The Boys in Blue are back  and preparing for the 2020 season, the first professional campaign in club history. In order to welcome new faces, help old friends get reacquainted, and build team camaraderie, Coach Peter Fuller and the team hit the road down to Orange Beach, Alabama for training camp. The club will spend time practicing, learning about the club history and culture, then will engage in a few scrimmages with neighboring teams. 

“It is a great opportunity for us as a club to be able to come to Pensacola in the University of West Florida” said Peter Fuller, Head Coach, Chattanooga FC. “It’s important for the guys to get to know Bill Elliott, who has been a massive piece to the puzzle for Chattanooga FC over these last few years. It’s a great opportunity for the players to bond and an opportunity for us to play against competition that is at a level above us in terms of US soccer. The warm weather doesn’t hurt either!”

The team will practice Thursday in Orange Beach, and on Friday will play Memphis 901 FC at 7:00pm CT in an open scrimmage at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The matchup will be a good test in advance of the US Open Cup game against Memphis 901 FC on April 8th in Memphis.  

The next day, the club will head north to Birmingham, AL, to play a closed scrimmage against Birmingham Legion at 3:00pm CT Sunday before heading home for the rest of the week. On February 21st the club will play its last preseason scrimmage against Belmont University in a location still to be determined. 

“A training camp away from home is really important for professional clubs to be able to focus on the task at hand, which, of course, is the upcoming season” said Jeremy Alumbaugh, Managing Director, Chattanooga FC. “We have some guys returning, but we have a lot of new faces, and it’s crucial for them to bond and learn what we’re about. We have a great culture, so it’s fun being able to share that with new players.”