Atlanta United: Redefining Atlanta Sports

Atlanta has always been seen as a second-rate sports town. Atlanta United, its brand new MLS franchise, is showing why Atlanta’s passion for sports is severely underrated.

As Major League Soccer’s opening weekend approaches, Atlanta United continues to break MLS expansion records at breakneck speed. This week the club announced that it had sold 33,000 season tickets. They have also sold out Sunday’s match against the New York Red Bulls.

Considering the makeup of the city, United’s ticket sale success might be surprising to some. Millions of new transplants have moved into the Atlanta area in the past twenty years. Consequently, these new transplants have given Atlanta a perception as the worst sports city in America by certain media outlets.

With the arrival of Atlanta United, however, this stigma is rapidly changing. The Atlanta United front office has done a remarkable job marketing the team to a city and region starved to taste the elusive MLS experience. Nonetheless, Atlanta and its surrounding area has risen to the occasion to help the team hit the ground running.

The South

For Major League Soccer’s first 20 years of existence, the league’s geographic footprint spanned from coast to coast. However, the league had a notably gaping hole in representation since its inception. The South, or “Dirty South”, as it’s colloquially known in Atlanta, was seemingly considered outside the scope of American soccer influence by the league and media at large.

The South’s cultural connection was seemingly overlooked. Ever since the Braves and Ted Turner ruled the airwaves on TBS in the 80s, fans in states adjacent to Atlanta became connected with Atlanta and its sports teams.

Consequently, the induction of Atlanta United into MLS has awoken a sleeping giant. Fans from around the southeast, even hundreds of miles away, are planning to travel to the game on Sunday, exemplified in this post posted yesterday in /r/AtlantaUnited. Until more MLS franchises dot the areas around Georgia, expect Atlanta to draw fans from all over the region.

Local Talent

Atlanta United’s investment in young, local talent has already created a connection with Atlanta fans. In 2015, the club decided to integrate local super club Georgia United, quite possibly the most prudent move Atlanta has made so far. The integration has given immediate access to a world class pipeline of talent, including the club’s first two homegrowns Andrew Carleton and Chris Goslin.

Carleton and Goslin are currently stars for the US U-17s. However, Carleton is the real standout performer. His stellar preseason performances have already turned the 16 year old into something of a hometown hero. Carleton has generated buzz among many local media outlets because of his local connection to Atlanta.

Andrew will soon become a household name in Atlanta if he keeps getting minutes and scoring goals. Young, exciting local talent is one of the most important factors to connecting fans to a team. Carleton’s meteoric rise is reminiscent of Jason Heyward’s rookie year in 2010 when he propelled the Braves into the playoffs.

https://twitter.com/ATLUTD/status/835665838401257472

Supporter’s Groups

Atlanta United boasts four supporters groups in its young history.  The four groups include Terminus Legion (the first Atlanta United supporters group, founded in early 2014), Footie Mob, The Faction, and Resurgence ATL. Each group has their own philosophy and ideas, ranging from family-friendly membership to a more invested “ultra” group. Community outreach has been a focus for the SG’s. Faction member Mark Knipfer outlined his group’s recent efforts in an interview with the New York Times:

"The Faction, Knipfer said, is like its founders: half from somewhere else and half native to Georgia, or at least generally Southern. It is more of a family-oriented set, with a website that pledges an embrace of values like “using sport to help develop youth character.”The Faction raises money to support the Fugees Family, an Atlanta-area program that supports refugee children from 23 countries and that includes a school and soccer team. So far, the money comes from membership fees: $10 for adults, $5 for children. About 100 people have joined, Knipfer said. “We want to get to the point we’re recognized as a formidable force, maybe 1,000,” he said."

(Timothy Pratt, NYT)

Atlanta United’s marketing department is thankful for their efforts. Because of the hard work of these groups, United has reached far wider audiences than they normally would.

Next: MLS 2017: Team Previews for all 22 clubs

Attendance Predictions

By the end of the 2017 MLS season, Atlanta United should be on track to an average attendance in the upper forty thousands. Atlanta will play in Bobby Dodd stadium until July 30th, when they move to the state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz stadium.

Atlanta may get close to selling out every match in the 55,000 seat Bobby-Dodd stadium, but attendances should explode once the Benz opens. Later in the season, partial Benz-only season tickets are likely to be sold. With these potential crazy numbers, it is safe to say that Atlanta has blown the doors off the notion of being a mediocre sports town.