Atlanta United FC, the city's incoming professional soccer team, may build a large complex of soccer fields and a training facility along Interstate 285 in DeKalb County, according to the team and the county.
As many as 15 fields could be built for the team and for the community's use, team officials have said, which would make the site a hub for soccer in the Metro Atlanta area.
No final agreement on where to build had been reached Friday. The location at I-285 and Memorial Drive is one of several under consideration.
Soccer fans said they hope the facilities will be a place to nurture thousands of youth soccer players, while government officials view it as a way to stimulate economic growth in an area envisioned as a future “Downtown DeKalb.”
Atlanta United FC President Darren Eales has said some team practices could be open to the public.
“To have one main complex would be just fabulous. One thing that DeKalb County and Atlanta both need are more fields,” said Sharron Safriet, director of tournaments and events for Georgia Soccer. “We could bring in national and regional events. It would be a good economic driver.”
The proposed DeKalb site is near two MARTA stations, and it’s a 20-minute drive (without traffic) from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The DeKalb Commission budgeted $3 million this week to demolish buildings and clear land on the site. Additional details of a possible partnership between the county government and the team weren't revealed.
Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May said the area could be similar to the Falcons’ team headquarters and training facility in Flowery Branch, bringing business growth and amenities for residents.
“We have an opportunity for this corridor to really transform itself, to become an area that we can call home for major corporations,” May said. “The more jobs that are coming into DeKalb, the higher we’re able to raise the quality of life.”
Atlanta United FC will begin playing in 2017 in Atlanta’s new downtown stadium, which will be shared with the Atlanta Falcons. Arthur Blank owns both teams.
At least two other jurisdictions were under consideration for the training site. The others were in Marietta near Franklin Road and in Douglas County at the Foxhall resort.
“We are currently in discussions with DeKalb County officials on a potential property for the training ground, but no definitive agreement is in place at this time,” said team spokeswoman Elena Cizmaric. The county issued a similar statement.
Eales has said he’d like to have 50 acres for the facilities so that the professional team and youth teams in a developmental academy can train together, with enough room remaining for community use. The facility would need to be built no later than December 2016.
Most research suggests that sports stadium developments don’t make much of an economic impact, said Nathaniel Grow, a University of Georgia business professor who has been recognized as an expert on sports business. But this kind of project could make more of a difference when combined with Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May’s proposal for a nearby government center.
“A critical mass of people there on a daily basis, that might spur maybe not major retail development, but possibly food and restaurant development,” Grow said. “The more you build in an area, the greater the potential impact may be.”
The DeKalb site’s proximity to public transportation and the interstate increases its likelihood for success, said Emory Morsberger, president of the Stone Mountain Community Improvement District.
“The potential for development in that area is tremendous,” he said. “They can start positive momentum moving the area forward. It’s not a panacea, but it is a positive.”
Soccer has been growing more popular in the Atlanta area. More than 70,000 tickets were sold for this week's Gold Cup semifinals in the Georgia Dome. The U.S. men's national team lost to Jamaica, and Mexico defeated Panama.
Atlanta United FC used the event as a showcase for the future team, with a merchandise tent near the Vine City MARTA station, personal engagements with team executives, spots on local Spanish radio stations and digital billboards near the Georgia Dome and jumbotron advertisements during the game.
The plans for soccer facilities come at a time when there’s been much hustle and bustle on the local sports scene.
Though long considered a poor sports town, a new stadium for the Falcons is under construction in Atlanta; a ballpark for the Braves is being built up the road from Turner Field in Cobb County; and the new owners of the Hawks recently made clear they are looking to upgrade their home court as well.
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