Atlanta United is looking for some people with soccer skills for a video:https://www.facebook.com/NewLifeCasting/posts/1203054623073670
Atlanta United, Soccer in the Streets and MARTA today announced a community project to help develop grassroots soccer and provide life skills programs to Atlanta's underserved urban communities. The project, officially named ‘Station Soccer - Five Points MARTA Station,’ represents the first soccer field to be built inside the perimeter of a major urban transit station in the world.
Renderings of Station Soccer - Five Points MARTA Station found here.
The strategic location of the field in the heart of downtown Atlanta will remove the primary barrier preventing many of the city’s youth from playing soccer: lack of access and poor transportation options. The Five Points station is the hub of the MARTA metro system, making the field an ideal location for kids from across the city to come together in one place to play soccer.
“Our partnership effort will help foster a sense of community around our most active MARTA station,” said GM/CEO Keith T. Parker, AICP. “These collaborations are important because they turn a rail stop into a point of destination where customers can plan an entire outing—from grabbing a meal to shopping then a match—all while using the system.”
Funded through a grant by Atlanta United, Soccer in the Streets will lead programming of Station Soccer initiating in late fall of this year. Programming will include establishing mentoring programs, promoting employability among young people and creating a sustainable, competitive format through adult leagues.
“Station Soccer represents a unique opportunity to provide a practical pathway to the game of soccer for youth across metro Atlanta,” said Atlanta United president Darren Eales. “Kids will now be able to take MARTA to the Five Points field to compete and play with peers from diverse communities across the city. We’re proud to partner with Soccer in the Streets and MARTA on this groundbreaking community project.”
The project seeks to include community members across metro Atlanta by using downtown as a converging point for a new urban soccer culture. Using innovative ideas focused on inclusiveness and collaboration, the Station Soccerproject aims to embrace and encourage the global nature of the game.
"The partnership between Soccer in the Streets and Atlanta United demonstrates the club’s commitment to providing access to the game of soccer to our city’s youth, especially in areas that have historically been marginalized," said Phil Hill, Executive Director for Soccer in the Streets. "The field will allow our organization to expand through a totally new concept in urban soccer, designed specifically for kids who live in underserved neighborhoods.”
The inspiration for the project came from Soccer in the Streets’ board member Sanjay Patel, who has envisioned combining soccer and transit in Atlanta since 2014. “Projects like Station Soccer will allow us to help build healthy transit environments and will also provide access and connectivity for all through soccer,” said Patel.
Station Soccer - Five Points MARTA Station will feature turf and lighting infrastructure provided by GreenFields USA, Musco/Cree Lighting and the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
Atlanta United has announced that it will begin its inaugural MLS campaign in 2017 by playing games at Bobby Dodd Stadium on the campus of Georgia Tech.
The MLS expansion side was originally going to wait until its permanent home at Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened sometime in June, but that would have required spending the first three months of the season on the road.
Given the competitive disadvantage that would have created for the team, the decision was made by the Atlanta United front office to start play in a temporary venue. This will allow the team to play a balanced slate of home games across the MLS season.
Gerardo Martino, named last week as the team's first manager, was advised of the move during contract negotiations, and gave the decision his approval.
"Our aim is to build a championship caliber soccer club and to be as competitive as we can from the start," said Darren Eales, president of Atlanta United.
"With the amount of excitement we've seen for the club, especially over the past few months as our season ticket sales have continued to rise, it was evident that playing at home for the first part of the season was in the best interest of our fans and our players.
"We're very pleased that we are able to open the 2017 MLS season at Bobby Dodd Stadium."
The decision will not change much for fans, as Bobby Dodd Stadium is located in downtown Atlanta, less than two miles from the team's eventual home.
The contract with Georgia Tech runs through the end of July as a contingency, Eales said.
The venue has a maximum capacity of 55,000, though it is unclear the extent to which the venue will be downsized for Atlanta United matches. So far the team has sold more than 22,000 season tickets, 3,000 of which are in a section reserved for die-hard supporters.
Steve Cannon, chief executive officer of AMB Group which is the parent company of Atlanta United, said the company expects to begin moving into offices and warehousing areas at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as early as April of 2017 and take control of the rest of the building in phases throughout the spring and summer.
Atlanta United will debut in Mercedes-Benz Stadium later in the summer when the building is ready for play and according to the MLS schedule, which is expected to be unveiled in January of 2017.
"The excitement and anticipation for Atlanta United to begin play in Atlanta is evident every time we interact with the supporters so we are very pleased to partner with Georgia Tech to get our home schedule started," said Cannon.
"We're equally pleased with the ongoing progress at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It is going to be an outstanding venue for our team and an incredible customer experience for the supporters. We look forward to announcing more in regards to the grand opening events schedule early next year."
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