Atlanta Beat History

From 2001-2003, Atlanta was home to the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) Atlanta Beat. The Beat had an outstanding three year tenure leading the league in attendance and becoming the only team in the WUSA to reach the playoffs every season. In both 2001 and 2003, the Atlanta Beat appeared in the league's championship game before suspending operations on Sept.13, 2003 when the league collapsed.

Nearly six years after that devastating collapse, the highest level women's game finally returned to an American audience with the 2009 launch of Women's Professional Soccer. The WPS inaugural season launched in Spring 2009 with the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold Pride (Bay Area), Los Angeles Sol, Saint Louis Athletica, Sky Blue FC (NJ) and Washington Freedom. These seven teams fielded rosters with U.S. Women's National Team players, international superstars, and college standouts.

As the inaugural seven prepared for their first WPS season, Atlanta entrepreneur Fitz Johnson had already taken some immediate steps to secure a WPS Atlanta franchise. In Sept. 2008, he signed a letter of intent for the 2010 WPS team and organized an advisory board called the Center Circle.

The Center Circle was a vehicle to guide the development of this franchise through soccer and business leaders from the metropolitan Atlanta area. Many of these individuals had previously worked with the former WUSA franchise and had great knowledge of the challenges a new team would face. “We will learn from past experience and make Atlanta WPS a franchise that all soccer fans in our state will be proud to call their own,” said Johnson.

He took the next step on Dec. 11, 2008, at the Georgia Aquarium Ballroom when he launched a season ticket pledge drive and a “Name the Team" contest.

On June 18, 2009, the Atlanta Beat became the ninth franchise in WPS with newly appointed General Manager Shawn McGee presiding over the big announcement.

The Beat named Gareth O’Sullivan head coach on August 14, 2009, and began hiring its staff in early September.

The Atlanta Beat filled its inaugural roster after January’s 2010 WPS Draft as players reported for preseason in March 2010. The Beat acquired its first players in the WPS Expansion Draft on Tuesday, Sept. 15 before gaining internationals on Sept. 22 of that same year.

The Beat faced fellow expansion franchise, the Philadelphia Independence in their inaugural WPS game on April 11, 2010. The Atlanta Beat played the first home match at its sparkling new home, KSU Soccer Stadium on May 9, 2010 against Sky Blue FC. In the middle of the 2010 season, new head coach James Galanis took over.

The 2011 season began at home for the Beat as they took on Sky Blue FC April 9, 2011. A short month later, the Beat set a 2011 WPS record with an announced attendance of 6,125 fans at the KSU Soccer stadium on May 15, 2011 as the Beat played Philadelphia Independence.

For a large portion of the season, three Beat players were in Germany representing their home countries in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Upon their return, another attendance record was broken as 9,112 fans turned out to see their WPS Heroes return. This was the most fans of any match at the KSU Soccer Stadium. The welcome home match featured a total of nine players from the World Cup, including some from their opponent, magicJack.