A New Way For Women To Play

Fitz Johnson, Atlanta entrepreneur and member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is bringing a Women’s Professional Soccer team to Atlanta for the 2010 season. The league will begin play in April 2009 with seven teams across the country and will expand to Atlanta, Philadelphia and Dallas in 2010.

November 7, 2008

Atlanta Woman : Why did you get involved in the Women’s Professional Soccer league?
Fritz Johnson: This is a dream come true for my family and me. I have always been very involved in the game of soccer, and my daughters and son play as well. I love the game and believe it can be a big success here in Atlanta and throughout the southeastern U.S.

There is tremendous participation at youth and adult levels throughout the region, which I think will translate into engagement with women's professional soccer. This league will be the highest level of women’s professional soccer in North America; I am very excited to be part of a great league that emphasizes the players’ athleticism above all and provides great entertainment as well as opportunities for girls and women to excel. 

AW: Why do you want to bring a team to Atlanta?
Johnson: Since relocating from Kentucky 11 years ago, my family and I have become very entrenched in the community, and we love it here. Atlanta is a vibrant, thriving community with the right demographics to support a women’s professional soccer team.  

Just as the Atlanta Beat was successful, we think we can achieve a very strong show of support from a grass-roots level and throughout this market.

AW: Who is your market for this team?
Johnson: I think our fans will come from all walks of life. They will be people who want to spend a great day at the stadium, watching the best women soccer players in the world compete. Historically, there have been very enthusiastic women’s soccer and Atlanta Beat fans in the area. We will reach out to these enthusiastic fans and season ticket holders and also to more casual soccer fans that have not had an experience with a women’s professional team. We anticipate families and youth soccer players will be a large part of our fan base. With that said, it will be a team for the whole community – all ages, all sizes, all fun-loving fans are invited out to enjoy the game!

AW: What are you doing to make sure it does succeed?
Johnson: We have assembled an advisory board that consists of strong individuals and business leaders throughout Atlanta that will provide support and guidance along the way. The men and women on this board have tremendous experience and will be a valuable source of support and guidance moving forward. We are also reaching out to the community at large; we are now taking pledges for season ticket commitments through our Web site – AtlantaWomensProSoccer.com. The pledge drive will gauge the level of support and help us build our fan base early and keep them engaged as we move toward our inaugural season in April 2010. This team is for the fans, and our success will be measured by the level of community support we achieve, from tickets to sponsorships and community relations. 

AW: Do you have any details, such as where the team will play or when it will start?
Johnson: The team will begin play in April of 2010. The league starts in spring 2009 with seven teams: Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. We have several options as to where we might play. We are also working closely with groups from different counties in the metro area that are planning professional soccer complexes. It is possible we would play in an existing stadium but are exploring building our own soccer specific venue.

AW: Why do you believe that professional women’s sports, in general, haven’t taken off?
Johnson: Previously, the business model for women’s professional teams relied on league support both for sponsorship and television revenue. The business model for the new league is very different, and it is incumbent upon the individual owners and the communities in which they play to help sustain a successful team for the long term.

Despite the hardships of the WUSA, which eventually led to the league’s collapse, the Atlanta Beat was very successful and had a very strong fan base. One of the strengths of Atlanta is the number of options consumers have for their entertainment dollar; it will be up to us to put a very competitive and entertaining product on the field.

AW: What kind of community outreach do you and the team plan to do?
Johnson: We have a tremendous advantage through working with players who actively seek out opportunities to give back to the community. Just as the Atlanta Dream has been extremely active in the community, we will ramp up our activities in the coming weeks and months and plan to establish a solid presence at the grass-roots level. We have already met with several nonprofit organizations and plan to partner with organizations that are in line with our philosophy of improving the lives of children in our community.

AW: What kind of support do you have for the team already?
Johnson: As mentioned previously, we have formed advisory committee, called the Center Circle, which is a group of key individuals in the Atlanta sports and business community. The committee is led by Rick Skirvin, executive director of the Georgia State Soccer Association.

AW: Tell us a little about yourself?
Johnson: I have a strong military background. My dad retired as a brigadier general in the Army, and I also served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves for more than 21 years. I am a graduate of The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, and hold a master’s of science from Troy University and a law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. 

Upon moving to Atlanta, I went into business with my family, joining Eagle Group International. Eagle Group was a defense contracting firm, specializing in technical services to the federal government in the areas of logistics, health care, training and information technology. After unprecedented growth, Eagle Group International was recently sold to Lockheed Martin.

I am a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, hold an advanced national diploma from the organization and have extensive ties to soccer at the youth, collegiate, amateur and professional levels.

AW: How do you rank Atlanta as a sports town?
Johnson: As a sports fan, I am excited to bring a professional women’s soccer team to this city. It is no secret that Atlanta supports winning products. We fully expect to put a highly competitive and entertaining product on the field, and our goal is to win championships.

I believe Atlanta is a great sports town for all levels of play – amateur, college and professional. Last year, the Georgia State Soccer Association registered 77,500 players and estimates that there are somewhere between another 25,000 to 35,000 playing soccer that do not belong to Georgia Soccer, with females making up about 40 percent of all players. On any given weekday or weekend, there is a sporting event happening in this city.

I think it will be another wonderful addition to an already great sports town.