Chattanooga Goes Crazy for Soccer... oops... Football

When I first heard about the new semi-professional soccer club in Chattanooga I was intrigued. As a matter of fact, I was so intrigued that I had to check this new team out. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was intrigued in our fine city.

The Chattanooga Football Club plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), which began in 2002 under another name in the Midwest. Over the years it has expanded to include the Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest Regions. This year it added the Southeast Region to it's ever-expanding league.

The average attendance league-wide since the NPSL's inception has hovered around the 150 mark, with most of the games played in college & high school football stadiums across the country.

That is, until the CFC came to Chattanooga.

In its first home match the CFC drew over 1,000 fans. It's second home match drew over 1,300. The third match, which was the first that I was able to attend, saw more than 2,100 people file through the turnstiles. The home finale took place on July 4 in front of 3,000 fans--four of which included my family and I.

That's triple the attendance of the home opener!

The team plays at Finley Stadium where the Chattanooga Mocs play football in front of an average of barely 5,000 fans. Yes, that's right; American college football barely draws more than World Football in the American football-crazy south! (Hopefully you get that point.)

The CFC has utilized today's new media marketing strategies like professionals. The CFC's facebook page has over 1,600 fans, and it's twitter account has 535 followers.

The twitter site is where local fans can keep up with the road matches--at least those local fans who don't travel to Birmingham, Hunstville, Atlanta, and Marietta on a bi-weekly basis. Some have reported Chattanooga fans sometimes out-number the home fans when on the road.

After demolishing Pumas FC (Birmingham) at home on Saturday the CFC is 3-3-1 with 11 goals scored. The CFC has one game remaining in the '09 season—next Saturday at Saturn FC in Marietta, Ga.

Football fever has hit Chattanooga, Tennessee.

I am relatively new to the game of soccer. I am one of those Big Orange, Tennessee, southern football fanatics who used to get offended when soccer was referred to as football. I referred to American football as "real" football.

Boy, was I wrong! My wife is even excited about our new local team and any sport that can get her excited is alright by me!

This is real football. American football will always be king in America, but the local feverpitch over this new football team has Chattanooga clamoring for more.

I cannot wait until I can purchase my new kit (which conveniently dubs as a season ticket pass) for the 2010 season.

Chances are I won't be the only one waiting at the gate.