What would you do if you were given a blank sheet of paper and told to create a brand new Major League Soccer team? That was exactly the proposition that faced Darren Eales, president of MLS team Atlanta United and the guest on today's Footballco Business Podcast.
 
Founded in 2014, Atlanta United are one of the world's newest football clubs but one that has a strong following that watches them week in, week out in the 73,000 capacity Mercedes Benz Stadium. On this show Darren discusses how they established their passionate fanbase, what was on his "to do" listen when he became the club's first hire back in 2014 and what other football clubs around the world can learn from Atlanta's "fan first" approach.
 
He and Alex also discuss Atlanta's connection with the local Hip-Hop music scene AND Darren's infamous performance with rapper (and Atlanta fan) Waka Flocka Flame to celebrate Atlanta United making the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs. You can watch that video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6us_hdAegks
 
The Footballco Business Podcast is a show focused on the most innovative people working in the world of football media, brands and marketing. Each episode features some of the most creative minds in the sport, getting their views on the business behind the beautiful game – from partnerships and branding to esports and new platforms.
 
Make sure you are following this show so you never miss an episode and find more from FootballCo via @Footballco on Twitter and https://www.linkedin.com/company/footballco/ on LinkedIn.
 
The Footballco Business Podcast is in association with Soccerex. Find out more at https://www.soccerex.com