US Soccer Federation leaves Chicago for Atlanta

[Slpy3270]

The US Soccer Federation today announced that it will leave its longtime home in Chicago and consolidate operations in Atlanta, including the construction of a first-of-its-kind National Training Center that will be used full-time by all 27 U.S. Soccer teams.

Unclear what this means for the Los Angeles and Kansas City training facilities but I'm betting they'll be kept as secondary facilities for logistical reasons.

Unsurprisingly, the venture will be partially funded by Atlanta United FC owner Arthur Blank.

U.S. Soccer to Build National Training Center in Metro Atlanta with Initial Funding from Arthur M. Blank to Help Grow Soccer Ecosystem Nationally | U.S. Soccer Official Website

With $50 Million Pledged from Atlanta Business Icon and Philanthropist Arthur M. Blank, U.S. Soccer Will Build a State-of-the-Art Training Facility and Headquarters and Invest Millions Into Youth, Women and Extended Soccer as Part of a Wider Effort to Drive the Growth of Soccer Across the...

www.ussoccer.com

Yes, this is my backyard, for better or for worse.

 

[Lilofan]

The US Soccer Federation today announced that it will leave its longtime home in Chicago and consolidate operations in Atlanta, including the construction of a first-of-its-kind National Training Center that will be used full-time by all 27 U.S. Soccer teams.

Unclear what this means for the Los Angeles and Kansas City training facilities but I'm betting they'll be kept as secondary facilities for logistical reasons.

Unsurprisingly, the venture will be partially funded by Atlanta United FC owner Arthur Blank.

U.S. Soccer to Build National Training Center in Metro Atlanta with Initial Funding from Arthur M. Blank to Help Grow Soccer Ecosystem Nationally | U.S. Soccer Official Website

With $50 Million Pledged from Atlanta Business Icon and Philanthropist Arthur M. Blank, U.S. Soccer Will Build a State-of-the-Art Training Facility and Headquarters and Invest Millions Into Youth, Women and Extended Soccer as Part of a Wider Effort to Drive the Growth of Soccer Across the...

www.ussoccer.com

Yes, this is my backyard, for better or for worse.

More tax revenue for ATL, hotel room nights, wine and dine for the sports teams and their families to support GA tourism.

 

[networkpro]

The US Soccer Federation today announced that it will leave its longtime home in Chicago and consolidate operations in Atlanta, including the construction of a first-of-its-kind National Training Center that will be used full-time by all 27 U.S. Soccer teams.

Unclear what this means for the Los Angeles and Kansas City training facilities but I'm betting they'll be kept as secondary facilities for logistical reasons.

Unsurprisingly, the venture will be partially funded by Atlanta United FC owner Arthur Blank.

U.S. Soccer to Build National Training Center in Metro Atlanta with Initial Funding from Arthur M. Blank to Help Grow Soccer Ecosystem Nationally | U.S. Soccer Official Website

With $50 Million Pledged from Atlanta Business Icon and Philanthropist Arthur M. Blank, U.S. Soccer Will Build a State-of-the-Art Training Facility and Headquarters and Invest Millions Into Youth, Women and Extended Soccer as Part of a Wider Effort to Drive the Growth of Soccer Across the...

www.ussoccer.com

Yes, this is my backyard, for better or for worse.

Can we send them somewhere else ?

 

[Slpy3270]

Can we send them somewhere else ?

I doubt they would've wanted to go to Florida.

More tax revenue for ATL, hotel room nights, wine and dine for the sports teams and their families to support GA tourism.

Knowing how corrupt soccer federations are I doubt this will benefit anyone but the fed.

 

[Lilofan]

I doubt they would've wanted to go to Florida.


Knowing how corrupt soccer federations are I doubt this will benefit anyone but the fed.

I doubt the teams spending their discretionary income to support GA tourism is corrupt. The way the move to Atlanta actually happened could be another topic of discussion.

 

[Slpy3270]

I doubt the teams spending their discretionary income to support GA tourism is corrupt. The way the move to Atlanta actually happened could be another topic of discussion.

I think there's another layer: Warner Bros. Discovery holds the broadcast rights to the fed's games, both men's and women's teams, and airs them on TNT, TBS and (HBO) Max. Guess where most of WBD's TV operations are based?

 

[networkpro]

I think there's another layer: Warner Bros. Discovery holds the broadcast rights to the fed's games, both men's and women's teams, and airs them on TNT, TBS and (HBO) Max. Guess where most of WBD's TV operations are based?

In three pretty awful-looking buildings in between Ga Tech and I75/85 ?

 

[Slpy3270]

In three pretty awful-looking buildings in between Ga Tech and I75/85 ?

View attachment 743088

Not quite as ugly when on the ground, though.

 

[Lilofan]

Not quite as ugly when on the ground, though.

View attachment 743089

Landscape the areas with some palm trees like some areas in south GA.

 

[Slpy3270]

Hmmm....

A national training center had long been seen as desirable by USSF officials. Globally, many successful soccer federations have one. The central questions for U.S. Soccer were twofold: Does a singular hub make sense in a nation this big? And with so many state-of-the-art facilities throughout that nation, was it worth spending hundreds of millions of dollars to construct one specifically for the national teams?

“The reality is, this is a massive country,” then-USSF president Carlos Cordeiro said in 2019. “We are as big, if not bigger, than all of Europe together. We are one federation for all of that. So … do we have one training center? Do we have multiple training centers? Don’t assume that everything is going to be in one location. It could be in one location. It could be in three or four locations. It’s a compromise between having everybody together versus the reality.”

Both questions were answered, in part, by Arthur Blank, the Home Depot co-founder turned philanthropist. Blank, who owns the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer's Atlanta United, pledged $50 million to the project. His contribution and other corporate partnerships helped sway U.S. Soccer leaders — most notably CEO JT Batson — to choose Atlanta over Cary, North Carolina, the other finalist.

Batson, a Georgia native, has been traveling to Atlanta to meet with potential benefactors and explore potential locations for the facility. He helped secure a partnership with Coca-Cola, another Atlanta-based corporate giant, which "played an important role in bringing the [facility] to the company's hometown," U.S. Soccer said.

Batson is now leading the search for the specific site; a final decision will be made in January, and construction could begin later next year.

U.S. Soccer will build a national training center and make a landmark move to Atlanta

U.S. Soccer had been based in Chicago for decades, with its national teams traveling to dozens of cities across the country. A $50 million pledge from Arthur Blank will help bring everything to Atlanta.

sports.yahoo.com