About Tavani Soccer Camps

Tavani Soccer was started in 2002 by Duluth High School and Atlanta Fire United coach Gregg Tavani, his dad Filiberto and brother, Michael. Coach Tavani leads the camp as its Camp Director. The staff includes respected college, high school and club coaches as well as college players who lead the morning demonstrations.

Gregg Tavani - Camp Director

Gregg Tavani, one of the top youth soccer coaches in Georgia, leads Tavani Soccer as it's camp director. Gregg is a dynamic, motivational coach, who inspires his players to develop their level of passion and intensity for the best sport in the world. Gregg relates to the players with a hands-on coaching style that includes both playing and demonstrating.

He is a Georgia Youth Soccer Association Coach of the Year and holds the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National A Coaching License, the highest license a coach can attain in the U.S. In the summer of 2005, he earned the USSF National Youth License. Gregg is in his thirteenth year of coaching at both the high school and club levels. He is presently the Atlanta Fire United Soccer Association age group coordinator for the U-10 and U-11 girls age groups at AFUSA.

Gregg also holds a M.S. in Education and is a social studies teacher at Duluth High School.

2012 is Gregg's eleventh as head coach at Duluth High School. Tavani has led the Wildcats to three Georgia AAAAA Final Four appearances in his tenure at Duluth including advancing to the school's first ever State Championship game in 2003. Gregg's Duluth team finished 2003 as the #2 team in Georgia and the #18 team in the nation, their highest ranking ever. His 2002 team was ranked #3 in Georgia and Top 50 nationally. In 2004, the team was ranked as high as #2 in the U.S. Duluth's nine-year overall record under Coach Tavani stands at 105-55-7. Gregg's overall high school coaching record includes 121 wins.

Gregg was selected to coach in the Georgia Soccer Coaches Association All-Star Game in 2002, 2003, and 2006. He was also selected AAAAA Coach of the Month in May 2003. Prior to Duluth, Gregg spent three years as head boys coach at Redan High School in Stone Mountain, GA , where he guided the team to the state playoffs in 2001 for the first time in five years. Gregg has also served as a Georgia Olympic Development Program (ODP) Assistant Coach and tryout evaluator.

Gregg annually produces top high school players who go on to earn college scholarships while also developing several players who have become All-County and All-State and a 2003 NSCAA High School Boys All-American. Many of his former players who serve as coaches at the camp are currently playing college soccer, including back-to-back Gwinnett County Players of the Year (2003, 2004).

Prior to his coaching career, Gregg was a four-year letterman at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL, where he helped lead the Saints to NAIA national rankings in 1995 and 1996 and Florida Sun Conference Championships in 1994 and 1996. He graduated from Flagler College in 1998 with a BA in Education. Gregg grew up in the Atlanta area, and was an All-State player at Dunwoody High School in 1994.

He currently resides in Alpharetta with his wife, Tracy and children, Emily and Brian.

Vince Hayes - Assistant Camp Director

Coach Hayes has been with Tavani Soccer for every week of camp since the first year in 2003. He is currently the Women’s Varsity Soccer coach at Duluth High School and a club coach at Norcorss Soccer Academy while also serving as a Georgia ODP coach for the '96 girl's age group. Coach Hayes is a former Head Coach JV Men/Varsity Assistant Coach from 2000-06 at Duluth and holds a USSF National B license and a National Youth License. Vince was named Duluth High's Teacher of the Year during the 2010 school year and is a graduate of the University of Georgia and has a Master’s in Social Science Education.



Filiberto Tavani - Camp Co-Founder

Filiberto aka “Bert” is one of three founding partners of Tavani Soccer Inc. along with his two sons, Gregg and Michael. Bert was born in soccer-obsessed Milano, Italy and also lived in Napoli before moving to the United States at age 12. His love of soccer followed him to the USA as he introduced both Gregg and Michael to the sport, and became their first youth coach. He has remained active in the Atlanta soccer community since moving to Atlanta in 1979. From 1991 to 1998, Bert served as President of the Dunwoody High School soccer booster club.



Elaine Tavani - "Icee Lady"

Elaine, Coach Tavani's mom, has been a mainstay and "the glue" of the camp since its first year in 2003. She has been to more soccer games over her 30+ years as a soccer mom than maybe any mom in the world. Over the years her attendance has shifted from mother of a player to mother of the coach. Her role at camp is to make sure every camper has water and at least two Icees and that all parents are enjoying watching their kids play the beautiful game.



Michael Tavani - Camp Co-Founder

Michael has previously worked at the Major League Soccer (MLS) headquarters in New York City and at the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA). At MLS, he worked on the MLS All-Star game and assisted with the media onslaught of David Beckham’s first ever U.S. soccer appearance. His two major projects at the WUSA were the 2003 Women’s World Cup and the 2003 Founder’s Cup Championship Game. Prior to the WUSA, Michael worked in the marketing department at the Atlanta Hawks. Michael, a former 3-time All-DeKalb County soccer player, holds the record for most games ever played and started at Dunwoody High School from 1995-1998. He has a law degree from Barry University School of Law and a BA from the University of Georgia.

Camp Staff

Gregg Tavani - Camp Director

Vince Hayes - Assistant Camp Director

Filiberto Tavani - Camp Co-Founder

Elaine Tavani - "Icee Lady"

Michael Tavani - Camp Co-Founder