Atlanta United President Garth Lagerwey will answer a question posed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution each week about the team, MLS or soccer in general.
This week’s question:
Q: Who lines up the person who hammers the Golden Spike before a game, how long does it take and who decides who will do it?
A: The hammering of the Golden Spike is one of our marquee traditions on match day, serving as the unofficial kickoff for our supporters. Our marketing team does a fantastic job of attracting influential Atlantans in the space of art, music, culture, government and sport, and the tradition has evolved into a significant moment that carries a lasting memory tied to each match for our fans. As you may not know, (team owner) Arthur Blank is the only person to have hit the spike multiple times, so it takes a significant amount of planning and coordination to make sure we’re finding someone 17 times, or more, each season. I give our team a ton of credit for their meticulous time and effort in constantly finding a voice that is both influential and meaningful to the city of Atlanta every match.
Previous questions:
On temporary concussion substitutions
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