Atlanta United team members Josef Martinez and Hector Villalba as
they use the team’s new training facility in Marietta.
Major League Soccer’s
Atlanta United trains
out of Marietta
By Hunter Riggall
hriggall@mdjonline.com
Flowery Branch, Georgia, is to the Atlanta Falcons what
Marietta is to Atlanta United FC. The Major League Soccer
team, which began competing in 2017, plays at Mercedes-Benz
Stadium in downtown Atlanta, but the team’s 33-acre headquarters
and practice facilities are found on Franklin Gateway
in Marietta.
The $60 million Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training
Ground opened its doors in April 2017. It boasts six full-size
soccer fields and a 30,000-square foot training facility for the
team and its youth academy. The facility is one of several new
projects that have led to the growth and redevelopment of the
Franklin Gateway corridor in recent years.
Three of the fields are grass, the other three artificial
surface and there is an additional special training area for
goalies. The academy features a 2,500-seat “show pitch” with
a 300-square foot scoreboard for first team and academy
matches. Visiting national and international clubs make use
of the FieldTurf surface for practice — it’s also used for community
matches and clinics.
United also hosts public training sessions and tournaments
at the Marietta campus. A running trail snakes around the
campus’s borders.
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