NWSL Atlanta’s Marietta Training Ground Plan Gains Momentum With Unanimous Council Support

The proposed Franklin Gateway facility took a major step forward after Marietta’s 7-0 vote, with plans that include training fields, public parking, and a park contribution from Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment.

A unanimous vote from the Marietta City Council moved NWSL Atlanta’s planned training ground another step closer to reality, and it offered the clearest sign yet that the project is being viewed as a major long-term investment in both the club and the city.

Speaking on SDH AM, Marietta Daily Journal reporter Hunter Riggall said the council voted 7-0 to approve a memorandum of understanding tied to the proposed headquarters and training complex on Franklin Gateway. The site sits roughly a half-mile from Atlanta United’s current training ground and is expected to include four full-sized fields and two half-fields. The agreement is expected to return to council in mid-April following a due diligence period.

What stood out as much as the vote itself was the way the project was received.

Riggall described the atmosphere around the meeting as overwhelmingly positive, with broad support from city leaders and no visible dissent from council members. Even with a public comment period that was not required, the overall tone suggested that Marietta sees the proposed NWSL Atlanta facility as a significant opportunity rather than a contentious development fight.

That matters because the project is now taking on a clearer shape, both physically and politically.

The proposed site had previously been tied to an IKEA development that never moved forward after the company pulled back during the COVID era. According to Riggall, Marietta later repurchased the property with the hope of attracting the women’s professional soccer club after the NWSL expansion team was announced. That history makes this more than a routine land deal. It is a city taking a dormant site and trying to turn it into a major sports asset.

The structure of the agreement also helps explain why the proposal has generated so much support.

Riggall said the city would sell the former IKEA tract to Arthur Blank for $10 million while retaining 1.25 acres for additional public parking. In return, Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment would transfer 10 acres across from Atlanta United’s current training ground back to the city. Rich McKay, Chief Executive Officer of Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment, also said the organization would donate $1 million to help develop a park on that site.

That makes this about more than a professional training center.

Arthur Blank speaking to the crowd at the launch event for the new NWSL club in November. (photo: Sofia Cupertino for the SDH Network)

The proposal is being framed as a broader community investment that includes a major sports facility, added public infrastructure, and land plus funding for future public space. Riggall noted that some residents raised familiar questions about whether the area needs more sports-related development, but the structure of the agreement gives city leaders a tangible answer. This is not just private construction. It is a deal with visible public return.

It also builds on a relationship that Marietta already knows well.

Riggall said city officials view Atlanta United’s presence in Marietta as a success, pointing to the club’s community footprint through events, partnerships, and youth engagement tied to its existing training ground. That history appears to have helped create confidence that a women’s professional club facility could deliver similar benefits while expanding the area’s role in the region’s soccer landscape.

The size of the proposed investment adds to that sense of seriousness.

Riggall said Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment invested about $90 million into Atlanta United’s training ground, while the agreement tied to the NWSL Atlanta facility calls for at least a $60 million investment. City officials, he said, expect that final number to rise. Taken together, that suggests NWSL Atlanta is not being built around a temporary solution or a scaled-down approach. The club’s training ground plans point to a permanent, high-level commitment ahead of its 2028 launch.

There is still another procedural step ahead, with the agreement expected to return to council on April 15 after due diligence. But the combination of unanimous support, a defined land arrangement, and a substantial investment plan makes this feel less like an early concept and more like a project moving steadily toward completion.

For Marietta, it is another sign of the city’s growing role in the sport’s local future.

For NWSL Atlanta, it is a sign that the standards behind the club are taking shape well before the team ever steps onto the field.