Chattanooga Football Club kicks off its inaugural season Saturday night against Atlanta FC in its new home at Finley Stadium in Downtown Chattanooga. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and the gates will open at 6 p.m.

Chattanooga FC is maintaining a training pool of 30 players in order to ensure quality of play. Players have been brought from all over the South, and abroad, to Chattanooga this summer to play for the new soccer team.

“We are very excited about the group of players we are bringing to Chattanooga this year,” said Co-Founder Sheldon Grizzle. “Our roster includes players from the US, England, Kenya, Honduras, Mexico, Canada and Scotland.”

Chattanooga FC’s head coach will be Brian Crossman. Brian coached collegiately for twenty-three years, compiling a record or 306 wins, 110 losses and 29 ties. He was voted region/area Coach of the Year six times and district/conference Coach of the Year nine times. Brian led Covenant College to the NAIA National Tournament twice. Brian’s Assistant Coach will be Jimmy Weekley, who holds a NSCAA Premiere Diploma and a USSF “C” license. He has coated at the collegiate level both at Covenant and at Flagler College, and is currently serving as the Head Coach of the Girl’s Varsity Soccer Team at The Baylor School in Chattanooga.

The Founding Committee of Chattanooga FC is made up of local businessmen, entrepreneurs, and soccer enthusiasts including: Tim Kelly, owner of Kelly Auto Group; Marshall Brock, Founder and Owner of Clumpies Ice Cream Co; Paul Rustand, Founder and Design Director of Widgets & Stone; Sean McDaniel, Partner and VP of Computerized Payroll Solutions; Ben Crosland, Director of Development, Baylor School; Krue Brock, Owner of Market Street Tire & Auto; and Daryl Heald, VP of Maclellan Foundation.

Local businesses and individuals have been quick to jump on board with Chattanooga FC. “There are a lot of soccer fans out there who are excited about what we’re doing. We have seen significant support from the local business community including Volkswagen and Gordon Biersch,” remarked Grizzle. In fact Gordon Biersch hosted a big kick-off party for us last night at Big River. We had around one hundred supporters show up to meet players and coaches.

It is apparent that much has been done by the Founding Committee and initial volunteers. Chattanooga FC is operating as a 501(c)3, and is very much a grass-roots movement to ignite the passions of soccer enthusiasts around the region. Because of this, they must maintain a very low overhead, which requires the help of the community on many fronts.

“We have had a large group of volunteers step up to help us move this thing forward. It’s not just about a semi-pro soccer team,” said Grizzle. “It’s about building community and bringing something exciting to the city and a stadium that has been under-utilized for too long.”

For more information about Chattanooga FC, visit www.chattanoogafc.com.

About Chattanooga Football Club

Chattanooga FC will provide quality soccer matches and a family friendly environment at the region’s largest sports venue, with the goal of attracting spectators from the area’s widely diverse cultural community to enjoy the world’s favorite sport. The team is comprised of high-level players holding amateur status to maintain collegiate eligibility, and will serve as an engine to develop great players and as a showcase for professional coaches. The club is currently operating as a 501(c)3.