THROWBACK: Nigeria’s unprecedented African Olympic soccer gold at Atlanta ’96




In the annals of dating, there is BC and AD. This way, many football gurus in Nigeria denote the march of Nigerian football thusly: BW (Before Westerhof) and AW (After Westehof)!
I don’t dabble in controversies, save to say that after I wrote of Nigeria’s historic debut in the World Cup in 1994 I have been called upon from far and wide to tell the story of Nigeria’s epochal winning of the first African Olympic soccer gold in Atlanta 1996.
Let it be known here that our beloved heroine Chioma Ajunwa made history by winning the Olympic gold in long jump in the selfsame Atlanta 1996 games. Football indeed is not the end of the world!
Be that as it may, after the departure of Coach Clemens Westerhof from the Nigerian scene, his sidekick Jo Bonfrere took up the task of coaching the Nigerian football team to the Atlanta 96 Olympic Games. He was ably assisted by Musa Abdulahi. The Olympic team was made up of Under-23 players with three overage players added to the list, namely Uche Okechukwu, Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amuneke.
In a tough Group D featuring Brazil, Japan and Hungary, the Nigerian team came second to Brazil in the qualifying series. Nigeria played her first match against Hungary on July 21, 1996 at the Citrus Bowl, Orlando, winning 1-0 courtesy of a 44th minute goal by team captain Kanu Nwankwo.
Legendary referee Collina of Italy handled Nigeria’s next match against Japan on July 23 before 22,734 fans at the Citrus Bowl, Orlando. Tijani Babangida scored Nigeria’s first goal in the 82nd minute while Augustine Jay-Jay Okocha scored the second goal on the dot of the 90th minute from the penalty spot, thus sealing a 2-0 victory.
Before 55,650 spectators at the Orange Bowl, Miami on July 25 soccer giants Brazil defeated Nigeria 1-0 through Ronaldo’s 30th minute strike. Nigeria qualified for the quarterfinal knockout stage as the second-placed team in the group.
In the quarterfinal played on July 28 at Legion Field, Birmingham before 44,788 spectators, Nigeria beat Mexico 2-0 with goals coming from Okocha in the 20th minute and Celestine Babayaro in the 84th minute.
July 31, 1996 was Nigeria’s date with destiny as the team was pitched in an epic semifinal battle with Brazil. Referee Garcia Aranda took charge before 78,587 spectators at the Sanford Stadium, Athens. Brazil scored the first goal in the very first minute of the match through Flavio Conceicao.
Ace Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos diverted the ball into his own net in the 20th minute to gift Nigeria with the equalizer through an own goal. Bebeto regained the lead for Brazil in the 28th minute when he beat the Nigerian goalkeeper Joseph Dosu.
Flavio Conceicao shot Brazil further ahead in the 38th minute for a 3-1 halftime lead. Victor Ikpeba pulled a goal back for Nigeria in the 78th minute. Then the game turned on its head as Skipper Kanu Nwankwo’s “show”, as he scored the equalizer in the 90th minute, thus dragging the match into extra-time in which a winner would emerge through the scoring of the sudden-death goal. Kanu Nwankwo scored the killer goal in the 94th minute, thereby sending Nigeria into the final of the Atlanta 96 soccer competition.
The matchup for the gold medal was against Argentina, the star-studded team that had beaten Portugal 2-0 in the other semifinal. The attendance for the final match stood at a giddy 86,117 spectators at Sanford Stadium, Athens with Italy’s referee Collina in-charge. Claudio Lopez gave Argentina an early lead in the 3rd minute.
Celestine Babayaro out-jumped all in the Argentine box to head in Nigeria’s equalizer in the 28th minute. Nigerian defender Taribo West gifted the Argentines with a penalty in the 50th minute which was converted by Hernan Crespo. Daniel Amokachi scored Nigeria’s equalizer in the 74th minute. Emmanuel Amuneke stabbed home Nigeria’s winning goal in the 90th minute, leaving the dogged Argentines stunned. Nigeria thus made history as the first African country to win the Olympic soccer gold medal.
According to Sunday Oliseh, the midfield anchor of the team: “This team had youthful exuberance, speed, technicality, endurance and patriotism. The players brought suspense and entertainment to the Olympic arena like never before… The team came into America early, way before every other team. The players trained in Tallahassee, Florida, unnoticed and unannounced. We left as the most loved and supported soccer team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.”
Source URL: http://ift.tt/2o2MAHm



9:04 AM


Early into first season, Atlanta's supporters work to build unique culture

It’s the moment of which every capo dreams: a chant you’re leading not only ignites the supporters in your section, but spreads throughout the stadium to rally and unite all the fans as one. And the Saturday before last, 20-year-old Nermin Sakonjic experienced it for the first time, courtesy of nearly 46,000 Atlanta United fans thronging Bobby Dodd Stadium.
It was towards the end of the first half in that afternoon's 4-0 Atlanta home victory over the Chicago Fire, when Sakonjic pivoted into their version of the “Viking Clap.” (It’s been an MLS mainstay for a decade, but caught worldwide soccer fans’ attention during last summer’s Euros.)
In Atlanta, the claps are punctuated not by Icelandic-style grunts or Sounders-style “heys,” but by an “A,” then a “T,” then an “L.” And as Sakonjic ran through it the first time, he felt electrified. He exulted to the fans in front of him, “They’re learning! We’ve got the whole stadium going!”
This is all part of the fan education building in Atlanta as the expansion side continues to pick up steam across the city. There’s certainly excitement about the team that shows up in shirts, bumper stickers, and flags around town. But some of the fans finding their way to Bobby Dodd Stadium for inaugural season games, which are so far infusing a bit of college football camaraderie into the general congeniality of an MLS crowd, aren’t specifically versed in soccer-style support.
Atlanta’s supporters’ groups, then, are finding a unique opportunity to both bring general sports fans into the fold, and carve out the city’s unique spin on soccer support. They’re all collaborating, and even growing in numbers themselves: a new, Latin-centered group, Delta 17, is currently working to grow enough to join the official ranks.
The first order of business so far: creating a tailgating culture at Bobby Dodd, even if it is only a temporary home. The parking lot on Spring Street east of the stadium comes alive several hours before game time. Footie Mob, a supporters’ group that also celebrates Atlanta music, has a DJ at its tailgate spinning mostly hip-hop, though he nods to their Athens neighbors by throwing in R.E.M’s “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville.”
Meanwhile, over at the Faction’s tailgate, leader Mark Knipfer is Atlanti-fying burgers by adding pimento cheese to them in mid-grill, while some of the younger members of the family-friendly supporters’ group play soccer tennis. At the first tailgate, they’d even laid out turf over the parking lot — though that’s unfortunately been stolen between the first and second home match, and they’re working on replacing it.
The tailgate’s already lively enough that it’s not just attracting Atlanta United fans. This past Saturday found, among the revelers, a trio of Columbus Crew fans hailing from central Ohio but transplanted to the city. Jeff Cowles, Kelsey Pressler, and Jillian Yuricic sported plenty of black and yellow. “We hate the Fire, so we’re here,” Pressler said brightly.
Beyond the tailgate, supporters have already begun a march to the match, involving about 200 fans who gather in an alleyway at the end of the lot. The group then proceeds through a tunnel that goes under the nearby interstate, and spills out on the Georgia Tech campus a few blocks from the stadium.  
Though the multiple supporters’ groups have created their own chants, in an effort to unify for Atlanta fans at large, they’re also sharing in capo duties. It’s not too surprising that they’re finding the simplest chants are catching on early. A repeated “ATL! ATL!” is already emerging as a good fallback chant to rev up supporters. Meanwhile, on corner kicks, the simplicity and frivolity of LMFAO’s “Shots” is catching on.
Also seeing traction? The Resurgence-developed “We Are the A,” with a tune reminiscent of the Boy Scout camp classic “Bear in Tennis Shoes,” which became a catchy staple of pre-season events. It’s no surprise, either, that a call-and-response of “Atlanta … United” has also taken off across the stadium.
Then, there’s also “Ohhhh, Josef Martinez,” which fits nicely in the six-note progression that the White Stripes’ “Seven-Nation Army” gifted worldwide soccer fans. (It might wind up being put on hold for a while, though, given Martinez's recovery time from an injury sustained during international play.)
These are all part of the progression of fandom that’s slowly unfurling between Atlanta matches.
“We’re putting more capos in the supporters’ section and getting cues from the capo stand,” says 25-year-old Michael Collier, of Terminus Legion, who alternated capo-stand duties with Sakonjic last Saturday. “It’s still going to be baby steps.”
For 31-year-old Andrea Bustamante, who also took on capo stand duties during the match, diversity’s emerging as an important feature of the Atlanta fan base. And as a founder of the emerging Delta 17 supporters’ group, she’s hoping that also manifests in Spanish-language chants.
Even though it’s seemingly young in Atlanta’s development to have five different supporters’ groups, the fans feel that they’re coordinating together well. Terminus Legion’s Sarah Palmer points, as one example, to the creation of the “Give Racism the Red Card” tifo unveiled for the match against the Fire, started at the beginning of the week.
“It didn’t matter what group you were part of; people worked until 1 or 2 a.m. to get it done,” she says. “We’re not letting people define how we work together; we’re definitely building up a trust and determining how we work together.”
For Kelly Carter, president of the Atlanta chapter of American Outlaws and a member of multiple Atlanta supporters’ groups, front office engagement has been key. “It’s still a feeling-out process, but the front office realizes the importance of logistics and the importance of its relationship with supporters’ groups,” she says.
“The supporters have exceeded our expectations and have done a fantastic job, especially for a first-year club,” says Ann Rodriguez, the team’s Vice President of Business Operations. “They have partnered well with each other, collaborating on many match-day projects including everything from tailgates to tifos. They have also worked well with our front office on game day logistics and security issues and are proactively self-policing their own groups. They have been instrumental in finding ways to enhance the match-day experience for all fans.”
This has extended, naturally, to post-match festivities, too, which now include a post-game ceremony in which the Player of the Game hammers a mini golden spike into a mini rail. This past Saturday, as those honors went to Martinez, he hammered the spike right at the supporters’ wall, accepting handshakes and the occasional cheek kiss.
A little ways down the wall, Irish-born midfielder Chris McCann flagged down Terminus Legion member Brian Diefenbach. He wanted to offer, he said, his game-worn jersey for Diefenbach’s St. Patrick’s Day-themed AUFC scarf. (Diefenbach accepted.)
And after the match, the fans dispersed slowly, though some of them returned to the tailgate lot to assess the day and bemoan the long wait until the next home match — which won’t be until April 30 (3 pm ET, FS1, MLS LIVE in Canada).
Theres’s still work to be done, of course. There are several chant catalogs for the SGs to learn and teach the rest of the stadium, between what Resurgence, Terminus Legion, and Footie Mob have offered. And some involve decidedly higher degrees of difficulty than those to which of the rest of the stadium’s fans appear to be initially gravitating.
There’s also talk of creating a 17th minute chant for the team. It’s fueled in part by a mystery “working on the railroad” suggested chant, distributed by unidentified fans, unconnected to any of these supporters' groups, outside the stadium prior to the game. (It did not materialize as perhaps envisioned.)


1:03 PM


PRESS RELEASE

The Aspire Group to Host Homeless Soccer Tournament
The tournament will be played at Station Soccer in MARTA Five Points
ATLANTA
(Mar. 28, 2017) - The Aspire Group will host the first Homeless Soccer Tournament at 'Station Soccer- Five Points', this Friday March 31 
st at 1 PM. The tournament will be the celebration of the first month of Soccer in the Streets' Homeless Soccer Programs. 
The Aspire Group was instrumental to Soccer in the Streets' initiative to reach out and integrate young adults - currently without a home - with positive activities.

Digital assets from sessions found here.
"As 'Station Soccer' was becoming a reality, we saw the challenges here and wanted to be a force for good," said Jill Robbins, Soccer in the Streets' Chief Program Officer. "We're in their neighborhood and we wanted to make sure that these young people felt included, not judged.  The Aspire Group gave us the push to kick-start this program, which signified an opportunity to walk the walk when it comes to inclusiveness and demonstrating that all kids deserve the chance to succeed," Robbins added.

"The Aspire Group is proud to support the Atlanta Homeless Soccer League and to underwrite the first ever Homeless Soccer Tournament to be held at the MARTA Five Points pitch on Friday March 31st at 1PM," said Bernie Mullin, Chairman and Founder of the Aspire Group. "We are honored to partner with Soccer In the Streets on this much-needed initiative. Having had several of our staff, including myself, attend the practices leading up to the Tournament our hearts are warmed to see how much fun these young people are having and the teamwork they are building among themselves. Most of these folks have lived very tough lives on our Atlanta streets at a very young age. It is so good to see many of them living in transitional housing, working together in learning and enjoying a new sport and positioning themselves for the next steps in their lives and careers."

Since its inception in early March, the homeless program has provided an outlet for teenagers to build a community, finding a sense of belonging that is very difficult to provide given their circumstances. The program affords both youth and adults a safe space to get involved in healthy activities, focusing on positive engagement with other young adults their age.

Not allowing their current situation to define who they are and who they will become is one of the most difficult challenges faced by organizations that work with homeless teenagers and young adults. This program seeks to break a
potentially toxic routine, providing an outlet to physical activity and camaraderie amongst the players. The Homeless Youth Program has provided a great way to relieve the stress of homelessness, develop new friendships and feel supported by the community.

The program, developed on the basis of the importance of implementing a community-based sports activity for homeless young adults, allows participants to build their support network, which in turn, can provide them with information and resources to assist them in breaking out of their current cycle.

For KJ, an Ethiopian immigrant currently staying in a shelter, the program allows him to "find a support system and feel like I belong somewhere." "Soccer in the Streets is helping me not to let my current situation define me or make me pass on good opportunities that come my way. I see a way out," said KJ, just after kicking it with his newfound friends.

Soccer in the Streets homeless youth program at 'Station Soccer' will run everyFriday.
ABOUT SOCCER IN THE STREETS
Soccer in the Streets empowers underserved youth through sports-based training, character development, mentoring, and employability programs. Our organization serves in a holistic and comprehensive way, reaching kids on the field, in small-group classroom sessions, through hands-on experiences and activities, and participation in youth leadership councils. We are extremely efficient, making great use of the resources we have been given to achieve the mission. Find out more about Station Soccer - Five Points MARTA Station and Soccer in the Streets at: www.stationsoccer.com and www.soccerstreets.org, and follow @soccerstreets.
 
Media Contacts:

Chanelle Belton - the Aspire Group - chanelle.belton@theaspiregroupinc.com

JOSE DEVAREZ - Director, Development and Communications, Soccer in the Streets jose@soccerstreets.org


12:34 PM

FIFA: Station Soccer Unites Atlanta

Lots is happening in the Atlanta soccer scene, and people are beginning to take notice. 

FIFA featured Soccer in the Streets on its Front Page!

There is a lot of buzz and excitement around Atlanta United, one of two new expansion clubs playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) this season. However, along with United taking its first steps into the professional realm, something is happening at grassroots level that is uniting Atlanta. 

Station Soccer is the world's first soccer field built inside a train station. Unveiled in October 2016, the station is a project by Soccer in the Streets supported by the Atlanta United Foundation, MARTA (the city's principal public transport operator), GreenFields and Musco Lighting.

1:49 PM



OUR NEXT ADULT LEAGUE SEASON is STARTING SOON!
 Team registration deadline is Friday, March 10th.  Games start the week of March 19th-23rd.
  • Space is available in MEN'S, COED, & MEN'S-OVER-30 Leagues
  • Take advantage of discounts and pay as little as $670 per team.

Don't have a team?  Register as a Free-Agent and we will help you find one!
Does your team need help finding additional players? Contact us and find out if our Free-Agent system can help complete your roster.
And don’t forget about ATLSoccerCon (www.atlsoccercon.com)coming up on March 25th. PLAYERS ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN OUR ADULT LEAGUES HERE AT ONE-TOUCH SOCCER WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR DISCOUNTED ADMISSION TO THE EVENT!



Source URL: http://www.onetouchsoccer.com/
10:04 AM



Hillgrove Soccer 500 Minute Marathon
I've started my fundraiser for the Hillgrove Soccer 500 Minute Marathon and I really need your help. Please click the link below to view my fundraising page. You can also share my fundraising campaign with others on social media. Any donation that you make will help me reach my goal. The countdown has begun and - with your help - I know I will be successful!
Source URL: https://onlinedonations.us/home/view_fundraiser/1503/45894/232518
9:37 AM

Atlanta may score two more professional soccer teams





“Beginning in 2018, both a men's team and a women's team will call Atlanta their home,” the company said on its website. “We will play out of Atlanta Sports City - a unique complex unlike anything else in the country.”
The teams will likely play at Atlanta Sports City, a $200 million, 190-acre sports tourism project set for the southeastern side of the Mall at Stonecrest. The project is expected to be one of the largest facilities in the country with the ability to host 22 different sports. It will feature a 15,000-seat professional soccer stadium, a 204,325 square-foot indoor athletic facility, 338,966 square feet of retail space, 22 multi-use fields, seven sports diamonds and five indoor professional basketball courts.
“We will be playing in a new 15,000 seat stadium, surrounded by more than 20 full sized soccer fields,” the company added on its website.
However, the company noted the teams will begin play in 2018 at Atlanta Sports City's 5,000-seat indoor arena.
"Like its bigger brother, every seat will be right on top of the action – but in a much louder atmosphere," the website reads. " It will be located right down the road from our main stadium, right in the middle of an entertainment district filled with plenty of opportunities for fun."
According to the study Estimated Economic Impact of the DeKalb County Soccer Facility and the Atlanta Sports Complex Operations, the men's team will play in the North American Soccer League and the women's team will play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The professional teams would use the facility for practices and would host a combined total of 25 annual home games there.
The support for two new teams in Atlanta could be plentiful. Atlanta is already home to the National Premier Soccer League's Atlanta Silverbacks and MLS' United, which has sold more than 40,000 tickets to its inaugural home match against the New York Red Bulls March 5 at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/02/23/atlanta-may-score-two-more-professional-soccer.html?ana=fbk
9:21 AM


Atlanta United will have 15 games nationally televised this season. (Miguel Martinez)


Atlanta United’s complete TV schedule:
March 5 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., FS1
March 12 at Minnesota United, 5 p.m., ESPN2

March 18 vs. Chicago, 4 p.m., UniMas
March 31 at Seattle, 10 p.m., FS1
April 8 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., FSSO
April 15 at Montreal, 1 p.m., FSSO
April 22 at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m., CW/FSSE
April 30 vs. D.C. United, 3 p.m., FS1
May 7 at New York City, 4 p.m., UDN
May 14 at Portland, 4 p.m., ESPN
May 20 vs. Houston, 7 p.m., FSSE
May 28 vs. New York City, 5 p.m., ESPN
June 3 at Vancouver, 5:30 p.m., FSSE
June 10 at Chicago, 4 p.m., UniMas
June 17 vs. Columbus, 7 p.m., FSSE
June 21 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., FSSO
June 24 vs. Colorado, 7 p.m., FSSE
July 1 at Columbus, 7:30 p.m., FSSE
July 4 vs. San Jose, 7 p.m., FSSO
July 21 at Orlando City, 7 p.m., ESPN
July 30 vs. Orlando City, 4:30 p.m., FOX
August 6 at Sporting Kansas City, 8 p.m., FS1
August 13 vs. Minnesota United, 6 p.m., ESPN2
August 19 vs. L.A. Galaxy, 4 p.m., ESPN
August 23 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., FSSO
August 26 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m., FSSE
Sept. 9 vs Dallas, 7 p.m., CW/FSSE
Sept. 13 vs. New England, 7 p.m., FSSO
Sept. 16 vs. Orlando City, 4 p.m., UDN
Sept. 23 vs. Montreal, 7 p.m., CW/FSSE
Sept. 27 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m., FSSO
Sept. 30 at New England, 7:30 p.m., FSSE
Oct. 15 at New York Red Bulls, 3 p.m., FSSE


10:17 AM


The 2017 schedule is here! The Silverbacks will compete in the Southeast Region of the National Premier Soccer League(NPSL) and will host up to 10 matches at home. Be sure to mark your calendars as we prepare for the season to kick off!

For more information, please visit: http://www.atlantasilverbacksfc.com




8:29 AM
GIS Adult Soccer Vacations,
visit and play in beautiful Italy this spring!
What is a GIS Adult Soccer Vacation?  It includes visiting and sightseeing in historic cities, enjoying the local cuisine, playing your favorite sport in iconic locations against local competition, watching the professionals play in a live game and sharing the camaraderie with new friends and family. If this sounds like your type of vacation then read on to find out more about our GIS Italy Soccer Vacation.

Global Image Sports, a leader in providing soccer tours and partner to many European Professional clubs, is hosting an adult soccer vacation to Italy on April 28-May 6. You will stay in the historic cities of Verona and Genoa as hosts with our partner clubs Genoa FC and Cheivo Verona FC , explore the surrounding beauty and history of places like Venice and Cinque Terre, play 3 games against  local opposition, be treated to a VIP game experience when Genoa play Chievo, experience a wine tasting tour in a local vineyard and so much more. This tour is targeted for players in the approximate 45-55 year old range.

This will be a great experience and  you are invited to join us! Please see the itinerary and details below and attached or visit http://www.globalimagesports.com/services/travel-tours/adult to get more info and register. Please reach out to to nickb@globalimagesports.com for more details.

The weather is fantastic in Italy at this time of the year!

 
9:39 AM

Terminus Legion, Atlanta United FC
Jorge Alonso, director of brand development

Origins

According to Jorge, Terminus Legion grew out of the “ATL Wants MLS” campaign, a fan-driven initiative in 2011 to demonstrate to MLS that soccer fans in Atlanta were ready for a team. More than 3000 signed the initial petition, and Terminus Legion launched as a group in support of Atlanta soccer in February 2014. That was just before MLS made the then-rumored announcement about an Atlanta team official.
Photo by Lara Michelle

How they grew

The drive to bring an MLS team to Atlanta gave them a database of potential fans from which to draw, but they’ve largely relied on social media to increase their presence and grow their awareness. Alonso notes they make sure they’re at parades and other city events, wearing Terminus Legion-branded scarves and shirts, and talking to those who want to know more about the group at those public events.

Their relationship with the front office

Alonso is proud of the relationship his group’s been able to forge there. Atlanta United has two employees who specifically work with Terminus Legion and the team’s other emerging supporters’ groups. They are able to email back-and-forth on matters in addition to holding regular meetings. And as Alonso proudly notes, “There are other people in the front office, including in the sales department, who are Terminus Legion members.”

Three pieces of advice for those who want to start a supporters’ group

  1. “Get your relationship with the front office going quickly. You’ll need contacts with the front office when you want to make things happen for your supporters’ group.”
  2. “Develop solid social media. It’s simply how news is communicated today, and it’s democratized media. We started early, and it’s helped us reach beyond our members.” While Terminus Legion officially has around 400 paid members, their Facebook page has 4000 members — some of whom they believe are future members waiting for the team to play its first match.
  3. “Find a charity to work with. It doesn’t have to be soccer-related, though with Soccer in the Streets, we were able to find one. There’s a legitimacy that gives you — it lets people know that you’re about something else.”

One thing you shouldn’t do

“Don’t alienate anyone. We’ve run across people who think we’re not [doing this] ‘correctly.’ But there’s not one correct way to do [a supporters’ group]. You don’t have to conform to any unwritten rules. It’s not a private club. There’s no secret handshake.”
Source: http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/12/want-start-expansion-team-supporters-group-here-s-how-they-did-it
9:47 AM
2017 International Soccer Tours

With our Official Tour Provider, Global Image Sports, we are excited to release this year's Youth & Adult International Soccer Tour offerings! The GIS Select Youth and Adult Soccer trips were created to offer new opportunities for players to travel abroad to professional football clubs, experience the high level training at their facilities, visit new cities, and play friendly gamesagainst opposition teams.
GIS_Email_Header
Youth International Tours
The aim of the GIS Select Youth Trips is to create travel teams of 22 players from Georgia Soccer clubs. The GIS select trips are open to all GIS and Georgia Soccer members. This year there will be 6 unique Youth Trip opportunities for boys and girls groups:
Adult International Tours
The adult soccer tours have been added this year and are aimed at reaching primarily the veteran player who enjoys travel vacations that focus around the soccer experience, including games, VIP access and sightseeing. There are three 2017 Adult Trip offerings:

For more info on youth select trips contact Aldo Marinelli at aldo@globalimagesports.com. For adult soccer tours contact Nick Bogle at nickb@globalimagesports.com
9:17 AM

As the protracted process of redeveloping Underground Atlanta blows past another deadline, it can seem like the future of Five Points is in limbo.
But lately there's been a major bright spot in the otherwise perpetually bleak outlook: soccer.
Late last year, a miniature soccer pitch opened on the plaza level of the Five Points MARTA Station, turning an abandoned wasteland into a hub of community activity.
Heralded as the world’s first soccer facility in a transit station, the field was part of a locally grown program called Soccer in the Streets.
Since opening, the pitch has hosted an array of youth and adult soccer programs, enlivening the area, officials say. According to a recent press release, "Station Soccer" has attracted neighborhood kids to come out and play — “a hub for community activity in downtown Atlanta.”
In recognition of the changes the facility has brought to the station, MARTAnamed the project a “transit win of 2016.”

8:57 AM
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