THE SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE RETURNS TO GEORGIA'S HISTORIED SOCCER SCENE

Written By: Cassidy Hettesheimer | WPSL Correspondent

The world’s largest women’s soccer league is spreading its reach even farther this season, returning to Georgia and its historical hotbed for youth soccer.

Atlanta Fire United in Suwanee, Ga., and Georgia Impact in Canton join the WPSL’s Southeast Conference for the 2023 season. With the addition of WPSL teams, these clubs are looking to offer local players with opportunities to represent their hometowns, while further connecting the area north of Atlanta to women’s soccer.

“It’s exciting because, being in north Georgia, there’s never really been a soccer team for families to follow,” Robert Roddie, Georgia Impact head coach, said. “Typically, there’s your baseball and American football, but soccer is really growing in north Georgia."

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, 86,000 youth players take the field in the state each year. Five ECNL programs call the Metro Atlanta area home, either in Gwinnett or Fulton counties, and consistently produce competitive youth national team players. Three players native to this area made the United States’ Men’s World Cup roster in 2022; before that, in 2019, three US women’s national team World Cup players hailed from Georgia.

Now, the state is catching up at the professional, semi pro, and amaetur levels. Atlanta United FC, the city’s Major League Soccer team, leads the league with an average attendance of 49,129 this season. And now, soccer fans— and players— can add to the excitement with two new women’s teams.

“I know there's a lot of girls already playing youth soccer,” Brittney Red, Georgia Impact player, said. “But I think it's just a great opportunity for all the youth— for girls and boys— to come out and watch a higher level and for us to be like a role model for them.”

In April, Georgia Impact hosted a launch party at a local brewery, unveiling its new jerseys and gear store. Atlanta United radio announcer Jason Longshore interviewed the new team’s players for his podcast. With events like these, Roddie hopes that the community will be able to connect with its new team, which is sponsored by its host city, Canton, and a variety of local businesses.

For Reed, the arrival of a WPSL team to Canton means a quicker commute to practice and games. Reed, a Kennesaw State University alumna, used to play for the Atlanta Silverbacks and, in past summers, drove 90 minutes up to Chattanooga to play for the Red Wolves and Chattanooga FC.

Now, returning to the field after the birth of her daughter, Reed appreciates the ability to play for a team in her own backyard, in front of family and friends.

“I want to spend more time with [my daughter] and her to be able to come to my games,” Reed said. “I posted on social media that I was playing, and my neighbors were like ‘We're going to have to come watch you play.’ There’s people in the community that I know are excited and want to support our team.”

Georgia last fielded a WPSL team in 2021, but farther south, when Peachtree City MOBA— based around 45 minutes south of downtown Atlanta— competed in the Southeast Conference.

For many of Reed's teammates, a local team means getting to represent their youth club or the area where they relocated for work or college.

Roddie said four of the Impact’s rostered team members are current Impact players, and several others are Impact alumnae.

“It was always when they graduated high school, and they went off to playing college, they always had that sad moment where they were like, ‘It's the last time they ever put the club jersey on,’” Roddie said. “I was asked, ‘How can they come back?’ So it was something we started looking into, having a women's team.”

Atlanta Fire head coach Domenic Martelli, who has coached locally at Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia State University and Pinecrest Academy, also tapped into Atlanta Fire’s youth programs and his local college and club connections to build this season’s WPSL roster.

“What we've done is we're reaching out first to make sure all the kids that played in Atlanta Fire can play in the summer that are still playing in college,” Martelli said. “Once we've taken care of them, we get their friends [from other local clubs], and we get the local college kids who are Atlanta kids but maybe didn't play for Atlanta Fire growing up.”

Reed said that the addition of WPSL teams means the potential for players to train younger players at the club over the summer. Roddie said he plans for younger club members to walk out with the WPSL players at games.

“I'm getting really excited when I see female players coming back and giving back to the game,” Martelli said. “On the women’s side, it's helping our sport.”

Atlanta Fire will kick off its season at Soda City FC in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday, May 21. Its home opener is set for Sunday, June 4, hosting Chattanooga FC.

Georgia Impact also debuts Sunday, May 21, on the road against the Women’s Football Club of Charlotte, then hosts its first match Friday, May 26, against defending conference champions Nashville Rhythm FC.