MARTA and Soccer in the Streets held a community celebration and pickup soccer games hosted by Amazon to mark the official opening of StationSoccer at East Lake Station on Saturday.
The East Lake location will be a focal point for the community serving students from the Global Village Project, Villages of East Lake and Decatur Housing Authority.
For the girls from the Global Village Project, StationSoccer at East Lake holds immense promise, according to a press release from MARTA. The pitches will provide them with a safe and supportive environment to hone their soccer skills, promoting an active lifestyle.
The Global Village Project’s involvement in the opening of East Lake StationSoccer is particularly special, as the girls created the artwork for custom Breeze Cards, adding a personal artistic touch to the occasion.
“This new StationSoccer location will not only connect children through the love of soccer and refine their skills, but cultivate friendships that extend far beyond the field, enriching lives and strengthening the bonds of our community,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood said in the press release. “We want to thank our valued partners at Soccer in the Streets, City of Atlanta, Atlanta United Community Fund, Amazon, Georgia Power and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Your dedication to this shared vision has made this endeavor a reality.”
The brainchild of Soccer in the Streets, StationSoccer is a citywide project to create a network of soccer fields connected by MARTA, to eventually form a ten-station league that is easily accessible by transit.
StationSoccer was launched at Five Points Station in 2016, resulting in the first soccer field in the world built inside a transit station, and has since expanded to West End in 2018, East Point in 2019, and Kensington and Lindbergh Center in 2022.
“Soccer in the Streets is one of the best initiatives that we have going in the metro region right now, and I’m grateful to all who support it,” Sen. Jon Ossoff at the dedication ceremony. “Senator [Raphael] Warnock and I worked together to bring Republicans and Democrats in the Senate together to pass a $1 million appropriation to support Soccer in the Street’s efforts across Metro Atlanta, and we’re going to continue supporting their efforts.”
“From being the home of Atlanta United, to hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to the relocation of U.S. Soccer headquarters, Atlanta is fast becoming the soccer capital of the nation,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. “The StationSoccer program is a unique and impactful collaboration that provides recreational opportunities across our city. We are thrilled to add yet another location at East Lake, creating a larger soccer community connected by transit.”
“The opening of this 6th StationSoccer location marks another milestone in our mission to bring access and opportunity to soccer to communities across the city,” said Executive Director of Soccer in the Streets Elijah Miranda. “With Senator Ossoff’s support, we’re not only kicking off new recreational sports opportunities at East Lake, but the impact of our soccer programming is powered by important lessons in social emotional learning and leadership skills.”
The StationSoccer program will continue to expand with plans for fields at Doraville, Bankhead, H.E Holmes, and Civic Center rail stations completing the “League of Stations.”
To learn more about StationSoccer, visit this link.
