Details have been released on Atlanta Sports City, a planned sports complex that could host two professional soccer franchises by 2019.
Set to be developed in DeKalb County, the complex is expected to encompass 200 acres next to the Mall at Stonecrest. Current plans call for several sports to be represented within the facility, including soccer, which could use the complex’s main 15,000-seat stadium for matches.
As was noted here in December, investors, including former tech executive Trey Brantley, were looking to accommodate professional soccer teams in suburban Atlanta over the coming years. What has come to fruition is the $200 million Atlanta Sports City, which will be owned by Atlanta Sports Connection.
With the details on Atlanta Sports City released, Brantley is detailing a possible timeline of professional soccer’s arrival to the facility, which could take place over multiple years. More from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Two professional soccer teams could move in to the area over the next couple of years, said Trey Brantley, CEO of First Team SC. A men’s team could move there in 2018, and he hopes for a women’s team in 2019.
In addition, Atlanta Sports City will provide the kind of venue for large regional soccer events that the metro area currently lacks, said Greg Griffith, executive director of the Georgia Soccer Association.
“This facility will provide a place for dozens of local tournament and give us the ability to bid on major regional and national tournaments,” Griffith said. “The proximity to metro Atlanta and the best airport in the country makes this a great location for a sports complex.”
Brantley was linked to past efforts to bring the NWSL to the Atlanta area, and the league has discussed the possibility of expanding within the next few seasons. On the men’s side, the NASL and USL are both going to play the 2017 season at provisional Division II status. Both leagues are plotting their futures beyond this year, and the USL has already committed to at least one expansion team–Nashville SC–for the 2018 season.
Rendering courtesy Atlanta Sports City.
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