NORTH CAROLINA FC YOUTH PROMOTES DANIEL SELLITTI TO NCFC ACADEMY DIRECTOR
John Bradford to remain on staff as an advisor to the program
CARY, N.C. (DATE TBD) – With the recent announcement that John Bradford is promoted to head coach and sporting director of North Carolina FC, NCFC Youth is excited for Daniel Sellitti to take the reigns as the NCFC Academy Director effective immediately. John Bradford, who has served as the NCFC Academy Director since 2006, will stay on as an advisor to the NCFC Academy and maintain a critical role in the developmental pathways of the program’s top talents.
Sellitti joined NCFC Youth in 2019 as an ECNL boys coach. He quickly made a name for himself on and off the field and built a positive reputation among his coaching peers, players, and parents. He joined the NCFC Academy staff in Fall 2022, where he began coaching teams across multiple age groups, oversaw player development within the Pre-Academy program and U13 age group, and was the Director of the NCFC Academy Homestay program.
"I am thrilled to step into the role of Academy Director for North Carolina FC Academy. A huge thank you to Gary, Paul, and John for their support and confidence in me,” said Sellitti. “I'm eager to continue our journey towards excellence in soccer, building on our strong foundation and shaping a bright future for the academy."
Sellitti’s experience across youth, college, professional, and national teams will continue to be advantageous to our players and fellow coaches. Prior to joining NCFC Youth, Sellitti was an Assistant Men’s Coach at Mt. Olive (2018-2019) and Concord University (2016-2018). He has spent time as an assistant coach with the North Carolina FC U23 (USL-2 league) and North Carolina FC (returning to USL Champions league in 2024). More recently, Sellitti received the opportunity to support the national teams in Puerto Rico. He is an Assistant Coach for the Puerto Rico Football Federation (2021 – present) and serves as the Sporting Director for the Federation (2022 – present), where he oversees recruitment and development of the men’s and women’s senior and youth national teams. Experience across the soccer landscape will benefit the collegiate and professional aspirations of NCFC Youth players, in addition to providing a well-rounded coaching portfolio - adding new on-field and player development perspective.
“Daniel [Sellitti] is primed and ready to continue building on the great program John [Bradford] has led over the years,” said Paul Forster, NCFC Youth Director of Soccer. “Daniel’s familiarity with the current players, our culture, and youth-to-pro development opportunities will make it a seamless transition. Our entire Academy staff is excited for Daniel and eager to follow his direction for the program. Our connection will remain strong to our professional club with John [Bradford] as the Head Coach and Sporting Director, and we are thrilled to keep him formally involved in our Academy as an advisor. We’re grateful for the many years he devoted to NCFC Youth.”
As a native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Sellitti graduated from Marshall University with a B.A. in Business Administration. He earned advanced degrees in both Health Promotions (M.A. from Concord University) and Nutrition & Human Performance (M.S. from Logan University). Sellitti is currently pursuing is USSF “A” License.
