ATLANTA – An integral facet of U.S. Soccer’s mission is to make the sport of soccer more accessible to everyone, and the Arthur M. Blank National Training Center brings that strategic pillar into full effect in an extraordinary way.
The National Training Center, which officially opened its doors on Thursday, May 7, will be the new home for all 27 National Teams at U.S. Soccer, including the nine Extended National Teams.
While the National Training Center will host an incredible 13 regulation-sized natural grass fields for the senior and youth national teams, some of the Extended National Teams will have their own fields to play on that aren’t made of grass. The Futsal, Beach Soccer and Power Soccer National Teams don’t compete on regulation-sized pitches, and their playing conditions involve different elements and conditions.
For Gensler, the global architecture firm that designed the National Training Center, researching these elements was a crucial part of the process. Gensler’s Design Director Andrew Jacobs led the consulting from the start. His background in athletics facilities, including for FIFA and nearby Georgia Gwinnett College, was a bonus, but designing different kinds of spaces for the National Teams presented a unique challenge.
“One of the things that we pride ourselves on is doing the research,” Jacobs said. “When it comes down to designing anything well, you want to know who the right audience is.”
Jacobs and the team of 60 designers welcomed input from all of U.S. Soccer’s different ENT athletes and tailored to the needs of their disciplines. For example, air conditioning was one piece of feedback that came out of an informational session with the Power Soccer National Team, which plays their matches indoors. Power soccer players told them that gyms and large spaces are traditionally too cold. They wanted to bundle up and be warmer.
“The Power Soccer Team, they were the most responsive,” Jacobs said. “You could tell that it meant a lot to them. They’d never had somebody, quite frankly, ask them what they should be designed to.”
Another insight the Power Soccer NT provided was wanting to replicate a particular experience they had at the 2023 FIPFA Powerchair Football World Cup in Australia, a competition where the U.S. finished with an 8-2-1 record and earned third place. On that trip, players had the chance to view the game from a high angle on a viewing platform. That experience was extremely memorable and valuable for players who spend their days in a chair.
So, the design team took that insight and got to work. At the National Training Center, they incorporated a viewing platform on the Power Soccer court. The platform provides observation angles, bringing the experience they had in Australia right into their new home.
“Instead of being able to only see an abstract view from a camera and from film, they can experience it viscerally,” Jacobs said. “Hopefully that aids in performance on the court. You’re going to start to see the game differently because you can imagine yourself being that player, which you don't always get from a film session.”
Another unique aspect specific to the Power Soccer National Team is their locker room, which is the first purpose-built locker room for Powerchair Football in the world. The turning radius for a power chair is about seven-and-a half feet (for reference, a wheelchair is about five feet), so the locker room features a large, open area with plenty of space. There, players can transition into their game chair and leave their day chairs to charge while they’re on the pitch.
Added to the locker room are two single-user restrooms equipped with a shorthand system that allows for independence and use without the aid of a helper. This was a dignity-building aspect for Power Soccer players, many of whom have disabilities that include quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy, among others.
“Understanding the needs of the differently-abled athletes and different user groups is intentional from the outset,” Jacobs said. “In this facility, you have a very wide spectrum of users and user types that have to use the building. Making it feel inclusive, so it feels like their facility at all levels and for all different groups is important.”
These Extended National Teams will be the first to hold camp at the new National Training Center. The ADAPTandTHRIVE Invitational, which takes place May 18-24, brings together individuals from diverse soccer backgrounds and abilities to participate in a soccer event that celebrates inclusivity and promotes interaction and collaboration.
For this group to be the first to kick off the era of U.S. Soccer’s new, purpose-built home is beautiful representation that soccer is a sport welcome to everybody.
“The mission for U.S. Soccer was all-inclusive,” Jacobs said. “The mantra was that you are designing for 27 National Teams. We're not designing strictly for the senior National Teams. Most other national training centers are for senior national teams, and then the development track to reach the senior national team. U.S. Soccer is a soccer ecosystem, and it’s important to consider that.”
