The Atlanta Beat is supporting Michelle Akers, a true trailblazer in the world of women's soccer.

Please read the following letter written by Atlanta Beat General Manager Shawn  McGee: 

Dear Friend in Soccer,

I hope you will indulge me for a moment as I share with you an opportunity to help one the most recognized American soccer players of all time.

Before WPS and before WUSA, the US Women’s National Team was the only form of high-level women’s soccer in the country, and it was the best team in the world. As World Cup Champions in both 1991 and 1999 and Gold Medalists in 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the team dominated international soccer with a spirited 5’10" midfielder by the name of Michelle Akers.

Akers was known for her shock of curly hair and was a true leader and trailblazer. She is a National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee and a three-time US Soccer Female Player of the Year. Akers was so instrumental in growing soccer on both a domestic and international scale that she was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, which is FIFA’s highest award. In addition to being named the Female Athlete of the Century by both CONCACAF and FIFA, two awards were also named in her honor: the US Soccer Foundation Michelle Akers Lifetime Achievement Award and the WPS Michelle Akers Player of the Year Award.

Needless to say, there are not enough words to express the impact Michelle Akers has had on the game of soccer.

Upon her retirement, Akers turned her focus and efforts towards another lifelong passion. She now rescues horses that have been neglected and/or abused, rehabilitates them, gets them to trust people again, and then places them into loving homes. As anyone can imagine, Michelle puts the same passion and drive into this new venture that she contributed for so many years on the field of play. She recently purchased a farm outside of Atlanta, Georgia where she has been rehabilitating horses on a full-time basis. All was going great, until…

Large parts of the Atlanta metro area suffered severe flooding in the month of September. As luck would have it, Michelle’s farm, while not in a flood plain, was decimated by the influx of water. Her entire farm is not only a mess but is also in need of some major repairs. As she salvages as much as possible, even minor showers flood the area again and again. Michelle has had to move the horses to other farms temporarily and has spent her holiday season up to her knees in mud and muck, trying to make repairs and salvage her farm. However, she cannot do it alone. This is where you and I come in…

We need your help. This is our (the soccer world’s) opportunity to give back to someone who has given so much to us (the lovers of football/fútbol/soccer). Michelle is in desperate need of the following:

• A company or individual(s) to step up and offer services and/or materials to grade the pastures to prevent future flooding

• A company or individual(s) to help rebuild her barn…and hopefully to build a new barn with adequate plumbing and electricity

• Money to offset the bills she has incurred in relation to the flooding

• Labor, at some point, to assist with the clean-up, the grading of the pastures, the repairs to the fence and the barn, and various other projects

This is our chance to step up as a soccer community and to help someone who has done so much for the sport we all love!

Both WPS and the Atlanta Beat are in the process of creating on-line auctions to help raise money for the project. If you, your team, or your organization would like to help, it would be very much appreciated. Some of the things needed are:

• Donations of money, of course. Checks of any size are appreciated and accepted. Please make the check payable to Michelle Akers Sundance Horse Rescue and Outreach, Inc. and mail to the attention of Shawn McGee at the address at the bottom of this letter

• Donations of autographed items (such as game worn jerseys, balls, etc…)

• Donations of tickets and special game experience packages for various sporting events

• Donations of any other products and/or services that have value to bidders

• Encouraging people to go on line and bid for some of the great prizes

The on-line auction will opens Friday, Jan. 22 and will run as long as we continue to receive items. If you wish to donate items for the auction, please forward to Shawn McGee at the address below at your earliest convenience. Please know that we hope to have people from all over the country bid on the items, so any auction items you can donate will be accepted and appreciated.

If you would like to place a bid, Click Here for updated items

Also, at some point, we will have an old fashion "barn raising" and will need a lot of hands to help get Michelle’s farm back in working order. We will have more information to come on this, but please consider joining us. While all plan to get our hands a little dirty, this should also be a lot of fun and a great experience.  We will all gain so much more through the giving of our time and efforts as we assist a member of the soccer community.

I thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for considering helping Michelle get back to the work of rehabilitating our equine friends. Please feel free to forward this letter to as many friends of soccer and/or horses.

If you can help in any way, please do so. We in the soccer world owe so much to Michelle and this is an excellent chance to repay her. Not only are you helping someone in need, you are helping a great cause. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Atlanta Beat Soccer Foundation at 678.298.4780 or send an email to info@theatlantabeat.com.  

Sincerely,

Friends of Michelle Akers and Her Horses

Michelle Akers Sundance Horse Rescue and Outreach, Inc.

Attn: Shawn McGee

1955 Vaughn Road

Suite 109

Kennesaw, GA 30144