It has been a very emotional year for us and our Club. First off we ended on a very disappointing season finishing last in our table. Winning is a must to attract general fans in this country so the numbers in fans we saw after our championship run in 2013 followed suit. As Ultras we continued to show how to support your boys on the pitch even with poor results. We did see improvement in second half of season but only to lose close matches.
In this the U.S we have a closed league system so we have different leagues without a promotion relegation system much like Australia’s A League. So to create a club you need a set amount of money to by in whatever league you wish and each league is ran differently when it comes to financial control of clubs. It was announced a little over a year ago that a new club will be purchased by the owner of Home Depot Arthur Blank in the MLS league. This league currently dominates the U.S market, though our league NASL is not far behind. This has created a division in culture and loyalty amongst casual fans.
In our city we have been a Club since 1998. In that time our F.O have not done the right job to really promote our Club in the interest of proper growth and sustainability only to foster quick profest with the least amount of cost. Unfortunately this has come to a head at the end of this season. With owners not agreeing and another Club with many more resources for profit coming in a few years the owners decided to fold the club.
When we heard rumors of this we immediately went into action. Individual members of the AU working with other supporters who do not support in a organized sector put together a supporters council. After this we put our differences aside that we have with other supporter groups in the stadium and together we organized rallies, online campaign and meetings with the league to save our club. We are happy to report that our efforts rewarded. The owners are bought out by the League NASL. We keep our name and stadium. This however is not the ideal situation it keeps us alive.
New Coach
Coach Gary Smith from Harlow, UK will be taking over next season. For us this is an exciting hire! Coach Gary Smith led the Colorado Rapids to the MLS title in 2010. As well he has coached in various roles for Arsenal F.C, Stevenage F.C, and Republic of Ireland National Team.
Community Work
As alway we do community work as best we are able. This Christmas we were able to give food and presents to children who were having a tough time during the holidays financially. As time goes on and we build we will continue our community work on a greater level. Currently we are discussing various ways in which to help those in need throughout the year.
We continue our steadfastness in corps values opposing the police state and staying Antifa. Hope all of you the best and have a proper New Years
All the Best
Atlanta Ultras
