Official Website of Lakeland United FC #GoSwans
Official partners & Sponsors
we're lakeland united
Lakeland United FC was officially born in 2020 with a mission to operate as an international bridge program for student-athletes from around the world. Our goal is to facilitate the entry of these athletes into the college soccer system in the United States.
We offer them the opportunity to play with us for a year in Lakeland, Florida, while working on transfer deals to universities across the country and continue their athletic and academic careers.
Our location is fantastic and a dream for many international student-athletes. The city of Lakeland is located between Tampa and Orlando, in the Central Florida metropolitan area. Our apartments are located 30 miles (about 40 minutes) from all the Disney parks.
+21 different countries
In just over a year of our program running, we already have had student-athletes from 21 different countries (USA, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Honduras, Haiti, Israel, Germany, Italy, England , Spain, France, Japan, Australia, India, Nigeria) who identified the American market as the right one to continue their careers in a professional environment, focused on both sports and academic development.
Above all, our main purpose and mission as a company is to focus on the human and character development of young student-athletes around the world who, together with their families, entrust their future in our hands.
Your STUDENT-ATHLETE journey
HIGH SCHOOL
LAKELAND UNITED
BRIDGE PROGRAM
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Play high-level soccer
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Make your highlights video
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Live in Florida for 1 or 2 semesters
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Expand your opportunities to get an athletic scholarship with our network
COLLEGE
years
1 and 2
2021 was the inaugural year for our semi-pro soccer academy and we could not have dreamed of better results. During the fall season (August - December), we reached the conference final (Florida West) in the UPSL Premier Division. In the spring season (February - July) we put 2 teams on the field. Our first team again competed in the UPSL Premier Division, while our second team joined the UPSL Division 1. We reached the conference final again, this time with both teams.
In the Division 1, we finished as the Central Florida conference runners-up. In the Premier Division, we were champions of the Florida West conference and, subsequently, we also became the Champions of the State of Florida, defeating the champion of Florida Central conference. We had our first participation in the UPSL Premier Division National Championship, coming in among the 8 best teams in the country out of a total of 253 in the competition. In the Fall of 2022, we became back to back Florida West Conference champions at the Premier Division.
In addition to the results on the field, we secured scholarship deals for 23 student-athletes in 13 different states. We currently have 42 student-athletes, 36 of whom aspire to enter the college soccer system through athletic scholarships, and we are well on our way to a 100% conversion rate.
THIS IS WHAT WE OFFER
HOUSING
SOCCER
ACADEMIC RESOURCES
PLACEMENT IN COLLEGES
LOCATION
In the heart of Florida, right in between Orlando and Tampa.
Belongs to the 7th fastest growing County in the entire country.
upsl and games
Our club competes at the UPSL, a semi-professional league that is considered the 4th division in the soccer pyramid in the United States. The league has a year-round calendar consisting of a fall season and a spring-summer season, with conference games followed by a national tournament.
In addition to UPSL games, we play friendlies against colleges from Florida in the NCAA D1, NCAA D2, NAIA, and NJCAA leagues. In this 2022/2023 season, we will face a total of 10 universities from different leagues and competitive levels, in games where the main objective of the opposing coaches is to recruit our student-athletes to their universities. These colleges included Saint Leo University, Florida Southern College, Florida Institute of Technology, Eckerd College, Southeastern University, Saint Thomas University, Florida Memorial University, Warner University, Florida College, Eastern Florida College and others.
housing & food
Our program provides an excellent room and board system to our international student-athletes.
We accommodate 7 players per 3 bedroom apartment already fully furnished. Meals are provided by us weekly, as well as a full cleaning service once a month. Transportation to school, training and games are also included.
The complex has a gym, swimming pool, games room, barbecue area, among other leisure areas. It is located inside an open mall with bars, restaurants, hotels, shops and cinema in the most upscale area of South Lakeland.
Here is the Town Center at Lakeside Village presentation
TRAINING INFRASTRUCTURE
We currently train at the Southwest Complex, a complex that has 2 fields with official professional measurements and natural Bermuda grass in excellent condition
We host our home games at the Lake Myrtle Sports Park sports complex, a complex with more than 10 natural grass pitches and a main stadium with professional dimensions and infrastructure.
Home
BRIDGE PROGRAM
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Furnished apartment
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Electricity, Water and Sewage/Waste
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WiFi Internet
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Gym, swimming pool and barbecue
food
BRIDGE PROGRAM
Weekly shopping for the apartments with breakfast, lunch and dinner items.
Student-athletes are responsible for preparing and cooking meals respecting and collaborating with their roommates.
Uniforms
BRIDGE PROGRAM
2 - Training Shirts
2 - Training Shorts
1 - Travel Polo
1 - Travel Jacket
1 - Travel Shorts
transport
BRIDGE PROGRAM
Regular transport for training, classes and games.
