MLS
Welcome to Chattanooga
Tim Kelly Davis Grizzard
Chattanooga FC plays in the MLS Next Pro Final on Sunday, the first independent club to reach the championship game of the third-tier league. Simon Evans visits Chattanooga to speak to Mayor Tim Kelly, who co-founded the club in 2009, and primary owner Davis Grizzard. Together they explain how a community club went from the fourth tier to a national final, why its crowdfunded ownership matters, and what independent clubs get out of a league built around MLS reserve teams. Plus: the club facility where players live above the front office, and where Chattanooga goes without promotion and relegation.
