Could AMB be close to securing a home for NWSL Atlanta training ground?

While NWSL Atlanta is just over two years from its first-ever match, we could be a step closer to knowing where their future training ground will be constructed.

FOX 5’s Denise Dillon reported on Monday night that the city of Marietta has agreed to buy a 34-acre plot of land on Franklin Gateway for $18.5 million. The land is currently owned by IKEA, which intended to build its second store in the Atlanta area on the site before eventually abandoning those plans.

Per Dillon, Marietta plans to hold discussions with AMB Sports + Entertainment about acquiring the property, which sits across from the Franklin Gateway Sports Complex.

“Now we’ll start with the path of asking Atlanta United what we can do, how they can use this piece of property and we’ll work with them. Now that we own the property, it’s full speed ahead,” said Marietta mayor Steve Tumlin.

AMB, for its part, told FOX 5 in a statement that it was “still working through options” for a training ground site for NWSL Atlanta while adding that it has had “positive discussions” with Marietta officials.

According to a news release by the City of Marietta, the land will be purchased using funds from Redevelopment Bonds. It was formerly the site of the Marquis Place apartment complex, which was razed after the city purchased the property in 2015.

In December 2017, the city and IKEA announced the company’s intentions to open a store at the site as part of a planned expansion that also targeted the Phoenix, Raleigh-Durham, and Nashville areas. However, all four of those openings were eventually cancelled, leading to the city repurchasing the land from IKEA.

It could now end up in AMB’s hands. And while there’s no guarantee of that happening, it’s hard to think of a better location for the future home of NWSL Atlanta.