Atlanta Awarded US Soccer Headquarters
Before Atlanta was awarded a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise, Atlanta United, in 2014, the city was not part of any of the league's business plans. The Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny teams were both forced to dissolve after the 2001 season, so there were persistent doubts about the interest level of soccer in the South. Don Garber, the commissioner of MLS, said that soccer in the South “wasn't something that [he] thought would be successful." Atlanta as a city proved all people who doubted the potential of soccer in the South wrong and showed that they could thrive as a fan base. They did this by rallying around a sports team that wasn’t like other mediocre teams in the city such as the Hawks, Falcons, and at the time, the Braves. Atlanta fans were dying for a team with tons of success and United filled that void.
That initial feeling that was felt by the commissioner lingered even as Arthur Blank, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Co-Founder of Home Depot, began to express interest in bringing a professional soccer team to Atlanta. Blank told Garber, "Hey, I’m going to be building this new stadium. I promise you it’ll be one of the great stadiums in our country, if not the world. It’ll be a great soccer city and my stadium will be packed. Let’s bring MLS." Garber explicitly told Blank that he didn't believe in the idea and didn't see it coming to life.
Blank disregarded Garber and the other people who didn't share his vision, and, fast forward to now, the Mercedes Benz Stadium was built and Atlanta United has won the league. Just recently, his persistence resulted in another milestone for soccer in the city of Atlanta: creating the U.S. Soccer Federation's (USSF) first national training center. Garber shares, "It is one of the most important projects in the history of soccer in America.” Atlanta is an exploding city with sports teams popping up, a new film being shot every other weekend, and the workforce migrating to that region. With all of these new developments, it's the ideal place to make the new headquarters, because the sport will grow along with the city.
Blank contributed a total of $50 million in order to help the federation build its new facility. He referred to Atlanta becoming the new hub as a "beautiful thing for the sport." Blank talked with the federation over a six-month period, and the reasoning behind his generous investment was that he saw an opportunity to build a state-of-the-art facility that the entire US soccer fan base could truly be proud of.
This new headquarters will open up so many great opportunities for youth soccer and provide top-tier practice grounds to train premier talent. Soccer is spreading like wildfire throughout the US, and with this relocation and revamp of the USSF, it will become one of the most popular sports in the US in the next ten years. This training ground means big things for the city of Atlanta and the US, and I look forward to seeing it in action soon.
By Avner Belsky