How to Develop Your Own Soccer Facility: A Case Study of Georgia Soccer Park

Administrators:  The following article is the first of a two part series which will investigate one of the largest undertakings in youth soccer…the construction of a soccer park from conception to completion. To begin we will take a look at one complex, Georgia Soccer Park, which is entering its final stages of completion with a plan to open in 2 weeks.  Through the examination of this park - which we believe will soon be one of the leading soccer-specific facilities in the southeast; we will then be able to examine how your club can build its own facility step by step.

What Is Georgia Soccer Park?

Sitting on 118 acres in the city of East Point (right outside the Atlanta city limits), Georgia Soccer Park will eventually hold 16 full, international-size soccer fields (5 fields are currently developed and ready for play) to be used by youth and adult soccer players throughout the region. The project is the culmination of 10+ years of work by the Georgia Soccer Development Foundation in conjunction with the Georgia State Soccer Association and the Atlanta Concorde Fire Soccer Association. 

Georgia Soccer Park’s Wants And Needs:  Finding Tenants

Georgia Soccer Park had, as a central goal, to not only act as a soccer hub for the 95,000 children and 12,000 adults who participate in Georgia, but also reach out to the community, helping disadvantaged and special needs youth through soccer.  However, in order to be the central hub for soccer in Georgia, the park needed tenants.

Georgia Soccer Park killed two birds with one stone by acquiring anchor tenants who were not only marquee members of soccer within the state, but also community outreach organizations.  The committed tenants include:

• Atlanta Concorde Fire – Recently voted the #10 club  in the U.S., the founding partner of Georgia Soccer Park offers 1,000+ soccer players and parents over a 12 week period
• Region III Premier League – Will hold 100 games at Georgia Soccer Park leading to field usage by over 6,000 soccer players and parents over a 12 week period.
• Soccer in the Streets – Atlanta-based nationwide non-profit that develops soccer, educational, and life-skills programs for “at-risk” youth
• America Scores – Nation’s largest after-school soccer, literacy, and service-learning program
• La Liga of Lawrenceville – One of the largest amateur adult leagues in Georgia

What Roadblocks Did Georgia Soccer Park Have to Overcome?

The city of Atlanta accounts for almost two-thirds of Georgia’s soccer population. However, lack of available field space and exorbitant land prices have limited soccer facility options for many youth and adult clubs.  As two separate groups, the Georgia Soccer Development Foundation and Atlanta Concorde Fire Soccer Association were both in search of available land, it so happened that the two organizations chose tracts of land directly beside each other.  This led to the eventual conception of Georgia Soccer Park.

The deal, however, was a complicated real estate transaction as there were numerous parties involved on both sides.  Current Georgia Soccer Park President and former Georgia Soccer Development Foundation board member Eben Hardie commented that this project, “has probably been more complicated than any individual real estate deal I've ever done."  Hardie went on to note, “Almost always in other deals, you know what you're going to end up with before you start," he said. "With this, we started out with a five-field project on 37 acres that's grown [to 16 fields]." (Atlanta Business Chronicle)  Considerable time and effort has been devoted to the project to insure that all party’s needs were met in the Georgia Soccer Park agreement.

To add to the hurdles Georgia Soccer Park was located in a floodplain.  In order to correct this issue, Georgia Soccer Park uses the highest quality turf atop a half foot of sand to assure field drainage in even the most treacherous monsoons.  The lesson to be learned is that no matter the amount of precaution taken, your club and your associated budget must be able to adjust for unforeseen problems… bend without breaking.

Where Did the Funding Come From?

Everywhere! This tends to be the biggest challenges for non-profits – where to find the money to develop these state-of-the-art soccer complexes.  The specifics regarding Georgia Soccer Park and its funding can be found in The Atlanta Business Chronicle’s article East Point soccer complex will be a jewel for city.  To summarize, the simple answer is to leave no stone unturned!  Georgia Soccer Park utilized a wide array of funding avenues during the 10 years leading up to its creation, with more to come.  These avenues include:

1. US Soccer Foundation Assistance (Administrators Take Note)
2. Independent Statewide Donations
3. Club Funding
4. Real Estate Sales
5. Land Donations
6. In Kind Donation
7. Sponsorships

Moving forward, the park’s board members have noted that they would certainly entertain the idea of a professional affiliation should the opportunity present itself.  Administrators whose clubs reside in close proximity to MLS and/or USL teams should explore this opportunity as well.  The lesson here:  there are a plethora of ways your 501(c)3 can generate the funds necessary.  Your organization must be willing to put in the work to receive results.

How Did This Idea Become A Reality?

There are a ton of ingredients which have gone into the creation of Georgia Soccer Park over a number of years.  However, the park and its affiliated entities have realized its most significant returns by utilizing its members and their associated professional relationships.  Many of the key players are companies and/or individuals with direct ties to the Georgia Soccer Park board members.

The lesson for you, administrator, is to take advantage of the wealth of opportunity which exists within your club.  Your club members are more than just the parents of your players; they are doctors, lawyers, CEO’s, coaches, IT professionals, teachers, etc.  Their expertise and connections can be invaluable to your club’s efforts.

Part II

Next week we will dive directly into how your club can begin the process of building its own youth soccer facility step by step.  In the meantime, let The Administrator know what you think.  Are you an administrator who has been involved in the construction of a new soccer complex?  Have you encountered an unforeseen problem and lived to tell about it?  Post a comment below, send an email to Jon@bluesombrero.com, or call 404-835-0305.

Comments

[Thomas]

Those are all points well taken - you never know where your big donation or sponsorship will come from.

Also, it is extremely important to have cushion money to accommodate those unexpected road blocks.

A well-written article, Jon!

[Jon Conrad]

10 years to get this facility off the ground!! Amazing - must be a relief to finally have actual players on the field. I know how bad Georgia needs something like this.

[Frances]

It sounds like the soccer park could play a big part in advancing youth soccer in Atlanta (and Georgia, for that matter). I can't to go check out the finished product!

[Derren]

I wonder what the big holdup was for the park. It seems like there were a bunch of people involved, so i bet there was just a lot of red tape. What is the average amount of time it takes to build a soccer complex???