“Chattanooga loves Chattanooga”

How CFC is marketing the showdown centerpiece of the Open Cup Second-Round

One of the most intriguing and highly anticipated games in the recent history of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup will take place in Chattanooga’s Scenic City this Wednesday (2^nd April, 19:00pm ET). Chattanooga FC of MLS Next Pro will face-off at home against the Chattanooga Red Wolves of USL League One. Two clubs that are separated by nine miles, one ridge, and vastly different operating models but who are connected by a fraught history.

The Southeast Soccer Report will be covering the game, and a match preview and post-game recap will follow. However, I was keen to get a sense of the importance of this fixture from different angles in the blue part of Chattanooga, so I spoke to the Head Coach, players, and fans about the game. I also had the opportunity to speak to members of CFC’s front office, to get a sense of how they’ve promoted and marketed the game, how ticket sales have gone, and what fans coming to Fort Finley on Wednesday can expect.

The club will move into new offices in 2026 a mere half-mile from Finley Stadium, a brand-new premises on the city’s Riverfront Parkway which will feature six stories of offices, a fitness center, and apartments for players. Last week I visited CFC’s current office in downtown Chattanooga to speak with Calvin Claggett, the club’s Senior Marketing Manager and Sam Click, Manager of Ticketing, to get the vibe from the front office.

I began by asking them how they felt when the Second-Round draw was first announced. “Incredibly excited’, said Calvin. “I’m a Chattanooga native but was gone for nearly 12 years. Even when away, you hear about the massive strides and impact of CFC and how the Red Wolves came into the picture. This fixture is great for the beautiful game here in the city. It’s a big moment for Chattanooga FC to further stake its claim as the pinnacle of the beautiful game in this region.”

“Excitement is obviously a great way to put it”, said Sam. “I’ll be completely honest; there’s a little bit of pressure too. Pressure with the chaos that can sometimes come with getting a Cup tie on short notice and having to host. I’m sure everyone feels it on the technical side who’s out there, but I’d say all of us here in the office feel the pressure too with a two-week turnaround time to fill out Finley and get this match the proper attention it deserves. Pressure, privilege and I’d say when we found out, there were some nerves there too.”

One of the many posters visible in town

I’d seen posters for this game go up almost immediately after the fixture was announced, it felt like the club had turned this around fairly quickly. In addition to all the website and social media coverage.

Sam: “We’ve never had a match with this much significance on a short turnaround. We’ve definitely had to kick into overdrive.”

Calvin: “The beauty about this game is that the city of Chattanooga as a whole is bought in and committed. This isn’t our first time distributing posters or swags of merchandise to promote a game at storefront and business. But sometimes we may walk into a storefront and they’re supporters of the other club. With this game, it’s different because no matter where your loyalty lies, you’re still invested. Chattanooga loves Chattanooga and this match embodies the entire city of Chattanooga, so everyone is bought-in and happy to promote the game, whichever team they support. That’s what’s so special and significant about the match.”

Wednesday’s game is one of ten taking place that day, but it’s fair to say none of the others will have the same level of interest from across the soccer community than the one in Chattanooga. Interest in the game is high, with stories of soccer fans from outside the area making the trip to the Scenic City to be there for the game.

“We’re seeing regional zip codes pop up in ticket sales that we normally don’t see in high volume”, said Sam. “There are definitely people travelling in for the match. It’s so exciting to grow our game and welcome people who haven’t been in a long time or haven’t been to a game period. It’s going to be the game of the matchday in the cup. We’ll see that in viewership numbers.”

Calvin believes the intrigue of the fixture is driving interest, but also because it’s not just some random game or a friendly, it’s tied up in competitive stakes too. “Everybody has waited so long, there’s this mystery that has been looming for 7 years, and now it’s here, it’s happening. For me, as a Chattanooga native, it just means so much regardless of whether I work for the club or not. This match has a little bit of everything to it. However we would have finally met on the pitch would have been intriguing and exciting, but the fact that it was a surprise, it’s a knock-out game, it’s competitive and not a friendly, the stakes are high. So, it’s not just about bragging rights. We want to make a cup run for as long as we can. That adds a whole other level of excitement and interest.

We’re in March Madness right now. One of the largest spectated events in the country is happening but people are talking about Chattanooga FC v Red Wolves. That is incredibly special. If it wasn’t this match up, that wouldn’t be happening in this time period. To know we’re getting more coverage because of this, in this market, that’s so special.”

The club has announced that ticket sales have been strong. So strong in-fact that 100% of all reserved seats and 15 whole sections are sold out. Premium Hospitality is also sold out. The North Stand, usually closed for CFC games, will be open and assigned to away fans (another rarity at CFC games).

The guys explained that from a presale standpoint, this has been the strongest pre-sale for a non-MLS friendly that the club has had. It’s also going to be CFC’s largest Open Cup crowd ever. From a business perspective, as with so many other soccer teams, you’d have expected CFC to cash in on the apparent interest and high likelihood of strong sales that this game would bring. However, they sold tickets for as little as $14, and Season Ticket holders had them included in their bundle.

“We priced this model very affordable”, said Sam. “There’s a lot more at stake here than the bottom line. We’re not looking to make money off the backs of supporters. It was important to make sure this game was affordable to everyone in the community who’d waited for this for a long time.”

Calvin took up this point strongly too, and emphasized the influence of Sam, as well as the leadership of Rachel Hanson (the GM) and Davis Grizzard (Primary owner and Chairman) for putting accessibility at the forefront of their approach to this game. “We’re a community founded club; we serve our community. Sam had said, ‘This isn’t a get-rich game. I want all of Chattanooga to have the opportunity to experience this’. From a sports professional and administrative standpoint, not many people view it the way he does.”

The club has also made a special offer to supporter-owners, offering a $5 proxy ticket they’ll donate to nonprofits in the name of any supporter-owners who can’t make the game. Within a couple of hours of the email going out they already had 40 tickets for nonprofits to attend the match.

It’s this sense of community that is evident whenever I speak to anyone at CFC, be they coaches, players, staff, or fans. For Calvin, the “Directors, front office, technical staff and fans are locked in arms and together. That’s hard to beat. It shows on the pitch and the work we’re able to do.” Regarding fans, Sam noted that the buy-in, good crowds and noise from the stands made their job easier. “It’s huge and gives you a healthy base. We know that no matter what, when we roll a ball on the field at Finley, there’s a crowd there. The challenge is building upon that. But it’s so nice to not start from Ground Zero. We know there’ll be thousands there no matter what.”

So, what should fans coming on Wednesday expect? Gates will open 30 minutes earlier than usual, at 17:30pm. The club is working with Finley Stadium to scale up security lines and early gates. They want to ensure there isn’t a swell of people at 18:50. The advice is to get there early to ensure you’re in your seat at kick-off.

I ended by asking them if they have a moniker for this game yet. Fans on social media have used terms like Battle for Chattanooga, Chattaderby, and my own personal favorite, El Chattico. But the guys believe all good names come organically, and one will likely emerge, especially if this fixture is repeated.

“For me, its just Round 2”, said Sam. I mused aloud that Round 2 could have a deeper meaning to it, given the history that’s there between these teams.

“No comment”, was the reply.

Tickets for the match are on sale now. The match is included in 2025 Season Ticket Packages. For those who cannot attend in person, the game can be viewed live and for free exclusively via U.S. Soccer’s YouTube home.

My thanks to Calvin and Sam, and Hayes Creech for their time.