MLS Atlanta President Darren Eales, who was hired in September, worked his first day with the franchise on Monday and gave his first interview yesterday, when he "discussed why he left Tottenham Hotspur in his native England for a new city and new franchise," according to Doug Roberson of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Eales, who "is the team’s first employee," has a "long list of things to do" before the inaugural '17 season. He said of why he joined the organization, "From my perspective, it was a great opportunity. It was a blank sheet of paper. ... The big thing for me was when I came over and spoke to [Owner Arthur Blank]. To see his commitment, to see the respect he has in the community and in sports, it was fascinating." He added of the team's name and mascot, which have yet to be decided, "We will try to do something over the next couple of months as a naming strategy and include the fans in naming that. I’ve got no problem with whatever we end up coming up with as a group." He said of season-ticket sales thus far, "To think you have over 16,500 pledges before there’s a team name, 2 1/2 years before the season starts. ... To have that level of interest is a really good marker of the excitement and buzz that will be around this team. ... To have 5,500 Founder’s Club members we can engage with, we can develop with, it’s exciting news." He said of whether those numbers could have affected his decision to join the franchise, "No, but it did confirm the way soccer is growing. From my perspective, as I was researching, there were people telling me that perhaps Atlanta wasn’t a sporting city, it hadn’t supported the Thrashers" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 11/20).
