Atlanta United 2 to play 2019 home matches at Fifth Third Bank Stadium

According to a press release from Atlanta United 2 today:

Atlanta United 2 today announced that Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia will be the home venue for the team’s 2019 season.

ATL UTD 2’s home matches during its inaugural 2018 season were played at Gwinnett County’s Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Atlanta United’s First Team played a pair of U.S. Open Cup matches at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in 2017 and 2018, both resulting in wins against Charleston Battery. ATL UTD 2 also hosted a rescheduled match there on Aug. 7 after a previous game was suspended due to weather.

Owned by Kennesaw State University, Fifth Third Bank Stadium is home to KSU’s women’s soccer and lacrosse teams and the Owls’ football team. It also hosts many other events, including rugby, concerts and festivals, and is the home venue for the Atlanta Blaze of Major League Lacrosse. Originally named KSU Stadium, the venue opened in 2010 as a soccer-specific stadium with the former Women’s Professional Soccer team Atlanta Beat hosting the first athletics event.

“We are excited to make Kennesaw our new home next year,” Atlanta United Vice President of Business Operations Catie Griggs said in a press release. “Fifth Third Bank Stadium features an award-winning, top-class playing surface and is a venue designed for professional soccer. In addition to its convenient proximity to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground, hosting our home matches in Kennesaw provides ATL UTD 2 the best environment to develop while also strengthening the Atlanta United brand close to home.”

This move seems to make sense for most parties involved. The cost of converting Coolray Field must’ve been costly, and the location of Fifth Third Bank Stadium is much closer to the team’s central hub in Marietta. The pitch will be better for TV production and broadcasts on ESPN+, and since turf won’t need to be added to cover the infield as it was at Coolray, it’s sure to be a better playing surface as well. Fifth Third Bank Stadium has a fixed-seating capacity of 8,300 and can extend upwards of 10,000. Check out the full rundown of what Fifth Third Bank Stadium has to offer as a soccer facility.

As fans, what do you think of the move? Let us know in the comments.