Futbol fever returns to GWCCA's championship campus
When fans arrive at Sunday’s home opener for the Atlanta United they will notice several new changes for the 2019 season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS) on the Georgia World Congress Center Authority campus.
The Five Stripes, who won the 2018 MLS Cup in the team’s second season of existence, welcome a new head coach in Frank De Boer, a new South American star-in-the-making in Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez, a new club in opponent in FC Cincinnati, and new low prices on select concession items.
Gone are former head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who left to serve as manager of the Mexico national team, and superstar Miguel Almirón who went to Newcastle United in the offseason.
Another omission for this year will be cash at MBS.
According to a press release: “To further enhance the fan experience, MBS will become the first MLS stadium to implement a complete stadium-wide cashless transaction model. All transactions will require the use of a credit or debit card or mobile payment beginning with Atlanta United’s home opener on Sunday. No cash will be accepted at any location within the stadium including concessions and retail.”
If you prefer to carry cash and not use personal debit/credit cards, the stadium has lined up 10 cash-to-card kiosks spread around the venue. “Guests will be able to feed the cash into the machine and obtain a pre-paid debit card with the same amount with no transaction fee,” according to the release. “These cards can be utilized as any other pre-paid debit card or credit card within the stadium as well as outside the stadium.”
The shift to a cashless model allows the stadium to move away from its whole-dollar pricing, initially instituted to speed up transaction times, and more importantly from the guest standpoint, to slash concession prices for a second consecutive year.
This latest round of price cuts reduces the costs of several concession items by 50 cents, including the stadium’s top-seller – its hotdogs.
Here are the price cuts:
- Hot Dog: From $2 to $1.50
- Pretzel Bites: From $5 to $4.50
- ATL Bud Burger: From $8 to $7.50
- Ice Cream Waffle Cone: From $5 to $4.50
- Chips and Salsa: From $3 to $2.50
To learn more about the cashless system, visit: https://mercedesbenzstadium.com/card-mobile-payment/
For more info about the United’s season and ticket information visit: https://www.atlutd.com/
Game time is 5 p.m. Sunday, with gates opening at 3 p.m.
Pre-game entertainment includes the Fan Village from 2-4 p.m. Sunday at the GWCCA’s International Plaza, located between the Georgia World Congress Center, MBS and State Farm Arena.
