Atlanta Soccer News: Art, Music and Culture: Atlanta Chiefs Article: Chiefs Fortunes Intertwined With Atlanta’s Other Sports

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Chiefs Fortunes Intertwined With Atlanta’s Other Sports

By Charles Cuttone

The history and business operations of the Atlanta franchise in the original North American Soccer League were interestingly intertwined with the fortunes of Atlanta’s other professional sports teams, the Braves, the Hawks and, in a surprising way, the Atlanta Flames.

Like many of the franchises entered in both the National Professional Soccer League and the United Soccer Association, the Atlanta Chiefs were under the control of the ownership of the Atlanta Braves, which at the time were headed by a group headed by Bill Bartholomay.

Braves Vice President Dick Cecil became intrigued by US interest in the 1966 World Cup in England, and, looking to add events to the recently-opened Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, the organization invested in a soccer franchise.

From 1967-72, the Chiefs were Atlanta’s most successful sports franchise on the field. The club did not have a losing season in that period, and in 1968, under the guidance of coach and future NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam, the team won the NASL Championship, the only title won by an Atlanta team until the Braves won the World Series in 1995. Full Story on NASL.com

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