ATLANTA— Atlanta United announced Sunday that the club is entering into a strategic partnership with Scottish club Aberdeen FC (AFC) geared towards boosting soccer and commercial operations for both clubs.
The strategic partnership will serve to expand Atlanta United’s reach globally and will be an opportunity for both clubs to share knowledge and experience including player and youth development, fan experience and venue best practices. The partnership also has technical advantages by extending Atlanta United’s scouting network into a new region and allowing for a development pipeline between the clubs.
AMB Sports & Entertainment (AMBSE), parent company of Atlanta United, will have minority ownership in AFC with a less than 10% stake in the club and will have no operational involvement or day to day oversight responsibilities. As part of the partnership agreement, President of Atlanta United, Darren Eales, will join AFC’s Board of Directors.
AMBSE’s investment of £2million is part of a new package of investment in AFC totalling £5million, led by US based software entrepreneur Dave Cormack, a native of Aberdeen and current resident of Atlanta.
AFC announced yesterday that AFC Chairman Stewart Milne and other directors, are stepping down. Dave Cormack will become Chairman after the Club’s Annual General Meeting on December 16.
“We’re thrilled about this opportunity to partner with Aberdeen, a successful club with a long and proud history,” said Eales. “The partnership is a natural fit, with synergies both on and off the pitch. We share the same commitment to our fans, to our core values, community engagement and competitive results.
“We’re excited about what we can achieve together through a shared approach to soccer and commercial operations centered around mutual respect for AFC’s heritage and Atlanta United’s innovation and progressive strategy.
“While our focus will remain on Atlanta United day-to-day, we look forward to sharing our learnings with Aberdeen as they begin the process of planning and building a new venue and developing an exceptional fan experience as we have here at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”
Cormack, an Atlanta United season ticket holder, has witnessed the club’s success in Atlanta and looks to foster collaboration between the two organizations.
“Atlanta United has record-breaking MLS attendances and season ticket sales, as well as the most successful fan engagement programme in Major League Soccer. We will be looking to learn from their experience, taking what works in Scotland, and applying it to improve our relationship with fans, create better match day experiences and develop potential sponsorships and other commercial initiatives that will generate revenues.”
