Atlanta Chiefs
First NASL champions; inspired South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs.
The Atlanta Chiefs were a professional soccer team from Atlanta, Georgia. They played in the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) during 1967 and then in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1968 to 1973, and again from 1979 to 1981. For the 1973 season, the team was known as the Atlanta Apollos.
The club was created in 1967 as an original NPSL member. It was the idea of Dick Cecil, who was Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball team and also owned the Chiefs. After reading about the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, Cecil thought professional soccer could bring in crowds at Atlanta Stadium. The Chiefs played their home games there from 1967 to 1972, except in 1970 when they used Tara Stadium.
In 1973, the team was sold and renamed the Atlanta Apollos. They played at Grant Field before shutting down after that season. Cecil and Ted Turner brought back the Chiefs name in 1979 when the Colorado Caribous moved to Atlanta. The team then played at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium and, for two indoor seasons, at the Omni Coliseum. The franchise folded again in 1981.
Kaizer Chiefs F.C., a South African club in the Premier Soccer League, was founded by Kaizer Motaung, who had played for the Atlanta Chiefs in their first years. The name and logo of the South African team were inspired by the Atlanta club.
**History**
**Formation and NPSL (1966–1967)** Dick Cecil first proposed a professional soccer team for Atlanta in 1966. He had never watched a soccer match but became interested after reading about the 1966 World Cup. He believed soccer could be profitable at the new Atlanta Stadium, where the Braves also played. The Chiefs joined other new Atlanta sports teams from the late 1960s: the Braves (1966), the Falcons (1966), and the Hawks (1968).
In 1966, the Atlanta Braves set up a franchise in the new National Professional Soccer League. The team name was chosen because it matched the Braves' use of Native American imagery. On September 8, Cecil hired Phil Woosnam as head coach and player. Tryouts were held at Emory University, which also served as the team's training base.
The first roster included international players like Vic Crowe, Peter McParland, and Vic Rouse. The Chiefs' first game was away against the Baltimore Bays on April 16, 1967, a 1–0 loss. This match was the first professional soccer game televised in the United States. Before k
- Founded
- 1967
- Home stadiums
- Atlanta Stadium (1967–1969, 1971–1972, 1979–1981); Tara Stadium (1970); Grant Field (1973); Omni Coliseum (indoor, 1979–1981)
- League
- National Professional Soccer League (1967); North American Soccer League (1968–1973, 1979–1981)
- NASL championships
- 1 (1968)
- Notable player
- Kaizer Motaung (played for the Chiefs; later founded Kaizer Chiefs F.C.)
- Owner
- Dick Cecil (1967–1972); Ted Turner and Dick Cecil (1979–1981)
Lore & Background
The Atlanta Chiefs were established in 1967 after Dick Cecil, Vice President of the Atlanta Braves, became intrigued by soccer following the 1966 FIFA World Cup. The team played its first season in the NPSL, with Phil Woosnam as head coach and player. In 1968, the Chiefs hosted two exhibition matches against Manchester City F.C., winning both 3–2 and 2–1. That same year, they defeated the San Diego Toros in the NASL Final 1968, becoming the first NASL champions and the first major professional sports franchise in Atlanta to win a championship. The team played at Atlanta Stadium for most of its early seasons, except 1970 when they used Tara Stadium.
After the 1972 season, the team was sold and rebranded as the Atlanta Apollos for the 1973 season, playing at Grant Field before folding. The Chiefs name was revived in 1979 when the Colorado Caribous relocated to Atlanta, with Cecil and Ted Turner as owners. The revived Chiefs played at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium and the Omni Coliseum for indoor soccer, winning a division championship in 1981 before folding again due to lack of profitability.
Kaizer Motaung, who played for the original Atlanta Chiefs, later founded Kaizer Chiefs F.C. in South Africa, naming and branding the club after the Atlanta team.
Reader's Guide
The Atlanta Chiefs hold significance as the first champions of the North American Soccer League, winning the NASL Final in 1968. Their victory marked the first championship for a major professional sports team in Atlanta, a feat not repeated until the Braves won the 1995 World Series. The team also played a role in early U.S. soccer history by hosting the first televised professional soccer match in the United States (a 1–0 loss to the Baltimore Bays in 1967). Their exhibition wins over Manchester City in 1968 were notable upsets. The Chiefs' legacy extends internationally through Kaizer Chiefs F.C., a prominent South African club founded by former Atlanta Chiefs player Kaizer Motaung, who adopted the name and logo from the Atlanta team. The franchise's two incarnations (1967–1973 and 1979–1981) illustrate the volatility of early professional soccer in the United States.
Did You Know?
- The Atlanta Chiefs won the first NASL championship in 1968, defeating the San Diego Toros.
- Kaizer Chiefs F.C. in South Africa was named after the Atlanta Chiefs by former player Kaizer Motaung.
- The Chiefs' 1967 opening game against the Baltimore Bays was the first professional soccer match televised in the United States.
- In 1968, the Chiefs defeated Manchester City F.C. in two exhibition matches, 3–2 and 2–1.
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