Phone: (888) 436-5833
Website: StationSoccer Website
Instagram: @soccerstreets
Late last year, Plei officially expanded into our 13th market, Atlanta, Georgia! 🍑 Since then, we have only been partnered with one facility, Silverbacks Park… until now! Introducing our latest partnership in the Peach State: StationSoccer! As part of our ongoing blog series, we will be highlighting all of our partner facilities in every region where Plei has touched down. 🛬
Keep on reading to learn more about this special city-wide community project that has now expanded to feature a total of five stunning locations across Atlanta! 👇
That’s exactly what happened way back in 2013 when Sanjay Patel, now the Director of Strategic Projects at Soccer in the Streets, started taking MARTA public transit. He spotted plots of unused land in and around the train stations, and it hit him that something could be done with these empty grass spaces and parking lots.
Hailing from England, he was inspired by the way transportation has been nearly perfected to be multi-functional and easily accessible from all corners of the country, no matter the age. From this, the idea sprung to life. “Why can’t we build mini soccer fields on these patches of unused land?” he thought to himself. A “League of Stations” is what popped into his head. It made so much sense to him, and he wasn’t going to let this lightbulb moment go to waste.
Flash forward to 2023, and what started as a possible throwaway proposal has turned into a full-fledged, critically-acclaimed city-wide success in Atlanta. This “League of Stations” - officially known as StationSoccer - was initially approved by MARTA back in 2016.
Soccer in the Streets is a nationwide, non-profit agency that has been providing soccer, educational and life-skills programs for the youth in low-income communities since 1989. StationSoccer is their largest and most successful project to date, and they’re only getting started.
After securing partnership with the Atlanta United Foundation as well, they brought StationSoccer to life, starting with a field inside of Five Points Station, the first of its kind in the world. It was an instant hit in the city, and more expansions followed soon after.
As of April 2023, there are a total of five (5) StationSoccer locations: Five Points, East Point, Kensington, Lindbergh and West End. Further expansion plans will plant fields at the HE Holmes, Bankhead, Civic Center, East Lake and Doraville train stations.
Address: 1 Forsyth St SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
Hours Of Operation:
Open 7 days a week
This field is particularly unique because it is placed directly within the Five Points station and under the train tracks on the plaza level, supplying stellar views of the downtown city skyline.
Suitable for 5v5 games, the single field is used for more than just pickup soccer. Leagues for both adults and kids are held at StationSoccer Five Points, and you can even rent out their spaces if you want to hold a celebration or other event. Community events sponsored by Atlanta United and other unique partnerships happen all the time, so follow their social media pages (Instagram/Facebook/Twitter) and keep up with the StationSoccer website if you don’t want to miss out.
This StationSoccer field is the only one of the five to offer a sort of stadium-setting thanks to its amphitheater design that was previously used by the train station before it closed due to safety concerns. Repurposed and revived, now ATL soccer players can ball out while as many spectators and guests that they choose to bring along watch them unleash their craft.
Trust us: you’ll want to play here at least once; it’s an unforgettable experience to play under the Atlanta high-rise buildings, especially at night when the stadium lighting is turned on.
Truly, the best part about this field and all other StationSoccer fields is the ability to literally hop off the train, catch a pickup game, and hop back on the train to head back home. StationSoccer was intended to work this way for footballers all across the big city, no matter what your status or age is.
If you don’t take the train because you have a car, parking at Five Points is easy as well! Simply leave your car in the dedicated lot for this particular station, or grab a spot on the surrounding streets.
That’s all we have about StationSoccer at Five Points! If you want to read about their four other locations, click any of the following links below. 🔗
Our partnership with Station Soccer is still going strong! At this time, we proudly host pickup games at their 6️⃣ up-and-running locations at different MARTA stations throughout Atlanta. 🍑 Download Plei from the App Store or Google Play today and sign up for a pickup game now! ⚽
