We were lucky to catch up with Faton Bauta recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Faton thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I was born in Brooklyn, New York, but I spent the majority of my life calling New Jersey my home. Since my earliest memories as a kid, I was always involved with some sort of sporting event. Whether that was competing for myself, watching one of my five older siblings compete in their sport, being at a professional sporting event, or watching sports on the television—sports were a constant aspect in my life.

I grew up playing football, basketball and baseball until my senior year of high school where I went on to play quarterback for the University of Georgia Bulldogs. After my 4-year run, I became a Division I college football coach and coached for three different programs because even if I wasn’t playing, I just wanted to be around sports. I had to participate in a team, whether or not I was an active athlete.

Later on I pursued real estate to learn more about business and business management. Three years in, a curiosity began to grow within me. I thought to myself, how can I take my business skills and love for sports and tie them together to create a product that is the most impactful for my community?

So, I put myself out there and started with training young American Football players in the community, under my own company: The Approach. My efforts gained some traction and gave me real opportunities to work with great local talent, to run some sports clinics and camps, and to meet so many different people that had the same passion as I did— creating communal sports opportunities. It was through my work with athletes while running The Approach that my curiosities about combining my business acumen and passion for sports formulated the perfect idea: starting a local sports team.

With that, I noticed how as a state, New Jersey really doesn’t have many sports teams that rallies its residents all together. As of right now, we’ve got the New Jersey Devils for hockey, but we don’t have a football team, basketball team or baseball team that we can call our own. Notably, our own soccer team has their stadium in New Jersey, yet has “New York” in its name. It’s very interesting— almost every sports fan in New Jersey is supporting professional teams that reside in New Jersey but belong to New York, or have to drive over an hour south to support teams in Philadelphia.

Knowing what I know now, New Jersey has always had plenty of talent across the board in every major sports category. I thought, Why does this state, which has so much sports talent, not have its own sports franchise in all major sports categories?

From there, I knew my mission was simple: I sought to build a team to unite the diverse communities of our great state. I just had to figure out which sport would be my golden ticket to achieve my goal. And I didn’t want to start by aiming for the big leagues. I wanted to build a semi-professional sports team whose number one value was crafting community engagement.

Despite being a Division I college football player, I set my sights on soccer. Why? Because I thought if it’s already a sport that has the ability to unite the countries of the world, why not use it to unite the counties that make up one single state?

I made the proper filings and in tune with my mission, I named my National Premier Soccer League Team “New Jersey United”. Our mission is to harness the power of sport to foster unity, pride, and belonging among all residents of New Jersey, transcending boundaries of geography, ethnicity, and background.

My players, coaching staff, and I are committed to representing the spirit and passion of New Jersey on and off the field, embodying the resilience, diversity, and relentless determination that defines our state. Through excellence in athletic performance, community engagement, and outreach initiatives, we seek to inspire and empower individuals of all ages to pursue their dreams and contribute positively to society—all as ambassadors of New Jersey.

And for those of you fellow New Jerseyans that are interested in watching us play this summer, you’ll find us on our home field of St. Joseph’s High School, located in Metuchen.

Faton, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Faton Bauta, and my history with sports is a long one. I’ve been playing sports since I was four years old, taking an interest in basketball, football, and baseball from a young age. I ultimately chose football and began working towards getting recruited for my collegiate football career. I signed with the University of Georgia Bulldogs and played Quarterback, and before I knew it, I was pushing myself to obtain and maintain standards of athletic professionalism throughout my time as a collegiate quarterback. My time as a quarterback at UGA did not go the way I had planned or hoped but there was so much I had learned from my experiences, including commitments and sacrifices that it empowered me to enter the next chapters of my life with so much confidence.

Because of my strong motivation to surpass the depths of my athleticism and inspire the next generation of athletes, I became a college coach, then a personal athletic trainer and business owner, and now the founder of my very own sports organization: New Jersey United Athletic Club.

You heard that right—New Jersey United is more than just a National Premier Soccer League Team. I started it knowing that in a couple of years, it will grow and foster a deep-rooted connection with the population of New Jersey sports fans and athletes alike, meaning it will grant me the chance to open up more teams in the future.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I knew when I started New Jersey United, I wanted to foster a team culture that felt like family. I wanted to lift the boundaries between coach and player, player and team manager. I want the team to have a platform not just based on skill set, work ethic, and pride, but also honesty, integrity, and transparency.

I am transparent about my intentions with this team— I don’t just want New Jersey United to stand for one Men’s NPSL Soccer team. I want to build the name up as a brand: a segment of teams meant to branch out to counties all over the state. And I am honest about work ethic. This is a professional sports organization. My staff and I are all on the same page about curating the highest levels of professionalism as a Tier 2 professional soccer team.

With that being said, our social media audience is anyone and everyone who’s interested in being a part of this team. Whether they’re trying out as a player, or watching us from the sidelines, we create content that calls out to the viewership that is the residents of New Jersey. And our message about uniting the state is already working— from 24 to a whopping turnout of 60+ soccer players at our second NPSL tryout, I’d say this team’s message is already resonating.

My advice to anyone in the sports sector that’s looking to build their audience on social media is this: ask yourself what your team stands for. Then, once you reach that answer, ask yourself: Is this message worth it to the fans? Will it make them want to stand in your bleachers— rain, snow, or shine? Will it make them drive over a half-hour to come watch your team play?

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Managing this team has been such a thrilling experience thus far, and while I’m not an athlete with a soccer background, I believe the fundamentals for building a team are exactly the same, no matter the sport. Whether you’re on a court or on a field: building a successful sports team requires a comprehensive approach that encompasses talent acquisition, strategic planning, and fostering a positive team culture.

First, identifying and recruiting players who not only possess exceptional technical skills but also demonstrate strong teamwork, commitment, and a winning mentality is crucial— shout out to my exceptional coaching staff Fernando Barboto and Samuel Roca for only finding the best of the best, but also knowing when a player has the foundation to be great.

Additionally, because this will be our team’s first ever NPSL season, strategic planning is absolutely essential for success on the field. Even as we continue to scout talent from all parts of New Jersey, we’ve already begun eyeing our competition this season.

As far as maintaining high morale goes, one of the best pieces of advice I have is to lead by example. I’m not an “in the shadows” kind of guy. I’m a very hands-on team owner—I demonstrate professionalism, dedication, and a positive attitude to really show each and every player trying out that a team is only as good and effective as the management staff that puts them together.

Players often look to leaders in any sports organization for guidance and inspiration, and in my opinion, you can never go wrong with setting a sky-high standard of conduct. It fosters a culture of excellence. And that’s the exact word I want associated with myself, my coaching staff, and my players—excellent.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.njunitedac.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/njunitedac/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NJUnitedAC/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-jersey-united-athletic-club/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/NJUnitedAC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@njunitedac