Stadium Location Thread

[BigKahuna]

Lets use this thread to discuss possible locations for a SSS as well as other options including sharing the Silverbacks stadium and using other facilities temporarily until we have our own home.

[BigKahuna]

In the event that an owner can be found the only other pre-requisite to getting a team is a SSS to play. Obviously construction of a suitable facility takes time so until one is built a possibility for a temporary home for an Atlanta expansion team could be Herndon:

Herndon Stadium - Morris Brown College

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/north_america/united_states/georgia/atlanta_herndon.jpg

Capacity: 15,011
Field size: 68 x 110, natural grass

A little narrow but the defunct Atlanta Beat played here and Morris Brown is experiencing financial troubles that have forced it to cut its football program. So there would be no competition for the field and the cash-strapped school would probably welcome a tenants for the facility. Also it is locaed just blocks from the Georgia Dome so parking would not be an issue and a MARTA station is very close by.

[Eleven Bravo]

i would think Herndon would be a good starter choice. however, i think it would be better if we could share the Silverbacks stadium if we could get the 15,000 stadium in place. is the new stadium on the MARTA? *I'm not a Atlantan, sorry

[BigKahuna]

i would think Herndon would be a good starter choice. however, i think it would be better if we could share the Silverbacks stadium if we could get the 15,000 stadium in place. is the new stadium on the MARTA? *I'm not a Atlantan, sorry

No, unfortunately, the closest MARTA station to SP is a short taxi ride away. Not really walkable. Some sort of shuttle service would have to be implemented.

[Poachin_Goalz]

i would think Herndon would be a good starter choice. however, i think it would be better if we could share the Silverbacks stadium if we could get the 15,000 stadium in place. is the new stadium on the MARTA? *I'm not a Atlantan, sorry

The problem with the Silverbacks Stadium that is nearing completion is that traffic will be a nightmare for 15,000 fans. They can forget about expanding to 25,000 to 35,000 as the fan base grows and expect the traffic to be managable right next to spagetti junction. I like the ambition of the Silverbacks ownership group but I hope that their long term stadium plan doesn't involve that location. The run down neighborhood around the Georgia Dome/Herdon Stadium is a good spot for a permanent soccer specific 25,000 to 30,000 seat stadium. I enjoyed watching Beat games at Herndon but the field is too narrow for men's games and there are sight line problems in certain seats. It would make a great temporary location however.

[KieferUGA]

Silverbacks Park is not on the MARTA line, per se. There is a Marta station in Doraville on the Northeast Line and a shuttle could run from there to the park. At the most, it would be about a 10 minute trip.

[jefbal99]

Silverbacks pack will be very nice when it is completed, but 15k is the bare minimum for an SSS in the MLS. They would prolly have to look at expansion and more boxes.

[DavidP]

I posted this in another thread, where Big Kahuna was talking about the Fort Mac/Gillem area. Lakewood Stadium, I believe, is a 20,000 seater. Whoever does the team would have to make a deal with the city to take out the track and the turf, and then widen the field and put down grass (or Field/Sport/NextTurf if they still used it for HS stuff in the fall). Also, the HiFi Buys Amphitheatre is around there. Not the best section of town, but it could have promise.

[Eleven Bravo]

here's a list of stadiums...
http://www.gofox.com/tickets/Venue.php?state=Georgia

what did they do with the old braves stadium?

[DavidP]

here's a list of stadiums...
http://www.gofox.com/tickets/Venue.php?state=Georgia

what did they do with the old braves stadium?

They knocked it down. It's now the north parking lot for the Ted. They did leave a footprint of it, though. You can see where they painted the outline for it. There was a big stink over it, but the city made the neighborhood a promise (that they'd knock Atl-Fulco down once the Ted was finished), and it's good that they kept it, I guess.

[Michael CM1]

I don't think there should really be any concern over an existing place for a team to play. Toronto doesn't have a stadium to play in...so they're building one. They should be the first MLS team to come into the league in their own stadium. I think Milwaukee and Philadelphia are along the same path. Real Salt Lake may be a trivia question one day. "Who was the last MLS team to enter the league without a SSS?"

I think I gave my Duluth idea in another thread. There's still a lot of land as you go up I-85 farther north. The problem is the Mall of Georgia and the surrounding developments have sucked up a ton of it. The thing is such a stadium would need to be built in a heavily diverse area. That's probably one reason the Silverbacks went with their location. That's also why I don't think a Cobb location would be as desirable. Good youth soccer there but, as Mayor Nagin would say, it's too vanilla. :) If I'm wrong about the demos of any area, let me know. I just know the hispanic and other ethnicity/nationality populations in Gwinnett are astounding.

[TheWakeUpBomb]

Buy out the Botanical Gardens, clear cut some trees, and voila! A nice place for an intown soccer stadium.

I realize it isn't realistic, but one can dream. Obviously, my preference would be for an intown stadium, but that's primarily out of selfish convenience. I went to a Beat game at Bobby Dodd before they did the renovation, and I thought it was a good experience. Plus, they certainly would be capable of handling the crowds. I realize sharing a field with a football team isn't the best long term solution and the field is narrow, but the venue would be a damn good interim place, I think.

[jbeall]

They knocked it down. It's now the north parking lot for the Ted. They did leave a footprint of it, though. You can see where they painted the outline for it. There was a big stink over it, but the city made the neighborhood a promise (that they'd knock Atl-Fulco down once the Ted was finished), and it's good that they kept it, I guess.


It's pretty cool, actually: the original bases and basepaths are still marked into the parking lot--the bases are bronze plates embedded in the ground--so you can retrace Hank Aaron's record-breaking home run trot. Of course, when I did it, there was an SUV parked over what used to be third base, so touching third base was like playing 'Twister' on asphalt, but if you're a baseball fan, there's definitely a sense of history there still.

[Soccerglue]

Lakewood stadium does not hold 20,000. Lakewood is a high school stadium.

[joehooligan0303]

Can someone give me an update on Silverbacks stadium. Is it open or still underconstruction? Does anyone have photos of the stadium. Just curious.

[DavidP]

Lakewood stadium does not hold 20,000. Lakewood is a high school stadium.

I believe you're only half right. It is a HS stadium, but I'm almost sure (though I could be wrong) that it seats 20,000.

[Michael CM1]

I believe you're only half right. It is a HS stadium, but I'm almost sure (though I could be wrong) that it seats 20,000.

Memorial Stadium was also a high school stadium and could seat 15,000. Adams is also a HS stadium. DeKalb doesn't have on-campus stadia. They share 3 or 4 throughout the county.

[BigKahuna]

Can someone give me an update on Silverbacks stadium. Is it open or still underconstruction? Does anyone have photos of the stadium. Just curious.

They've leveled of the land and poured the concrete slab where the turf will be. As far as I know the field will be ready by the 'Backs' home opener, bu the stadium is still a long way off. They haven't started construction on that yet.

[Michael CM1]

They've leveled of the land and poured the concrete slab where the turf will be. As far as I know the field will be ready by the 'Backs' home opener, bu the stadium is still a long way off. They haven't started construction on that yet.

I heard the first game or two might have to be on one of the rec fields and that they will put in temporary bleachers for that. Still a better situation than that hole they played in last year.

[BigKahuna]

I heard the first game or two might have to be on one of the rec fields and that they will put in temporary bleachers for that. Still a better situation than that hole they played in last year.

Not too surprised to hear that....I don't know, it just disappoints me that they are going to play on turf. That stuff should be illegal in pro sports.