CFC Shooting For April 13 Start At Finley While Still Rounding Out Squad

  • Thursday, February 4, 2021
  • Joseph Dycus
Jeremy Alumbaugh
Jeremy Alumbaugh

Chattanooga and Finley Stadium will be the place to be to start the 2021 NISA season. On Wednesday, the league announced a tournament involving the nine teams in the league. From April 13-25, Chattanooga FC will attempt to be the last club standing against sides like Cal United and Maryland Bobcats.

“We have a history of hosting events, and Finley is a big attraction because once you paint over the lines, the broadcast angles are really good for TV,” Managing Director Jeremy Alumbaugh said. “With it being on BeIN SPORTS, that’s important. And with multiple locker rooms, that’s important too. And I think there’s a lot of respect for Chattanooga as a soccer town too.”

There will be a limited amount of fans allowed at the games, which take place in 20,000-seat Finley stadium. While he couldn’t provide an exact number and said things could change between now and April, Alumbaugh said capacity will most likely be close to 4,000. Like last year’s fall campaign, social distancing and mask-wearing will be enforced.

In the meantime, Chattanooga FC will be preparing for their preseason matches, which start on March 1. Alumbaugh said coach Peter Fuller and the rest of the coaching staff are still working to find the last few players to round out the roster.

“They’re looking for guys with that pro experience and who understand the challenges and difficulties of a pro season,” Alumbaugh said. “We’ve had conversations with players and agents from USL Championship, and some guys within other leagues as well. Right now they’re looking at veterans to help with multiple spots.”

Alumbaugh said some of the preseason exhibition matches will probably be played behind closed doors. The opponents have also not been finalized yet. 

“The teams are still under wraps for now,” Alumbaugh said. “The staff is still working to put together the schedule, but I’d say they’re trying to play four or five matches in those six weeks.”

“We have a ton of work on the operations side, to make sure things are buttoned up and that we’re marketing things appropriately. We need to make sure our stadium procedures are good to go, and to let fans know their annual passes are good for these tournament games.”

Even though the tournament and regular season games will be played in front of fans, Alumbaugh said there are still ways for fans to support the club if they do not feel comfortable going out to Finley Stadium.

“You can stay active on social media and tune into the games, because viewership numbers matter as we move forward with some TV deals down the road,” Alumbaugh said. “You can also support our partners in the community. You can get takeout from a local restaurant or buy merch from the merch shop. You can go visit Smo (David Smotherman) down at Winder Binder.”

“Just by supporting local and going to the brewery and getting one of you favorite beers, instead of buying a six-pack at the supermarket. Just finding ways to support our partners, because they’ve stayed strong and supported us.”

Alumbaugh said the New York Cosmos’ decision to pause operations is “disappointing,” but recognized it is something happening in every league below MLS. He said the other nine teams’ ability to get through the pandemic has shown NISA to be a resilient league, and said it should continue to grow in the future.

“We have Chicago and Rochester coming in, and there’s a few other groups who have interest in coming in,” Alumbaugh said. “So there’s really good interest, and that hopefully leads to more stability in the future where we can have these games year in and year out.”

Chattanooga FC will host an open tryout on Feb. 21, where anyone who wants to play for the team can swing by Finley Stadium and show the coaches what they can do. After that, the preseason starts a few weeks later, and then the tournament a month after that.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s nice to have that date out there to start working toward and chipping away at,” Alumbaugh said.

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joseph.a.dycus@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

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