Atlanta United
calls Cobb home
By Rosie Manins
rmanins@mdjonline.com
Major League Soccer’s
Atlanta United FC might play
their games in Mercedes-Benz
Stadium in downtown Atlanta,
but the soccer club calls Marietta
home.
The team’s headquarters and
training facility is located on
Franklin Gateway in Marietta
and includes six full-size soccer
fields and a 30,000-squarefoot
training facility for both
the professional squad and its
youth academy.
Officially named the Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta
Training Ground, the 33-acre
site is owned by the city of
Marietta and leased to the soccer
club, which broke ground
on its $60 million complex
there in February 2016, opening
the doors just over a year
later.
The facility includes the first
team’s locker room, which
boasts 22-foot ceilings and
elevated windows, six locker
rooms for its youth academy
teams, a full-service kitchen,
a dining room with balcony
access, a sport science facility
and entrance artwork by
South African artist Marco
Cianfanelli.
The training grounds also
include a “show pitch,” which
has a 2,500-seat stand and
a separate pavilion to view
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, so the club could
expand its operations adjacent
to its 33-acre leased section at
861 Franklin Gateway.
The council also extended
the lease for the property
housing the club’s training
center and headquarters until
2041, with options for five
more extensions for five years
each.
At the time, the club’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
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