Last year, as I was sitting in the media area for a Georgia State men’s basketball game, I heard a student behind me ask his friend, “Did you see Didier Drogba’s goal this morning?”
Understand that I am a soccer priest, often trying to convert whomever I’m talking to either face-to-face or in the world of social media to the joys of the Beautiful Game.
So, to hear someone talk about Chelsea’s fabulous forward was a vuvuzela to my ears.
It also reaffirmed my belief that soccer has worked, is working and will work in Atlanta. After all, that couldn’t be the only futbol conversation going on that day.
The ingredients are brewing now in terms of support, interest and infrastructure.
Metro Atlanta already has the Silverbacks, who play on a level below Major League Soccer, but are packing in more than 5,000 fans per game this year.
People in this city enjoy the sport. More than 80,000 players, 7,500 coaches and 4,500 administrators are registered with the Georgia State Soccer Association. That total doesn’t include the megachurch leagues such as Upward, or the pickup leagues that take over parks on Sundays. Twenty years ago, there were just 43,000 registered players.
Soon, the city will have its new stadium, which is believed to eventually bring with it an MLS franchise.
Nationally, the growing popularity of soccer is reflected in the number of networks that carry soccer: Fox Sports, NBC, ESPN, Goal and beIN.
It’s also reflected in the turnstiles. MLS has averaged more than 17,400 fans per game this year. It’s a slight decrease from the same point last year, but some of that has to do with one franchise dragging down the average. Still, it’s better than the average of more than a dozen NBA teams from the 2012-13 season.
It’s also reflected in the fact that Atlanta, which has hosted a few friendlies, was selected to host the Gold Cup.
So soccer is popular in the city.
Now, please, let’s talk.
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