Amidst Takeover Tuesday, flag giveaways and video teasers, fans have been encouraged to showcase their Atlanta United pride by displaying their red, black & gold flags for all to see in hopes of winning a mysterious prize from the club.
Hand-delivered by some of the Atlanta United staff and midfielder Julian Gressel, the first Grand Prize of the ATL UTD Flags Out campaign was awarded to the Marin family. Underneath their waving five-striped Founding Member flag, the Marins answered the door in bewilderment as they were met by a cheerful group from the club, balloons and a couple of giant prize tickets worth a value of two all-inclusive trips to an Atlanta United away match.
“We couldn’t be happier to be season ticket holders, to be supporters of the club and to be supporters of the team,” said Cesar, the father of the family.
Moving from Miami to Atlanta 20 years ago, the Marins have never had a soccer team they could call their own, but that all changed with the emergence of Atlanta United.
“From the announcement that we were getting an MLS club, the thought of combining the sport we love with a club that represents our home town was like a dream come true,” said the mother, Helena. “Our city needed a club that we all could identify with. A club that embraces the local and international citizens that make up our great city. This club unites us all.”
For the Marin family, this extraordinary culture brewing in Atlanta is something they could have only imagined and to witness a stadium full of 55,297 raving fans out to support the club’s inaugural match, it really is pure bliss.
“There is no better feeling than the goosebumps we got when Atlanta United took the field for the first time and the stadium felt like it was going to explode,” Helena added. “This feeling of pride and the passion of the fans is something that will live in our family forever.”
This trip of a lifetime is just one of many grand prizes to come, so if your flags are out, keep them raised high, and if you you’ve yet to hang them up, the time is now.
Take your Atlanta United flag and drape it in your window, raise it up in your yard, showcase it where all can admire. Make sure that anyone who passes by knows that this is OUR city. You are not just a fan. You are part of one voice, one people, one club that embodies the meaning and culture of the ATL.
Unite & Conquer.
