so we can't tell you how far it is from you. Worth a call if you're looking at Girls Academy options and Tophat or AFC Lightning don't work.
Understanding Atlanta's Soccer Landscape
The Boys Picture
Metro Atlanta is well covered for boys at the top. MLS NEXT is available at four organizations in our data — Inter Atlanta FC, Southern Soccer Academy, Roswell Soccer Club, and AFC Lightning — spread across the city, the north side, and the south side. ECNL Boys adds four more records at Concorde Fire (two), Atlanta Fire United, and Gwinnett Soccer Academy.
That means most metro families have both top boys tiers within a reasonable drive, and a meaningful choice about which side of the metro they commit to. Below the national tiers, DPL and NAL show up at Inter Atlanta, Southern Soccer Academy, Roswell, and Albion SC Atlanta — the stepping-stone level for a player who wants more than rec but isn't ready for four sessions a week plus flights.
The Girls Picture — and a Real Gap
Girls Academy is well represented: Inter Atlanta FC, Southern Soccer Academy, Tophat (Gold and Navy), AFC Lightning, and Georgia Impact SC all hold confirmed memberships. Geographically that covers the city, the northwest side, and the south side.
The gap: no ECNL Girls club appears in our current Georgia data. Be careful how you read that. ECNL Girls is a large, well-established league, and Georgia is one of our newest states — the far more likely explanation is that our Georgia roster coverage is incomplete, not that no Georgia club plays ECNL Girls. If your daughter is specifically targeting ECNL Girls, verify directly with the league and with clubs rather than treating our data as the full picture. If you find one we're missing, tell us and we'll add it.
What Club Soccer Costs in Metro Atlanta
Straight answer: we don't have confirmed published fee data for a single Georgia club in our database yet. Not one of the 23 records has a verified fee range. Anyone publishing precise Atlanta club costs right now is guessing.
What we can offer is a labeled estimate built from comparable clubs at the same league tiers in states where we do have confirmed data:
| League / Tier | Estimated Annual Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MLS NEXT | $4,000–$7,000+ | Top boys tier; travel-heavy, national schedule |
| Girls Academy | $3,500–$6,000 | Top girls tier; national showcase travel |
| ECNL Boys | $3,500–$6,000 | Top boys tier alongside MLS NEXT |
| DPL | $2,000–$3,500 | Competitive with regional travel |
| NAL | $1,500–$3,000 | Competitive; lightest travel of the group |
| Club rec / academy | $300–$900 | Available at Roswell SC and AFC Lightning |
Treat those as a planning range, not a quote. And they exclude the costs that surprise first-year families: uniform kits ($150–$400), tournament entry ($500–$1,500 a season), and your own travel, hotels, and food. Ask every club two questions the website won't answer — what is the all-in number, and which year of the two-year uniform cycle are you in? Ordering a kit in year one means you buy the full set; year two means you can replace just the pieces your kid outgrew.
For the full cost framework, see our travel soccer cost guide and budget guide. Managing more than one player? See multiple kids in club soccer.
Tryout Season in Georgia
MLS NEXT, ECNL, and Girls Academy clubs can open evaluations as early as April, and windows close faster than most first-time families expect. AFC Lightning already has 2026/2027 tryout registration open. Check each club's site directly and register early — a missed window means waiting a full year.
For preparation, see our tryout guide, and for what the first competitive season actually feels like, the first tournament guide. Browse aggregated dates on the ClubScout tryout calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Atlanta club has the most competitive options?
Inter Atlanta FC and Southern Soccer Academy are tied on paper — four confirmed league memberships each, covering MLS NEXT, Girls Academy, DPL, and NAL. Roswell Soccer Club is next with three (MLS NEXT, DPL, NAL) plus a rec program that goes down to age 2. Breadth of affiliation tells you a club has tiers, which matters if you want room to develop without switching clubs. It doesn't tell you whether the coaching is good. That part requires a visit.
Do I have to drive into the city for top-tier soccer?
No. That's the genuinely good news about metro Atlanta. MLS NEXT is available in the city (Inter Atlanta, Southern Soccer Academy), to the north (Roswell), and to the south (AFC Lightning). ECNL Boys is available in the city (Concorde Fire) and northeast (Atlanta Fire United, Gwinnett Soccer Academy). Girls Academy is available in the city, northwest (Tophat), and south (AFC Lightning). Start with what's closest and expand only if the local option doesn't fit. Given Atlanta traffic, a 20-mile difference in the wrong direction can cost you an hour a night.
Is there an ECNL Girls club in Atlanta?
None appears in our current Georgia data. Georgia is one of our newest states and our roster coverage there is still filling in, so read that as a gap in our records rather than a fact about the state. Verify with ECNL directly and with the clubs above. Girls Academy is well covered locally and is the other top girls tier — see ECNL vs Girls Academy for how they differ in practice.
What does club soccer actually cost in Atlanta?
We don't know yet, and we'd rather say that than invent a number. Zero of our 23 Georgia club records have confirmed published fees. Based on clubs at the same league tiers elsewhere, plan for roughly $1,500–$3,000 at the NAL level, $2,000–$3,500 at DPL, $3,500–$6,000 for Girls Academy or ECNL Boys, and $4,000–$7,000+ for MLS NEXT, before kit, tournaments, and travel. AFC Lightning confirms financial aid in all program areas, which is the first place to ask if the top of that range is out of reach.
My child isn't ready for MLS NEXT or Girls Academy. What are the options?
DPL and NAL are the answer, and in Atlanta they sit inside the same clubs as the top tiers. Inter Atlanta FC, Southern Soccer Academy, and Roswell Soccer Club all field teams at those levels, so a player can enter there and move up without changing organizations. Albion SC Atlanta offers DPL specifically. Roswell SC and AFC Lightning also run genuine rec and academy programs for younger or newer players. See compare all leagues for the full ladder and the age-by-age guide for what's appropriate when.
Why do some Atlanta clubs appear more than once in your directory?
Because some clubs genuinely run multiple competitive programs under one name, and because our Georgia records are new enough that a few duplicates are still working through review. Concorde Fire (Premier, Platinum), Tophat (Gold, Navy, Tophat), and Southern Soccer Academy (plus Swarm) are the cases to watch. Assume one organization with multiple team tiers, and confirm with the club which program your child would be trying out for. We're cleaning these up.
How reliable is your Georgia data?
Mixed, and we'd rather be upfront about it. The league affiliations in this guide come from league sources and are confirmed. The program details are uneven: Roswell Soccer Club and AFC Lightning have well-developed records, while most others have confirmed leagues and little else. One Tophat record pulled content from an unrelated website during automated enrichment, so we've excluded its description entirely. Confirm anything that will drive a decision — cost, age groups, training location — with the club directly.
What to Do Next
- If you're looking at the top tier, call Inter Atlanta FC and Southern Soccer Academy first. Four confirmed leagues each, both inside the city. Ask which age groups sit at which level and how players move between tiers.
- North of the city, look at Roswell Soccer Club. The rec-through-MLS NEXT range under one municipal partnership is genuinely useful for a family that wants an entry point rather than an all-or-nothing commitment.
- South of the city, AFC Lightning is the one to call. Both top tiers, deep staffing, and confirmed financial aid in all program areas.
- Northeast side, compare Atlanta Fire United and Gwinnett Soccer Academy. Both ECNL Boys, both a much shorter weeknight drive than downtown for Gwinnett County families.
- Northwest side and looking at girls, start with Tophat in Marietta. Closest Girls Academy in our data — but get program details from the club, since our record for them is unreliable.
- Map every commute at 5:30 PM on a weeknight before you commit. In Atlanta this is not optional research. It's the number one reason families leave clubs they otherwise liked.
- Ask for the all-in number, not the registration fee. Kit, tournaments, travel, and which year of the uniform cycle you're walking into.
- Register for tryouts now if your child is targeting a top-tier team. Evaluations can start in April and AFC Lightning's 2026/2027 registration is already open.
Considering a move from your current club? Read when to switch clubs first. Thinking ahead to college? Start with the recruiting guide.
More Resources
Georgia: Club Soccer in Georgia state guide · All Georgia clubs · Atlanta · Marietta · Roswell · Duluth · Lilburn
Choosing a club: How to choose a club · How to evaluate a coach · Rec vs. travel · Age-by-age guide · When to switch clubs
Leagues: MLS NEXT · ECNL · Girls Academy · DPL · MLS NEXT vs ECNL · ECNL vs Girls Academy · Girls Academy vs DPL · DPL vs ECNL · Compare all leagues · Glossary
Cost and logistics: Travel soccer costs · Budget guide · Multiple kids · Tryout guide · First tournament · College recruiting