ross93

I was wondering if anyone could help me, I am currently working in Atlanta, GA on a H2B visa which is due to expire in November at which point I must return to the UK, I shall then return in February again on a H2B visa.

I have a strong desire to move out to Atlanta as I love the city and I have also recently met my girlfriend which makes the desire to move all that more. I currently work as a soccer coach and I have my Bsc Sports Coaching degree. I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on the best way to:

1. Make the move out to the States permanently?
2. Find a full time job or a company which will be able to sponsor my visa as my current employer does not have any opportunities at present?

If anyone could provide any help I would really appreciate it.

Thank You

scrubbedexpat099

If your GF is a USC then this thread should be in the Marriage section.

Otherwise find an Employer who will sponsor you for a full time position.

Bob

Which would probably be at a uni that takes the sport seriously, or if there's a local sports franchise that might.

Slim chances without already a leg in though I'd imagine.

Wedding bells as mentioned is probably the best option if the OH is a USC.

Bnet36

I was about to suggest what Bob just said. The schools you need to focus on are Emory, Georgia Tech and UGA (is outside of the metro area but doable if you choose your location well). The jobs in athletics are not always visible so I suggest networking, LinkedIn is a good way of connecting. I would also suggest approaching relevant people and express your interest in working there. We don't have a local MLS team yet although I hear it's coming. Networking is your best bet.

Bob

What about lower league teams though?

There are loads of smaller, feeder leagues that are above state sized leagues, like USL and PDL leagues.

I've no idea how big they are down your way, but there's a bunch of leagues down my way.

When we went to see a few games for a couple of the Boston area teams and a couple in New Hampshire, it seemed nearly everyone was a import or other, all but one was a import for one of the teams. Though a chap was saying most were here on J1's as an exchange, from Brazil and a couple of African countries and also Jamaica I think it was, but there were also a bunch of Brits too. They weren't all J1's, the Brits weren't, but I didn't ask what they were on.

Still needed a leg into the organisation though, it seemed most of those either knew someone who had either done a season or two before, were part of a school coaching abroad or similar rather than cold calling.

Redwing

Bob, I don't know of any lower league teams in the south. However, there are a number of smaller colleges that have soccer teams, some of which have players and coaches from overseas.

Bnet36

There are a few lower leagues here, not sure about other areas but down my side they don't seem to change over coaches at all and I would imagine funds are limited for sponsoring. It's worth a try here are some links..
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