Great news for all the soccer fans out there: Members of the Chattanooga Football Club and city leaders gathered Wednesday morning for a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new club headquarters.
“It’s amazing to see how this facility has gone from one of the most despised in the city to one of the most loved,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly.
Mayor Kelly joined club members and donors in support of the new headquarters, currently housed in a warehouse just off Riverfront Parkway near Finley Stadium.
Kelly spoke about the importance of keeping pace with the growth of the CFC, founded in 2009.
“We’ve done it for ten years, now we’re working on the next 100 years, and this model, this community club model, is the future of football in this county. I’m convinced of that,” said Mayor Kelly.
The soccer club has humble beginnings. It started in the National Premier Soccer League, where it participated in six national championships as an amateur men’s team. In 2020, the men’s team switched to professional show jumping in Major League Soccer Next Pro.
“Not many other Next Pro teams have a roster like this. I think the players will want to come here,” said CFC CEO Alton Byrd.
Byrd says the players live at the facility, the staff works there and fans can visit and even meet some of the players there.
“We are right there, very close to the stadium, so now they know where we live,” said Jesus Ibarra, a CFC soccer player.
“It’s really good to be able to offer professional soccer here and continue to take growth steps that will allow us to become one of the top teams in the MLS ecosystem over the next few years,” said Byrd.
The project is scheduled to be completed in early 2026. Until then, you can join the team’s biggest fans, the Chattahooligans, and watch a few CFC games.
!role~Preview!mt~photo!fmt~JPEG%20Baseline "Franz Wagner and Magic agree to 5-year extension, largest contract in club history, says AP source")
