I recently spoke with Shawn McGee, General Manager & COO of The Atlanta Beat, to discuss everything from preparing for four drafts, to Marta, to a jersey sponsor. One thing that was obvious prior to ever speaking with McGee was how he’s chosen to be accessible to the fans. While it would be easy to get consumed in the day-to-day activities required to launch a new team, I have seen McGee on Big Soccer forums, twitter, podcast, and even interviews with cheesy bloggers like myself. Shawn explained that in addition to the desire to be as transparent as possible it is also part of the culture being built within the WPS. This new media orientation is why they allow players to tweet from the sidelines during games. You’ll also see a lot of videos and web content on their site www.womensprosoccer.com/atlanta .
When asked about building a team in the shadow of the WUSA Atlanta Beat McGee said that wasn’t really a problem. Regardless of the fact that the Atlanta Beat 1.0 led the WUSA in attendance and playoff appearances the new Atlanta Beat is driven to be the best from their own competitive nature which starts with team owner Fitz Johnson. Fitz is a major reason for Shawn taking this job and his desire to be the “Best in the World” is what steers their decisions. One of their goals this year in pursuit of being the best is to have an average attendance of at least 6000 at the new KSU Soccer Stadium. Though the league doesn’t allow teams to comment on specific numbers McGee did say they’re on pace to hit their goals but in the same breath he mentions that they’re not there yet and are doing everything they can to fill seats in the new stadium.
Speaking of the stadium, McGee was able to elaborate on the partnership with KSU. While the KSU Foundation owns the land and stadium the Atlanta Beat is the managing partner. That means in addition to the Beat and KSU women’s team playing at the stadium The Atlanta Beat organization will be arranging additional events and receiving a portion of those profits. By “will be” I mean they are already in talks with half a dozen organizations to host soccer events. The Atlanta Beat is working to make this stadium more than their home. They’re working to make it a focal point for soccer in the south. If you add that to potential naming rights to the stadium you could likely see the first year Atlanta Beat become the highest revenue generating WPS team this year and for years to come. With regards to the naming rights for the stadium the Atlanta Beat are in ongoing discussions and we’ll have to wait to see what happens. While we were on the topic I had to ask about a Jersey sponsor. The good news just keeps rolling as they are in the final stages of working out a jersey sponsorship deal. We should hear something within the next two weeks.
Part two will be coming soon and we will see if there was ever any chance of Marta coming to Atlanta. So, do you think the Atlanta Beat will reclaim its place as one of the best women’s soccer teams in the world?
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