All photos courtesy of the U.S. Soccer Federation

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Key Factors Lead to a New Home in Fayette County​

Coweta and Fayette Counties have long been known for soccer. Both counties have had fields and facilities which have produced wave after wave of soccer talent. But the area took center stage in the world of American soccer when U.S. Soccer announced that it was moving its headquarters from Chicago, Illinois to Fayette County. The official announcement of the move was made in December 2023 after a year-long, nationwide search for suitable locations which included California, North Carolina, and north Atlanta.

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To someone who lives in the area, it seems like this location is a no-brainer. But the other locations each had plenty to offer, so it came down to a combination of things that helped convince U.S. Soccer that Fayetteville was the right place to call home.

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Key Factors that helped Fayetteville be the “Right” Choice

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. As with so many large companies that have relocated to the Atlanta area in the past 50 years, proximity to a major airport and international hub makes travel to and from anywhere in the country (and world) much easier. With 27 teams falling under the umbrella of U.S. Soccer, easy access to one of the largest airports in the world was definitely a big influence on the decision.

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Climate. The area’s mild climate year-round was another factor that benefitted Fayette County as a logical choice. Any location that was further north would have to incorporate indoor training and that would be a problem if 27 teams were trying to practice at the same time.

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Location and space also played a huge part in the decision. U.S. Soccer wanted room for a large, modern campus that would include offices, outdoor training grounds, indoor fields, weightrooms, and more. Trilith sits at the center of this part of the story because the site choice was explicitly tied to proximity to the Town at Trilith and its mixed-use environment, plus adjacency to Trilith Studios. In practical terms, that means the training center is landing in an area that already knows how to host traveling professionals on production schedules—an operational culture that overlaps nicely with elite sports. The immediate boost is obvious for Trilith-area restaurants, coffee shops, and quick-service options that can become routine stops for staff and visitors. The longer-term upside is deeper: sports and entertainment share vendors, event infrastructure, content production talent, and sponsorship networks. A national training center next door to a major studio environment creates natural opportunities for branded content shoots, documentary series, commercial production, and sponsor activations that want high production value without the obstacle of cross-country travel. Even if many of those deals happen “at the federation level,” the local spillover shows up as bookings for crews, rentals, catering, and offsite meeting spaces.

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Support. The commitment to build the National Training Center was made possible by a $50 million contribution from iconic businessman and philanthropist Arthur M. Blank, land acquisition in partnership with Dan T. Cathy and support from Fayette County and the city of Fayetteville. Other sponsors include Coca Cola, Nike, Home Depot, and more. 

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Soccer Vibes. The growing professional soccer market in the area, Atlanta United, as well as 2026 FIFA World Cup host city status also helped shine a positive light on the greater metro Atlanta area. Since it’s founding in 2014, Atlanta United has consistently led the league in attendance, and has shown that Atlanta is indeed a soccer town. Atlanta’s soccer reputation is a perfect fit for U.S. Soccer’s goal to grow the sport and maintain visibility nationwide.

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State Buy-In. Georgia’s reputation as a top state for business, along with state and local economic development support helped attract U.S. Soccer with incentives and a cooperative regulatory environment. Specifically, the state gave a $2 million state grant, about $7 million in additional incentives, and a potential 10 year property tax abatement.

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The Facility

What the new Arthur M Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center represents for U.S. Soccer is a HOME.

For the first time in its existence, everything that makes up U.S. Soccer will be under one “roof”, or more accurately, at one, central location. It makes so much sense that it is surprising it took until now for it to happen.

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The facility will be a 200+ acre state of the art complex featuring a total of 19 fields: 13 outdoor fields with natural grass, 2 outdoor fields with artificial turf, 2 beach “fields”, 1 indoor field with artificial turf, and 1 futsal court. In addition to the playing fields the facility will feature much more.

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It will be a central hub for the entire U.S. Soccer community including coaches, players, referees, and staff.

It will provide access to high level classroom instruction and training, technology, and for coaches to promote successful training programs nation-wide.

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For players, the Training Center will guarantee elite infrastructure for training, development, recovery, and performance analysis — helping athletes reach the highest level of soccer excellence on an international level.

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What it means to the Area

The construction of the facility has already impacted the area financially. The project’s estimated cost of up to $250 million in total development costs includes over 1,000 construction jobs connected to the project. Additionally, once the project is complete, there will be 400 new jobs created, spanning operational, administrative, technical, and performance roles tied to U.S. Soccer’s programs and facilities.

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As far as the ongoing economic impact, the facility is estimated to provide around $100+ million annually to the local regional economy once it is open. This estimate is based on expected spending by employees, visitors, teams, and associated events. That spending should also generate almost $3 million in state and local tax revenue each year from activity on and around the site. The facility is also expected to draw more than 200,000 visitors per year, increasing local hospitality, retail, and service income.

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Finally, there’s a community layer that often gets overlooked but can be one of the most locally felt benefits: the “trickle down” into fields, clinics, and youth programming. A more specific example locally was when U.S. Soccer upgraded five soccer fields at McCurry Park South in Fayetteville. They didn't have to do it, but they saw the need and stepped in.  Those kinds of upgrades have immediate quality-of-life value for local families, and they can also raise the region’s profile as a tournament destination—exactly the type of steady, repeatable visitor traffic that supports restaurants and hotels year after year.

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In conclusion, The U.S. Soccer Center arrival in Fayette County will have widespread impacts, like statewide branding and sports-economy growth for Georgia, a steady stream of visitors for the area, a strong adjacency effect for Trilith's mixed-use core and entertainment ecosystem, practical gains in logistics for Peachtree City, and meaningful spillover hospitality and vendor opportunities for Coweta County. The big figures and details of the facility make the announcement exciting, but the real gain is the steady flow of people, personnel, partnerships, and camps that will make south metro Atlanta a national soccer destination through 2026 and beyond.​​