Chattanooga FC partners with Coca-Cola, sets friendly vs. Mexican club

The Chattahooligans, a Chattanooga Football Club fan group, cheer before the National Premier Soccer League championship match last August at Finley Stadium.
The Chattahooligans, a Chattanooga Football Club fan group, cheer before the National Premier Soccer League championship match last August at Finley Stadium.

The Chattanooga Football Club had a good Thursday, with the soccer team announcing a new business partnership and an addition to its 2016 schedule.

Chattanooga FC will play a friendly against the reigning Liga MX (Mexican Premier League) champion UANL Tigres' reserve team, which competes in Mexico's second division.

That exhibition match is at 7:30 p.m. on July 14 at Finley Stadium. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 on match day.

It will be the club's first friendly since a 2-0 loss to D.C. United on July 23, 2011. General manager Sean McDaniel said bumping up the level of competition was a result of the progress CFC leaders believe the team has made. CFC has reached the National Premier Soccer League title game four of the past six seasons (including the past two), finishing runner-up each time.

"Because our team has improved, we felt the level of international competition should improve, too," McDaniel said. "By having them come in, it's a huge benchmark for us. To have a good match against that level will show where CFC is and how far they've come. The first couple of times we did it, we did it with an unknown goal in mind. We wanted the fans to have fun in the stadium, but there's an international level of soccer and football at stake here.

"We're proud of what CFC has attained here in the U.S.; we love how competitive we've become, but I think that's another step up if we can have a good result against a powerhouse Mexican team."

CFC also announced a partnership with Chattanooga Coca-Cola that gives the team connections to two of the top companies in the Scenic City, with Volkswagen already a partner. Club co-founder Tim Kelly said that in upcoming weeks there will be player cutouts branded with the CFC logo and schedule in stores, with chances to win tickets to games and other prizes part of the Coca-Cola promotion.

A partnership with Volkswagen has existed since 2009, the year the club was started, and the auto manufacturer's logo was added to CFC jerseys the following season. Kelly said that gave the team a level of legitimacy "at a time where we didn't really know what we were doing," and he believes the Coca-Cola sponsorship will only add to that recognition.

"We connected on such a fundamental level and were able to proceed without having to put a lot of detail or flesh on the bones," Kelly said. "We want to co-brand as much stuff as possible, but it's fairly fluid at this point.

"This will help us reach fans in places that we'd otherwise not be able to reach them. They (Coca-Cola), on the other hand, have always been at Finley, but we intend to amplify that and create more awareness for them."

Kelly said his personal dream was a "co-branded version of blue Powerade," a nod to the team's colors and a Coca-Cola product. Whether that happens, Coca-Cola is pleased to have CFC as a partner.

"We at Chattanooga Coca-Cola are already huge fans. They continue to bring awareness to this growing sport, the city of Chattanooga, and are doing so in a professional manner," Brad McCawley, Coca-Cola's sales center manager, said in a statement. "We look forward to assisting them as they continue to grow and have even greater success going forward."

CFC opens the season May 14 against the host Birmingham Hammers. The home opener, a U.S. Open Cup second-round match, is May 18.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.

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