New College of Florida

Coach Richard “RJ” Golda was one of the first members of the NCF Athletics Department and has been with the NCF Men’s Soccer program from its inception. Golda assisted in creating, recruiting and coaching the first Men’s Soccer program at NCF and is equally proud of the team’s inaugural 10-3-1 record. 

Specializing in goalkeeper development, Coach Golda brings a versatile coaching background with experience across all position groups. Off the pitch, his responsibilities include team culture, scheduling, team travel/logistics, referee coordination and social media. His holistic approach to coaching includes a strong emphasis on academic excellence, post-collegiate success and mental performance. He is particularly passionate about supporting student- athletes in their mental health journeys and helping them develop the tools needed to thrive both on and off the field.

Beyond soccer, Coach Golda is a longtime high school basketball coach in Bradenton, FL and has coached multiple sports across various age levels. A native of Orlando, Florida, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Central Florida (Orlando) and has called Dublin, Ohio home for the past 35 years.

Outside of Athletics, he founded a Columbus Ohio based Material Handling Equipment
company over 30 years ago and has volunteered for many years as a Board Member with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Ohio, as well as multiple Ohio based local charities and charitable foundations.

Coach Golda lives in Sarasota, Florida and Dublin, Ohio with his wife Shelley, and has a daughter, Lauren and a son, Andrew.