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Atlanta United
calls Cobb home
By Ryan Kolakowski
Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United FC might play their
home games in downtown Atlanta’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but
Marietta houses the team’s front office.
Atlanta United’s headquarters, complete with a team training
facility, is located on Franklin Gateway in Marietta. The complex
features six full-size soccer fields and a 30,000-square-foot
training facility for the professional club and its youth academy.
The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground is
found on a 33-acre site owned by the city of Marietta and leased
to the Major League Soccer club. The team first broke ground
on its $60 million complex in 2016, and doors opened just over
a year later.
The facility includes a locker room for the top-flight club and
six locker rooms for its youth academy teams. It boasts 22-foot
ceilings and elevated windows, a full-service kitchen, a dining
room with balcony access and a sports science facility. Upon
entering, club staff and guests are greeted by artwork by South
African artist Marco Cianfanelli.
The training grounds include a “show pitch,” which has stands
to accommodate 2,500 spectators and a separate viewing pavilion
to take in practice sessions.
In March 2019, the Marietta City Council approved a sale
contract with Atlanta United for a $9.6 million, 17.18-acre tract
of land at 849 Franklin Gateway. The new land, located adjacent
to the training facility, allows the club to expand its operational
footprint.
The council also extended Atlanta United’s lease on the
property that houses the headquarters and training grounds.
The lease runs until at least 2041, and it includes options for five
more extensions for five years each.
At the time of the lease extension and land purchase, Atlanta
United’s vice president of business operations, Catie Griggs, said
the soccer team was thrilled to continue growing in Marietta
and would consider several options for developing the new site.
“We’ve had several good years at our training ground,” she
said. “The growth of soccer and the growth of excitement about
soccer, particularly in this market, has surpassed all of our
expectations.”
Announced as an MLS expansion club in 2014, Atlanta
United played its inaugural season in 2017. The club kicked off
its home slate of games at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium,
then later moved into the sparkling new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
In its first year of play, Atlanta United qualified for the
MLS playoffs, set the MLS record for season ticket sales and also
broke records for single-game, single-season average and total
home attendance.
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