The U.S. Soccer Federation has plans to build a national training center in Atlanta to act as the organization's first centralized headquarters.
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The facility will serve as the home base for most of the league's operations, including offices for staff and training facilities for the teams.
Since 1991, U.S. Soccer has been calling two refurbished mansions on Chicago's South Side its home. The houses sold in August for $4.2M, Crain's Chicago Business reported. Since then, the organization's offices have taken up residence in 33K SF at 303 East Wacker Drive.
A site hasn't been selected yet in Atlanta. That search is being led by U.S. Soccer CEO and Secretary General J.T. Batson, and a decision will be made in January, according to a press release. Construction is expected to begin by the end of next year. There is no specification yet on the size of the site the federation is seeking or of the facilities it will build.
The league is receiving $50M in funding from Home Depot co-founder Arthur M. Blank to build the facility. Blank also owns the Atlanta Falcons football team and the Atlanta United soccer team. Other corporations will help fund the center as well, like Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, which announced a partnership with U.S. Soccer in July.
“Atlanta is a sports town. … There is no better place for this sport to call home during such a critical time," Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a press release.
Atlanta will be one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The city has hosted the Super Bowl twice, two NCAA Final Fours and the Olympics once.
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