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 since its inception. Golda helped create, recruit, and build the college’s first Men’s Soccer program and is equally proud of the team’s inaugural
10-3-1 record.
During the program’s first three seasons, NCF recorded 10 or more wins in two seasons, highlighted by a 13-win campaign in 2025. In year three, the program also earned its first berth in the Sun Conference Tournament and captured its first conference tournament victory, helping establish an immediate competitive foundation for NCF Men’s Soccer.
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 and 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, Florida, 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 and has called Dublin, Ohio home for the past 35 years.
Outside of athletics, he founded a Columbus, Ohio based material handling equipment company more than 31 years ago and has volunteered for many years as a board member with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, along with several other Ohio-based 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.
