Angelo@afclightning.org
770-315-5103

Yokaris brings to AFC Lightning a wealth of experience.  He is a well respected coach who has had a great deal of success not only in winning games, but most importantly developing every player to their fullest.  Yokaris grew up playing soccer in Europe where he developed a strong background for the sport. He started playing soccer at a very young age in the streets of Athens, Greece.  At age 14 he went on training with the Academy of AEK FC, a top professional club with numerous titles in Greece, and consistent appearances in the European competitions over the last 50 years. 

At Cornell College, Yokaris earned Most Valuable Player and All-Conference awards, leading the Rams to the NCAA Midwest Conference Championship in 1982, and breaking the school’s record for most goals scored by a player in a single season.  He transferred to play at Division I, George Washington University, and earn his Bachelor's Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering.  He's also a Masters Degree graduate from the University of Iowa.

Angelo started coaching as a hobby in the late 80's as a player/coach for various strong clubs in the U.S. and overseas winning multiple titles.  At the same time, he continued a successful career internationally as a Civil Engineer and Project Manager in road and bridge infrastructure projects, a profession which brought him and his family to Peachtree City in 2000.  It wasn't long before he became known in the youth soccer community for his coaching abilities in player development from academy ages through select with the Peachtree City Lazers, Concorde Fire and now at AFC Lightning. 

He was the first coach to implement the Kicking Is Not a Soccer skill (KINS) program of Georgia Soccer at PTCYSA, and one of the first coaches of the Developmental and Academy programs in Georgia.  He was also the assistant coach of the '84 Lazers in 2003, the year the team captured the U19 Girls National Championship, and of the ’88 Lazers U18 Girls Regional Finalists in 2006. More importantly, his knowledge, love and passion for the game have been contagious to the players he coaches.

Angelo holds a USSF "C" National license since 2001, and plans to pursue his UEFA "B" license.  He’s also an Academy and Select Committee member at Georgia Soccer since 2004, currently serving as an Age Group Coordinator.  He is married with 3 children.