FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2022
MARTA, SOCCER IN THE
STREETS CELEBRATE OFFICIAL OPENING OF STATION SOCCER AT LINDBERGH CENTER
STATION
ATLANTA - The
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and Soccer in the Streets,
along with the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta United Foundation held a
community celebration and soccer tournament to mark the official opening of
StationSoccer at Lindbergh Center rail station. The soccer pitch, which is
adjacent to MARTA headquarters on Piedmont Rd. in Atlanta opened in 2020 and
the celebration delayed due to COVID-19.
“We are excited to
officially celebrate StationSoccer at Lindbergh with our valued partners at
Soccer in the Streets, the City of Atlanta, and the Atlanta United Foundation,”
said MARTA Interim General Manager & CEO Collie Greenwood. “This is a
meaningful location for us as it sits right across from our headquarters, and
we wanted to ensure the players, stakeholders, community members, and MARTA
employees had an opportunity to celebrate the soccer pitch and the entire
StationSoccer program.”
The brainchild of
Soccer in the Streets, StationSoccer is a citywide project to create a network
of soccer fields connected by MARTA, eventually forming a ten-station league
that’s affordable and easily accessible by transit. StationSoccer was launched
at Five Points Station in 2016, resulting in the first soccer field in the
world built inside a transit station, and has since expanded to West End in
2018, East Point in 2019, and most recently Kensington Station this June.
“Atlanta is a
soccer town, whether it’s played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium where we’ll host the
2026 FIFA World Cup, or at our MARTA stations across the city,” said Atlanta
Mayor Andre Dickens. “StationSoccer is a unique and innovative collaboration to
bring recreational opportunities to every part of our great city. I am excited
we are officially opening StationSoccer at Lindbergh Center Station, adding to
our four existing pitches and many more to come.”
"This was the
moment we have waited for, StationSoccer Lindbergh was built during the
pandemic and while COVID limited us in our capacity to fully program like we
would have desired, we are so happy to be able to officially launch the fields
in such a unique way with new program partners in addition to our original
founding partners. Most importantly, we hope the communities in and around
Lindbergh will have enjoyed this day and look forward to many more at their new
StationSoccer fields,” said Sanjay Patel, Director of Strategic Projects,
Soccer in the Streets.
“Lack of access should not be a
factor for youth wishing to play soccer,” said Marissa Ahrens, Atlanta United
Director of Community Engagement. “Station Soccer makes the game accessible
to youth across the city of Atlanta, and the Atlanta United Foundation is
delighted to support the program as a Founding Partner.”
MARTA and Soccer
in the Streets, along with founding partners the City of Atlanta and Atlanta
United Foundation (the Atlanta United Foundation is a grantmaking program of
the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation) received additional support for
StationSoccer at Lindbergh Center from partners American Family Insurance,
Georgia Power, Jacobs, HNTB, MBoB, HKS, Rubenstein Partners, CHOA, and MUSCO.
The StationSoccer
program will continue to expand over the next few years, with plans for fields
at Doraville, East Lake, Bankhead, H.E. Holmes, and Civic Center rail stations,
completing the “League of Stations.” To learn more visit StationSoccer™ - The Story — Soccer in the
Streets (soccerstreets.org).
Photo Credits:
Photo 1: MARTA
Photo 2: City of Atlanta
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