// COACHES & STAFF
Coaches Who
Develop Players,
Not Just Teams
Every Gulf Breeze Breakers coach is committed to one thing: bringing out the best in every player who walks onto the training field. From Juniors through 11v11, the standard is the same: structured, intentional, development-first coaching that builds complete players.
// OUR APPROACH
The Standard Behind Every Session
Gulf Breeze Futbol Academy coaches work from the same framework across every program: Total Player Development. Four dimensions: technically skilled, tactically aware, mentally tough, and character-first. Every session is built around developing all four, regardless of age group or level.
No shortcuts. No politics. Just real coaching and a bar the staff holds themselves to as deliberately as they hold their players.
The Breakers go anywhere, play anyone, and expect to compete, and that starts with the coaching staff setting that tone every single day in training.
// CLUB OWNERSHIP
THe Harris Family
Gulf Breeze Futbol Academy is owned and operated by the Harris Family, Erik and Theresa Harris, who took the club founded by Vic Ayala in 2013 and have continued building it into the development-first program it is today. The Harris Family is committed to growing GBFA’s reach across Gulf Breeze, Pensacola, and Navarre while maintaining the standard and culture that defines the Breakers.
Meet Erik
Erik spent 11 years playing professional football, three seasons with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats and eight in the NFL with the Saints, Raiders, Falcons, and 49ers. He brought that same competitive edge to Gulf Breeze, where he and Theresa have been embedded in the community since day one: coaching youth sports, volunteering in local schools, and building something they actually believe in. It’s not the “futbol” he had in mind, but ask him if he’d trade it.
Meet Theresa
Theresa has been playing soccer since she was nine years old and brings three years of coaching experience to the sideline. She understands player development from the inside, what it takes technically, and what it takes emotionally. She’s the steady presence behind the scenes and on the field: supporting the coaching staff, managing the details most families never see, and making sure every kid and every parent feels like they belong here.
Meet The Family
Faith, family, and community are at the center of everything the Harris family does. All four of their kids, twins Isaiah and Elijah, Esme, and Ellis, play for the Breakers. They’re not running this club from the outside. They’re here, on the sideline, in the community, invested in every kid who puts on that jersey. Their standard is simple: Develop ALL, compete with ANY.
// THE STAFF
Meet the Coaches
The Gulf Breeze Futbol Academy coaching staff brings experience, commitment, and a genuine investment in player development to every session. These are coaches who show up because they believe in what they’re building, and in the players they’re building it with.
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Coach Jimmy
Director of Coaching (9v9 & Below)
U7 CoEd CoachI have been coaching youth soccer for more than 14 years and have had the opportunity to work with players ranging from 4 years old through high school age. Coaching athletes across all stages of development has given me a deep appreciation for helping players grow both on and off the field.
My coaching philosophy is centered on creating a positive, supportive environment where players can build confidence, develop their soccer skills, and learn the value of teamwork, sportsmanship, and hard work. Whether I am introducing young players to the fundamentals of the game or helping older athletes refine their technical and tactical abilities, my goal is to help every player reach their full potential.
Over the years, I have coached both recreational and competitive players, focusing on age-appropriate development, strong fundamentals, and fostering a lifelong love for soccer. I believe success is measured not only by wins and losses, but by the growth, character, and enjoyment players gain through the sport.
I am passionate about helping young athletes become confident players, supportive teammates, and positive leaders both on and off the field.
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Coach Shorty
Director of Coaching (11v11)
Foot Skills Coach
U15/16 Girls & U11 Boys CoachCoach Jeremy "Shorty" Shortt brings more than three decades of coaching experience to the Breakers. Originally from Arima, Trinidad and Tobago, he earned a B.A. in Sports Administration from Belhaven College and holds a USSF National B License and a National Youth License.
His coaching career spans high school, club, and Olympic Development programs, with head coaching roles at St. Joseph Catholic High School, Madison Ridgeland Academy, Brandon High School, Mississippi Fire, and Mississippi Rush, where he also served as boys director for over a decade, plus nine years with the Mississippi Olympic Development Program. His teams have won multiple Mississippi and MAIS state championships and a US Club National Championship (2012, MS Fire U14 Girls), and he was named MAIS Coach of the Year in 2012 and Mississippi Girls Competitive Coach of the Year in 2016.
As a player, Shorty represented Trinidad and Tobago at the U15 through U23 youth national team levels, played semi-professionally for the Superstar Rangers (leading scorer in 1990 and 1991) and the Jackson Chargers, and was an NAIA All-American at Belhaven College in 1997.
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Coach Leo
Head Coach
U14 Boys Coach
Earned USSF C License October 2025Coach Leo is currently serving as Head Girls Coach for Soundside High School and brings more than 15 years of competitive youth coaching experience. Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, he moved to the United States on a soccer scholarship, where he established himself as a standout player. In addition to his soccer background, Coach Leo proudly served in the U.S. Army, an experience that further strengthened the leadership, discipline, accountability, and commitment that helped define his coaching style today.
As a player, Leo was a two-time NAIA All-American (2005, 2006), earned the Golden Boot Award in both seasons, was named Conference Player of the Week six times, and led his region in goals and assists per game. He also earned CCAC Player of the Week honors four times and was a two-time NAIA All-American Honorable Mention.
Coach Leo holds a U.S. Soccer Grassroots Coaching License, a U.S. Soccer D License, and a U.S. Soccer C License.
Known for creating a culture of excellence, accountability, and competitiveness, he emphasizes maintaining high standards on and off the field. Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for transforming developing teams into highly competitive programs.
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Coach Joey
Youth Coach
U10 & U15 Boys Coach
Coerver Coaching CurriculumCoach Joey brings a lifelong soccer background and a development-first approach to the Breakers. Known to his players as Joseph Ortega, he began playing at age four and entered competitive soccer at ten with the Memphis Rangers, then developed through the West Florida Hurricanes, Olympic Development Program teams in Florida and Alabama, Bayside Soccer Club, and Brazilian-influenced BRUSA training.
He coaches through the Coerver Coaching curriculum, with a focus on ball mastery, creativity, and confidence on the ball. Joey returned to the game through his son’s love for soccer before moving back into competitive travel coaching, and he builds every session around technical growth, opportunity, and inclusion for each player.
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Coach Josh
U12 Boys Coach
Bio coming soon!
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Coach Kat
U9 CoEd Coach
As a youth player in northern Virginia, I helped lead my club team to multiple state and regional titles, as well as my high school to 2 state championships.
Most notably, as a club player, my team competed at the national level on multiple occasions, earning a 3rd place title in the U16 US Youth Soccer National Championship and a 2nd place title in the U18 US Youth Soccer National Championship. My competitive experience culminated in a year of Division 1 college soccer at George Mason University.
I continued to play in adult leagues for many years and have been overjoyed to find an extension of my love for the game in becoming a coach.
I started coaching my own children at the recreational level as young as age 4, and continued to coach youth sports, leveling up competitively as the head coach of a 9th grade girls’ soccer team for 2 seasons (2023-2024 & 2024-2025) as well as coaching travel soccer at local clubs in Gulf Breeze. I most recently found my place at Gulf Breeze Futbol Academy in August of 2025, and am looking forward to many more seasons of supporting and inspiring love of the game to the young players of our community.
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Coach Dan
U16/17 Boys Coach
Bio coming soon!
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Coach Peter
U13 Boys & U11/12 Girls Coach
Bio coming soon!
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Coach Ben
Goalkeeper Coach
Division 1 ExperienceCoach Ben Munger brings a decade of Division 1 goalkeeper coaching to the Breakers, with a proven track record of developing elite keepers who go on to compete at the highest levels of professional soccer. Across 10 seasons and 5 conferences, his goalkeepers have earned All-Conference honors in the MAC, CUSA, SoCon, Big 12, and SEC, and his teams have claimed four championship titles, including the 2023 Big 12 Tournament and the 2024 SEC Tournament at the University of Texas.
The keepers he has developed read like a who’s who of the pro game. Mia Justus set the Texas single-season clean sheet record, earned back-to-back conference tournament MVP honors, and signed with the Utah Royals of the NWSL. Savannah Madden went on to the Houston Dash and the Peruvian National Team, and Kelsey Daugherty was named CUSA Goalkeeper of the Year before signing with Celtic FC in Scotland. At Gulf Breeze, Coach Ben brings that same elite-level eye to developing the next generation of Breakers goalkeepers.
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Coach Christian
Foot Skills Coach
Bio coming soon!
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Coach Mya
Youth Coach
U9 CoEd & U11/12 Girls Coach
All-American ForwardCoach Mya brings an All-American collegiate playing background and a proven attacking mindset to the Breakers. After starting her college career at Vanderbilt University, she built a standout Gulf South Conference career from 2022 to 2025, recording 30 goals, 23 assists, and 83 points. Her honors include United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American, D2CCA South Region Player of the Year, two GSC Offensive Player of the Year awards, and the 2025 GSC Tournament MVP.
For Coach Mya, coaching is a way to give back to her community and pass her love of the game on to the next generation of players.
// GET TO THE KNOW THE STAFF
Meet the Coaches at an Evaluation
Come to a Gulf Breeze Futbol Academy evaluation and meet the coaching staff in person. See how they run a session, ask your questions, and get a real sense of the environment before making any commitment.
Evaluations for the 2026–27 season are open now.