Matt “Gaffa” Poland named Head Coach and Sporting Director of FC Naples

(Naples, FL – July 16, 2024) FC Naples is pleased to announce that Matt “Gaffa” Poland has been named the team’s head coach and sporting director. In his role, Poland is charged with the rare opportunity to build a new club from the ground up, instilling the culture of professionalism and sportsmanship of the club.

“Matt Poland brings the perfect blend of leadership on the field, competitive spirit, and a strong connection to Naples. We are excited to have his experience building our team,” said FC Naples CEO Roberto Moreno. “We are confident he will lead FC Naples to victory while proudly representing our diverse community.”

Marco Island has been Poland’s home base for the past 13 years, while his journey has led him to play professionally in European Clubs. He has also earned accolades as a coach in European and American leagues. During the off season, Poland’s love of the game has kept him on the field coaching both girls’ and boys’ teams at Marco Island Academy, Naples United, and the local U8.

“As I watched the Paradise Coast Stadium come out of the ground, I knew that Naples would be the perfect place for a professional soccer team. Getting the opportunity to build FC Naples in the community that I love is a dream come true, ” said Matt Poland. “I am honored to have this opportunity.”

Poland’s career began at Taylor University in Upland, IN. He played four years for Taylor as a central defender and led the team to their first national tournament appearance on a seven-game shutout streak. During his time at Taylor, he earned two first team all-conference honors, as well as two-time runner-up for defensive player of the year. Later, he signed with Finland's Sporting Kristina for a year to kickstart his international career and transferred to Sweden to be the Sävsjö FF captain.

While playing for Sporting Kristina in 2018, Matt suffered a severe injury that led him to go back to the US for surgery. After recovery, he returned to Sporting Kristina as its head coach for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. During the off-seasons, he was seen coaching the boys’ and girls’ varsity soccer teams of Marco Island Academy. He was invited to run a training session with the Naples United team and became the head coach in March 2021, where his team was ranked fourth in the country. A few months later, Chicago House Athletic Club offered him to be the team’s assistant coach. He became head coach the following year, and the team went down to pre-professional level; they qualified for the US Open Cup in back-to-back seasons.

“I was very fortunate that Matt Poland was on staff for my first NISA Head Coaching opportunity. He is dedicated to the game, an excellent student always wanting to improve the game & evolve as a coach. He became a great leader as Head Coach to an amateur team, ran it as a professional organization, with very limited, if any resources, taking players to an elite level. In the course of 2 years consecutively, he led the team to the Lamar Hunt’s Open Cup (tournament proper) to eventually be knocked out by two MLS organizations. He creates a great environment for the players to express themselves and perform at their best. I am very happy & excited to see how he will grow in the professional ranks. I know he will be successful! - CJ Brown, Former MLS & USMNT U23 assistant coach.

“Matt was exactly what Chicago House needed in 2022 as the team was going through a transitional phase. He's a talented and tactical coach who did an outstanding job building a culture of professionalism and winning with an extremely bright future. He was an outstanding representative of everything House strives to be both on and off the field, embracing our mission of soccer with social consciousness and the community at large.” - Peter Wilt, Chicago House President and Managing Partner.

Under his guidance, Chicago House had back-to-back Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament proper appearances, after rigorous fall qualifications. In 2023, House made it to the third round of the tournament on the wave of a 15-game unbeaten streak, having knocked off league foe and historically rich Bavarian United S.C. at home before traveling to USL 1 side Forward Madison winning in a thrilling overtime victory after coming back from a two-goal deficit in the 70th minute. It was the biggest comeback for an amateur side against a professional club in Open Cup play since 1995. House’s fairytale run came to an end at the hands of MLS’s Chicago Fire, making them one of only nine amateur teams to face an MLS competitor in the 110 years of tournament history.

In the coming months, Coach Matt Poland will be building out FC Naples’ team. The team has an extensive network of agents and players in Europe and South America, but will be looking to find and develop local talent as well. Thousands of fans have already placed a deposit for season tickets to cheer FC Naples players on the field. Collier County residents are encouraged to join the fan zone and follow the team’s journey by visiting www.FCNaples.com .