By Mark Woolsey

Atlanta United soccer officials cut the ribbon on a $25 million expansion of their Marietta training facility on Tuesday.

The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta training ground has now expanded to 50,000 square feet and brings total investment from team owner Arthur Blank and his  Blank family of businesses to $90 million.

In a news release, Blank said, “Today is a celebration of continued growth and dedication to the sport of soccer and what Atlanta United represents. From the beginning, our vision was to build something extraordinary.”

“This expansion reflects our commitment to the game, the city, and in creating a best-in-class environment for our players, associates, fans, and community partners,” he added.

Team officials say the expansion added more dedicated space for both First Team and Atlanta United 2 and Academy players to train. A second gym totaling 4,000 square feet was added for the 2s and Academy players.

Team officials say another main project in the overall expansion is the Emory Healthcare Studio, which includes what’s called “The Box,” a state-of-the-art control room. A podcast studio is also incorporated, as are two other studio operations, one of which is equipped for multicamera shoots and a video wall for the team’s storytelling  efforts.

Club officials say that during a planned second phase of renovations, Atlanta United will add additional player resources such as increased therapy treatment space, a hydrotherapy room and hyperbaric chambers.