On Thursday, June 18, the city welcomed its newest sports franchise with the unveiling of a ninth team in Women’s Professional Soccer, the Atlanta Beat. The Beat opens its inaugural season in March of 2010 and joins the recently announced Philadelphia Independence as a new competitor in the league’s second season. “This is a ‘wow’ moment for us,” said Beat Owner/CEO Fitz Johnson. “It’s a ‘wow’ moment for the community and everything we have going.”
The new Atlanta team shares the same name, team logo and song as the city’s former Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) franchise. However with black, Ferrari Red and Champion yellow kits, this new team will take the pitch in a very bold way.
“We will put on the field what our Commissioner and eight other owners that are part of this league have gathered: the best female soccer players in the world,” confirms Johnson.
“We’re going to work very hard to put a good product on the field and to compete for Championships every year,” said Beat GM McGee.
The Atlanta owner and general manager will select players from both domestic and international talent in the August WPS Expansion Draft and should have the chance to field a competitive team from the very beginning.
“We really need to look no further than the history of the Atlanta Beat in the WUSA,” said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “It was just really a jewel in WUSA in terms of fan support and quality of play. Plus, WUSA was so amazing in so many ways to, like we endeavor to do, put the best product on the field in terms of women’s soccer globally and we’re honored the tradition of WUSA.”
The 2010 season marks the second inaugural year for the Atlanta Beat as this tradition taps into some old magic to create some new strides. The former Beat franchise was the only team in WUSA to make the playoffs in all three consecutive seasons from 2001-2003. It was also one of the few clubs that consistently met attendance quotas.
Although the original Atlanta Beat dissolved with the collapse of WUSA, a more modest league business model with less inflated salaries should keep the WPS and all of its teams around for the long hall.
For Fitz Johnson, the process of bringing a WPS team to Atlanta has been over 18 months in the making. The owner has invested a great deal of time, effort, and capital in this new endeavor and says, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth being the best. If it’s worth being the best, it’s worth being the best in the world: the best team, the best staff, and most of all the best fans in the world.”
For more information visit: www.atlantaprosoccer.com or the league website: www.womensprosoccer.com.
Loading ...
