A new women’s professional soccer team will be based in the City of Marietta, close to where Atlanta’s men’s pro soccer team has its training facilities.
City leaders and AMB Sports and Entertainment (AMBSE) have completed an agreement for the still-to-be named women’s team in the National Women’s Soccer League to have its headquarters on Franklin Gateway.
The team will begin competing in the 2028 season, according to the announcement, which was made at a special Marietta City Council meeting on Thursday following a 7-0 vote.
AMBSE is named after Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC owner Arthur Blank and operates those two teams as well as other sports entities.
According to the agreement, the Marietta will sell 33 acres valued at $21 million on Franklin Gateway to AMBSE, which in turn will sell the city 10 acres it owns nearby for $10 million.
The city will convert that land from AMBSE into a public park, and Blank will also donate $1 million for development of the park.
The NWSL team will be based in a 38,000-square-foot facility with four full fields and other amenities that will cost around $100 million, with a groundbreaking expected soon.
The women’s team will play its games at Mercedes Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta, where the Falcons and Atlanta United play.
The NWSL, which was founded in 2012, currently has 16 teams and has been expanding in recent years.
The 33 acres on Franklin Gateway has sat vacant for years, initially part of a proposed redevelopment project in the Franklin Gateway area that has been beset by crime and decay issues for years.
The Swedish furniture manufacturer Ikea had targeted the property, but later abandoned those plans.
Atlanta United opened its $60 million training ground on Franklin Gateway in 2017, and it has since undergone an expansion and a sponsorship with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“This project delivers significant benefits to our city through economic growth and new park space for our residents and families.” Marietta Mayor Steve “Thunder” Tumlin said in a statement about the women’s team facility.
“This opportunity was made possible through the thoughtful use of Redevelopment Bond funds approved by our citizens, reflecting our commitment to reinvesting in this corridor for long-term community benefit.
“I appreciate Arthur Blank and AMB Sports and Entertainment for their partnership and for choosing Marietta for this world-class women’s training facility. I believe this partnership makes Marietta the Home of Professional Soccer in Georgia.”
This will be the second women’s pro soccer team to be based in Cobb County. The Atlanta Beat belonged to the Women’s Professional Soccer League in 2011 and 2012 and played at the KSU football stadium.
The team was owned by Fitz Johnson, a former member of the Georgia Public Service Commission who is running for a seat on that body again this year.
Another women’s team called the Atlanta Beat played in the Women’s United Soccer Association from 2001-2003 in the city of Atlanta.
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