(all photos Sofia Cupertino/@photosbyysofia)
The Arthur M. Blank US Soccer National Training Center construction is moving right along. With less than 500 days before the 2026 World Cup, the training ground received a corporate boost Tuesday as The Home Depot came on board as a strategic partner- in addition to the Supporting Level partnerships already in place with the organization- for the next four years.
“The Home Depot’s deep roots in the Atlanta community and strong ties to sports, and soccer in general, make it a perfect strategic partner for our Federation,” said U.S. Soccer Chief Commercial Officer David Wright on site in Trilith, Georgia- just outside Fayetteville on the southside of Atlanta. “Its support is crucial toward building our National Training Center and helping us unite communities across the country through the beautiful game, and we look forward to what we can achieve together in service to soccer.
"We're 100% committed to growing the game. And so putting the the National Training Center in the South I think made all the business sense. But it's also the right thing to do and accessibility is going to be really important. It's not just about the senior national team. We've got 27 national teams. A lot of people don't recognize that, but then as you think about all the different tiers of this sport in this country, all the way down to the youth, this is going to be a beacon of facility and it's something we're really excited."
The 200,000-square foot building itself is about one-quarter complete and, since the groundbreaking ceremony, the terracing of the land that will house a dozen practice fields has occurred and parking lots have had asphalt laid down. US Soccer now says the irrigation systems will be the next elements put in place as the campus aims for an April 2026 completion date.
"I think, well, first of all, I think it's exciting for Atlanta to be able to be home to this training center," Molly Battin, Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer for The Home Depot, adds. "It just makes a ton of sense and I think it's exciting for The Home Depot to be part of it. It's just a natural position.
"Soccer is a homegrown sport. And, as you think about how many young people in the US and around the world are playing it, whether it's in their backyards or, through club leagues and things like that, it just fits with how we show up in our communities."
Battin explains that this sponsorship addition for the next couple of years is that natural extension to what consumers see inside sports broadcasting and sponsorships currently through TV programming and event sponsorship and attachment.
The Home Depot also considers days like Tuesday to be part of what they call a "transformational" movement involving the sport of soccer and the skyrocketing popularity of the sport in the southeast and the United States on the whole.
Wright also mentioned US Soccer is planning on having conversations with other local Atlanta-area corporations to gauge their interest in being a part of the project.
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