About the owner

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     Charles Mitchell is the owner and operator of The Soccer Farm. At five years old, his parents forced him to go to his first soccer practice and from that point forward, they struggled to get him off the field. He was born in Sanford, North Carolina, but has lived most of his life in Wilmington. He is an alumni of Cape Fear Academy where he was an influential athlete, achieving all conference player of the year as a junior and senior. His standout performances at Cape Fear Academy led to training and playing opportunities in Ottawa, Canada and London, England. Once back in the states, his passion for the game drove him to found Wilmington’s first classic soccer team, CFYSA Wilmington Juventus. Charles continued his soccer career at Clemson University, where he was a member of the 1987 National Championship team. He and his ‘87 teammates were proudly inducted into Clemson’s Ring of Honor in 2012. He transferred to UNCW as a junior and was the team’s second leading scorer that year. He then went on to sign with the Wilmington Hammerheads and played in their inaugural season in 1996, yet retired soon after due to nagging knee and ankle injuries. In addition to playing, Charles has had an extensive career as a referee. He has officiated all levels of matches, ranging from middle school to international, tallying over 700 collegiate, 100 professional, and 15 international games. He was among the few referee’s selected to the prestigious Armed Forces Tournament in 2001 & 2005 and was invited to the National Referee Academy at the Dallas Cup. As an administrator, he has served on the board of directors for Cape Fear Soccer Association and for Triangle Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (TISOA). 

     For over 30 years Charles has been coaching and helping players develop. He has coached recreation, challenge, classic, and high school varsity girls and boys teams. He has worked many soccer camps across the nation and has taken his club teams to highly renowned tournaments such as the Jefferson Cup and WAGS, as well as State Cups. In 2014, he helped the Cape Fear Academy girls soccer team win the Coastal Rivers Conference and the 2A NC State Championship. Numerous athletes he has coached or trained have gone on to play college soccer at divisions I, II, and III, including his daughter Delaney who is a sophomore at Towson University. Charles currently resides in Wilmington, NC with his wife Wendy, son Dalton (16), and dog Bo, while Delaney (20) attends college in Towson, Maryland

Article on Charles's induction into Cape Fear Academy's Athletic Hall of Fame HERE