Sunday, May 31, 2015

Atlanta AFC

The Peaches(or Hammers depending who you talk to) were a club that bounced around regional leagues before the formation of the 2nd tier league in the 50s. Early on, the team was mediocre, not being promoted to the top league until 1967. They were relegated back in 1970. In 1975 they moved back up. During their time in the first tier, they would go on to win the first two trophies in their history. Back to back USOC titles in 82 and 83 made the team the new hot ticket in the town. They moved to a new Soccer Specific Stadium in 1985 on the dime of new owner Ted Turner. They were relegated from 1986 to 89, but the state of the art stadium hosted events for the Olympics in 1996, including the last 4 soccer games. After this period, the team would go on to be one of the strongest teams since. The team won the USOC in 1995, and then 3 championships from 1997 to 2005.

The team has always wore peach and navy. The crest has crossed railroad hammers with the initials of Association Football Club in between. The flame from the Olympic logo is underneath to represent the tie to the Olympics, and a tie into their motto "rising", which stems from the Terminus name and phoenix on the city seal. The clash colors has always rotated among the other teams in the Metro Atlanta area. The idea was that loose fans would buy jerseys if they were attached to another team. Still though, the peach remains iconic in Atlanta.

No comments:

Post a Comment