FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – A number of U.S. Soccer executives, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, and Arthur Blank, owner and namesake of the Arthur M. Blank Foundation, have shovels in hand. Moved the first terra firma related to things that last forever. It will be called the Arthur M. Blank Foundation U.S. Soccer National Training Center.
These people, local elected officials, local business owners and media were all in attendance at Monday morning's groundbreaking ceremony. Located on 200 acres of land surrounded by farms and winding two-lane roads in Fayetteville, the U.S. Soccer National Training Center will be the headquarters for the country's soccer clubs, including the men's and women's national teams and all youth teams. . Teams involved at national level.
The groundbreaking could not have come at a better time, as the entire soccer world is scheduled to converge on Atlanta for the 2026 World Cup semifinals. There is no clear schedule for when the training center will open. Still, the fact that United Football's headquarters are in the South has a lot to do with what Blank and Major League Soccer brought to Atlanta with Atlanta United seven years ago.
Blank mentioned that and the sin of Joshua's love for the game as part of his connection to the sport as a boy. Mr. Blank, who has been a major contributor on a financial level, found out a few days ago that his name would be added to the facility. Joshua narrated an honorific video that was played before U.S. Soccer Federation President Cindy Perlow Cohn thanked Blank and welcomed him to the stage for comment.
“This facility will be a place where dreams are nurtured and born,” Blank said, adding that he was surprised by the way soccer is played around the world. The World Cup semi-finals will be held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Blank's backyard.
Kemp also thanked Blank and thanked the U.S. Soccer Federation for “choosing Georgia.”
“Georgia has a long and storied sports history,” Kemp added. “We are very good at hosting these events because we have very good assets and great people.”
Some of those people will find work at the training center, as more than 400 jobs will be available during and after construction, according to the U.S. Soccer Federation.
U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson, an Augusta native, said more than 50,000 people gathered at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the U.S. women's national team's friendly match against Japan last Saturday. He cited this as further proof that Atlanta is a soccer city.
“We learned this week how much Georgia loves football,” he said. “The National Training Center provides a world-class environment for the national team.”
Batson also praised Fayette County and Fayetteville officials who helped make this moment possible. “You all have supported us all along,” he said.
The location is 24 miles from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the country, and 37 miles from the heart of downtown Atlanta and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of Atlanta United. There is.
Mr. Kemp thanked Mr. Blank and the teams at U.S. Soccer and Atlanta United for their help in making the groundbreaking ceremony possible.
Tiffany Blackmon, an Atlanta radio and television sports reporter and former Georgia State University Panthers football player, moderated the event. Blackmon, who has played soccer throughout Georgia since he was a child, said he can't believe he was able to be a part of this moment. She admitted that she was “fangirling over Parlow Cohn” when she saw her earlier that day.
“I started playing soccer at the age of eight, and it's incredible to see how much soccer has grown,” Blackmon said. voice of atlanta Following the groundbreaking ceremony. “This was really special to me. Amazing.”
With construction just broken on the future home of men's and women's soccer in the United States, dreams are already coming true.
