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By Donnell Suggs | The Atlanta Voice
FAYETTEVILLE, GA. – The old man took hold of the large silver scissors and positioned himself on stage behind the big red banner. Along with Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy and U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson, Blank officially opened the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center, the new home for the United States national soccer teams.
Georgia can officially take the moniker of “Soccer City, USA,” and Blank is a big reason why. Everyone who took the stage on Thursday afternoon thanked Blank for his philanthropy and forward thinking. It was just 12 years ago that the announcement was made that Blank, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons and co-founder of Home Depot with Bernie Marcus, was bringing a Major League Soccer franchise, Atlanta United, to Atlanta.
When Blank first took the stage, one of the ribbon-cutting programs was in his hand. “I’m holding on to this tightly. I’m going to get it framed,” Blank said.
Blank shared the story of how Batson, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, and others pitched him on the case for building a national training center half an hour south of Atlanta, in Fayette County. He said the first five minutes of the pitch were all he needed to hear.
“It was the vision, passion, energy, and soul of soccer that did it for me,” Blank said.
On getting his name on the building where the United States’ best players will train and prepare for future World Cups, the billionaire businessman said, “For me, it’s just a blessing.”
The National Training Center is located in Fayetteville on a 200-acre plot of land surrounded by farms and winding two-lane roads. It will serve as the headquarters for this country’s 27 soccer clubs, including the men’s and women’s national teams and all national-level youth teams. Batson used one of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ tag lines and called the training center a “group project.”
“Everyone here believed in the future of the National Training Center,” said Batson through sobs. “This group project reflects the best of this city, state, and sport.”
United States Women’s National Team head coach Emma Hayes was also in attendance and spoke to the crowd before Blank took the stage. Hayes, born and raised in London, said the United States has played a large role in her life and used the ribbon-cutting as another soccer-related moment in her timeline.
“When I think about today, I think about belonging,” she said.
“Today, all of us are part of something truly historic,” he said. “This is the new home for soccer in America.”
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