Atlanta United has completed a $25 million expansion of its Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground, nearly doubling the facility’s size to 50,000 square feet and bringing total investment in the site to over $90 million. The new space includes the Emory Healthcare Studio, a media production hub that strengthens the club’s partnership with Emory Healthcare.
The expanded training ground will continue to support Atlanta United’s First Team, Atlanta United 2, and Academy operations. It is also designed to help host international clubs and federations in the future.
“Today is a celebration of our continued growth and dedication to the sport of soccer, and what Atlanta United represents,” said Arthur M. Blank, owner and chairman of Blank Family of Businesses. “From the very beginning, our vision was to build something extraordinary. None of this would be possible without the city of Marietta being exceptional partners and the home of our training ground since day one, and now with these updates, we take another step forward together. This expansion reflects our commitment to the game, the city and in creating a best-in-class environment for our players, associates, fans and community partners.”
The opening event included remarks from Blank; Skate Noftsinger, chief business officer at Atlanta United; Steve Tumlin, mayor of Marietta; Linda Matzigkeit, chief administration officer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; and Joon Lee, MD, CEO and Executive Vice President for Woodruff Health Sciences at Emory Healthcare.
The 20,000-square foot addition brings improvements focused on player health and well-being, youth development initiatives, and front office resources. According to Matzigkeit: “We are proud to celebrate the expansion of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground and our longstanding partnership with Atlanta United. These new additions will help elevate Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground to new heights and provide important resources for players at every level of the organization.”
A key feature is the Emory Healthcare Studio—a dedicated space for content creation that highlights collaboration between Atlanta United and Emory Healthcare. Lee commented: “This exciting expansion, along with the launch of the new Emory Healthcare Studio, represents the next chapter in our collaboration with Atlanta United — offering a unique hub for storytelling and content creation. This studio will be a powerful platform to share stories of health, wellness and resilience, while creating connections between athletes, caregivers, patients, families, fans and our community.”
The facility upgrade marks phase two in ongoing improvements at the training ground. During the offseason, additional areas will be repurposed for enhanced First Team training spaces focused on recovery and video analysis. Academy office spaces will become classrooms for academic support in partnership with Atlanta International School.
Noftsinger noted: “This world-class facility showcases Arthur’s commitment to Atlanta United as the gold standard in MLS by raising the bar for player health and well-being, youth development and content production while simultaneously giving us the ability to host international clubs and federations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and beyond. This expansion gives our players and associates the resources that they need to perform at their best and to bring an unmatched soccer experience to the entire Atlanta community.”
The campus now features six full-length fields across 33 acres as well as gyms, locker rooms, three digital studios—including Emory Healthcare Studio—and more than 100 front office workspaces.
IMPACT Development Management led project management; Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio handled architectural design; Whiting-Turner served as general contractor.
Emory Healthcare is Georgia’s largest academic health system with over 29,500 employees across 11 hospitals serving metro Atlanta through more than 3,800 physicians in over 70 specialties.
Atlanta United joined Major League Soccer in 2017—winning MLS Cup in its second season—and holds multiple league attendance records. More information about tickets can be found on www.atlutd.com or by following @ATLUTD.
