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Fayette County has had a proud tradition of excellence in the sport of soccer. The official records do not lie, and we can claim a significant number of state championships and national recognition.
We have had many phenomenal players who went on to play at both the collegiate and professional levels. I would like to see our one ultra-elite player recognized.
Almost two decades ago, I was coaching girls’ soccer in Peachtree City. My teams would win despite having me as their coach.
Once, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution called and wanted to profile me and my family while I was mayor. They said a reporter and photographer were coming the following Saturday. I told them to meet me at the local soccer fields because I was “going to be there all day.”
I still treasure the newspaper photo of my wife and me, gear in hand, and our two young girls in their soccer uniforms. The interview was conducted on folding lawn chairs between games.
We are not just providing soccer instruction on those grassy fields. Intrinsically, we are imparting a series of life lessons to our young men and women on cooperation, training toward a goal, etiquette, and overcoming obstacles to achieve.
Trademark win
Fayette County landed the U.S. Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) headquarters and their first-of-its-kind national training center (NTC). The project is a good one in many ways, creating 440 new jobs through a $228 million investment.
These types of trademark projects bring a lot of name recognition to our community which aids in attracting other corporate headquarters projects. The facility should also boost our hotel tax revenue as well.
Our Fayette County ultra-elite player
As the U.S. Soccer Federation announcement was coming online, I immediately thought that the road leading into the complex ought to be named “Kelley O’Hara Drive.”
Of all the excellent soccer players Fayette County has produced (and we have had many), none stand taller than 5-foot, 5-inch Kelley O’Hara. The former Starr’s Mill High School superstar has spent her life befuddling goalkeepers all over Georgia, the United States, and the world.
Placing the word “drive” behind O’Hara’s name is a no-brainer. She has a reputation as an extremely physical and aggressive player, achieving success in multiple positions on the field.
The state high school title was just the beginning. She was named Parade All-American, All-League, All-County, and All-State all four years. She also won the Gatorade Georgia State Player of the Year and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Player of the Year awards in 2006.
O’Hara scored an amazing 57 goals in four years at Stanford University with All-American honors all four years.
It was no surprise when O’Hara won the Hermann Trophy as the nation’s top collegiate player. But wait, while she was the driving force of NCAA soccer, she also managed 24 goals in 35 caps while also playing on the United States U-20 national team.
Through concussions and reconstructive ankle surgeries, O’Hara has never given up playing professional soccer while also collecting an Olympic Gold Medal and two World Cup championships.
After all her successes, Kelley O’Hara has never forgotten where she came from. She appreciates her local fan base and encourages all the young girls in soccer leagues and high schools to succeed.
I do not think Dan and Karen O’Hara minded as we watched Kelley in international competition representing us on our televisions, cheering, “That’s our girl!” Our Fayette County hearts swelled with pride.
That little freckled-faced girl who graced our local soccer fields and embodied what every other little girl who followed could be was the forerunner for the great relationship our community will have with the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Perhaps U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone will consider naming the entrance road from our soccer community to the new headquarters and training facility “Kelley O’Hara Drive” after our girl. I cannot think of a more symbolic gesture.
Here’s to all of our future Kelley O’Hara’s who are only a short drive from our recreation and club teams to the national team.
I wish our newest residents at U.S. Soccer all the best.
[Brown is a former mayor of Peachtree City and served two terms on the Fayette County Board of Commissioners. You can read all his columns by clicking on his photo below.]
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