The U.S. Soccer Federation said it will develop a $228 million headquarters and training facility in the Atlanta suburb of Fayetteville, Georgia.
The federation announced in September it would leave Chicago for an undisclosed location in the Atlanta area. Its new home will be located at Trilith, a master-planned community anchored by the Trilith film and TV studio that is about 24 miles south of Atlanta. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2024.
Billionaire Arthur Blank, who owns the MLS' Atlanta United and the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, contributed $50 million to lure the federation. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will host some games at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which serves as the home field for both teams.
The new training center will be used by the 27 U.S. Soccer men’s, women’s, youth and extended national teams. The center will also provide training for coaches and referees. Initial plans call for more than a dozen soccer fields and 100,000 square feet of indoor training space.
The site of the new facility is undeveloped land west of Veterans Parkway and south of Lees Mill Road. Bay Point Capital, the financial partner of Trilith Studios, paid nearly $6.9 million in March to acquire most of the property to be used for the development, according to CoStar data.
Details of local and state financial incentives provided to U.S. Soccer were not disclosed.
The U.S. Soccer Federation, the governing body for soccer in the U.S., has been based in Chicago for 30 years. Last year the group moved to an office at 303 E. Wacker Drive. It was previously headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Trilith includes Trilith Studios, a 700-acre film and television production campus that’s one of the largest of its kind in Georgia. The film studio and planned community were developed by the Dan Cathy family, owners of the Chick-fil-A fast-food chain, and Pinewood Group, a U.K. film and television production company.
For the Record
Deloitte was a consultant to U.S. Soccer on its site search. Steve Cannon represented Arthur M. Blank Sports & Entertainment. John Soper represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Cushing, Morris, Armbruster & Montgomery was legal counsel on Bay Point Capital’s property acquisition.