Take a look at some highlights of the club's activities and involvement in the community of Chattanooga during the month of March.
Chattanooga FC's purpose is to build community through the world's game.
Our mission is to use soccer as a tool to build strong relationships – across age, race, creed and socio-economic status – for the greater good of our city.
To coincide with the club's first match in MLS NEXT Pro, there a jam-packed and fun-filled schedule off the field with several community events throughout the month of March.
Media Day Community Visits and Experience with Red Bank High School and Humane Educational Society
Our 2024 Media Day allowed us to capture some great memories with our athletes and members of our community. Partnering with the community also means supporting the next generation of sports professionals, so we were delighted to invite Red Bank High School’s Sports Management Class to join our Media Day and gain hands-on experience to take back to their school's sports programs. Keeper Jonathan Burke and CFC staff spoke with the high school students about breaking into the sports industry while providing life-changing experiences for a brighter future.
We were also delighted to have the Humane Educational Society pups jump in our pictures with our players for Media Day! Our athletes spent some time with the pups that are up for adoption at your local Chattanooga Humane Educational Society! Be on the lookout for the HES and Chattanooga FC calendar for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going toward the Humane Educational Society of Chattanooga.
National Reading Day with East Lake Elementary with Joseph Hernandez and Jonathan Burke
Our Boys in Blue had the pleasure of reading stories with our friends at East Lake Elementary for National Reading Day! Players Jonathan Burke and Joseph Perez read their favorite books about sports and friendship to their excited students.
Bess T. Shepard Leadership Group visit with Sporting Director and Head Coach Rod Underwood
Bess T. Shepard Elementary School’s Leadership Group visited Finley Stadium to speak with Sporting Director and Head Coach Rod Underwood during training on March 8th. The students were fascinated to hear about Underwood’s experience in professional sports and becoming a head coach while successfully leading the team and dedicated staff to a winning season.
Catoosa County Player Clinic with Jean Antoine, Logan Brown, Jesse Williams, Robert Screen, Callum Watson and Damian Rodriguez
Chattanooga FC hosted over 250 future soccer stars at the Catoosa County Player Clinic on March 11th. Our CFC players, Jean Antoine, Logan Brown, Jesse Williams, Robert Screen, Callum Watson and Damian Rodriguez taught basic skills, defense drills and dribbling with the excited little athletes.
Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer of Chattanooga
During their spring break camp, the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer of Chattanooga invited CFC to join them for soccer day. Dedicated to creating positive memories for children and their families who are fighting pediatric cancer, players Michael Barrueta and Farid Sar-Sar joined the children for a fun-filled day of soccer in the CFC inflatable field. The players spent the day getting to know their patients and touring the facility.
February Teacher of the Month Wesley Castle
Nominated for his humility and passion for his work, our Teacher of the Month winner was awarded to Wesley Castle. The 2nd grade teacher at CSLA was given a basket of school supplies and a visit from CFC player Andres Jimenez and Academy Player, and Mr. Castle’s son, Gavin Castle.
Applications are now open for April’s Teacher of the Month Award at chattanoogafc.com/community.
Women’s History Month Recognition
Our Women’s History Month Match was a blast! Along with a CFC win, we were able to celebrate wonderful women of the Chattanooga community during halftime. You can check out our game recap here.
Dade County Players Clinic
Defender Logan Brown and forward Damian Rodriguez hosted soccer students from ages three to 14 at the Dade County Players Clinic on March 25th. Nearly 100 soccer players came out to learn new skills with some of their favorite soccer players and have some fun with their teammates.
CGLA Player Clinic
CFC joined the CGLA middle school soccer team for a special training session as they prepare for the 2024 season. Keeper Michael Barrueta and defender Robert Screen had the pleasure of running their training session as they went over dribbling, passing and the fundamentals of teamwork.
Community Hero powered by EPB presented to Sandy Pricer of RiseUP Cooperative
We are proud to announce Sandy Pricer as our March Community Hero award recipient powered by EPB. Co-founder and CEO of RiseUP Cooperative, Pricer uses her background in social work and her experience as a mother of six to equip and engage teenagers and young adults to help prepare them for tomorrow. Her local non-profit provides life and leadership workshops for individuals in Chattanooga and beyond, such as the Girls Leadership Summit CFC supported in February. CFC player Logan Brown presented our deserving award winner with her award and a gift certificate to Rodizio Bar and Grill.
Applications for April's Community Hero of the Month award are now open here.
Community Allied Club Fan Tunnel
The club would like to express extra special gratitude to all of the members of the Community Allied Club who joined us in our Fan Tunnel presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee at our Opening Day Match! We had over 200 fans from ages three to 13 welcome our players to the pitch for a terrific game and an experience we will never forget.
Richard Dixon Nutrition Training at Operation Get Active (OGA)
With a focus on sharing health and wellness with our community, CFC joined OGA practices to share useful tips and tools to stay healthy throughout their soccer season. Led by our Strength and Conditioning Performance Specialist and Assistant Coach Richard Dixon, the OGA boys and girls teams learned the importance of staying hydrated and stretching before asking questions with one of the industry's finest.
CFC and Chatt Prep Player Visits
To share the world's game with our neighbors in Chattanooga, CFC has partnered with Chatt Prep to best support their coaching staff and players as they continue their 2024 soccer season. CFC Keeper Jean Antoine became their goalie coach for the day going over fundamentals with the young athletes, and defender Logan Brown joined the young roster before a game to give them a pep talk. CFC will continue to support Chatt Prep throughout the season.
Did you see our CFC Booth at some of these events?
- March 8th: East Ridge Middle School Career Fair
- March 15th: Pleasant Grove Elementary School Career talk with CFC Community Relations team
- CFC Sponsored the Latino Professional Network’s One Year Anniversary Event
