The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that Apotheos FC (Kennesaw, GA) has joined the league as an expansion team. The club will begin competition in the East Region in 2022.
“This is a great fit,” NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera said. “Apotheos FC has formulated the exact type of business model that the NPSL most effectively supports. The club’s personality epitomizes what it means to be grassroots. They reach deep into many facets of their community, excite and engage their fan base, and have the support of local businesses. I look forward to see what they can accomplish. “
Apotheos FC is led by the ownership team of Anthony Catalano and Dale Hughes.
Catalano was born and raised in Lynchburg, VA. Anthony was a standout soccer player at Division I Elon University in Elon, NC. He became Elon University’s first professional men’s soccer player to come out of the program where his career took him to the United Soccer League’s Charleston Battery and Richmond Kickers. Catalano was extended loan opportunities at Oxford United in Oxford, England and with two clubs in the Serie C in Pisa and Pontedera, Italy.
For the past 12 years, Catalano has lived in Atlanta, GA with his wife and two young boys. Catalano’s non-profit Keep Kickin’ was the beneficiary of the Atlanta Soccerfest in 2014. The Atlanta Soccerfest was the largest World Cup viewing party in the southeast for the U.S. vs. Portugal match during that summer’s World Cup. He was a part of the Executive Committee that planned the event for many months and the event saw 25,000 passionate U.S. soccer fans come to Brookhaven Park to cheer on the U.S.A.
“Apotheos FC is excited to bring a community oriented, professionally run soccer club to the City of Kennesaw,” Catalano said. “Our expectations for the club are to provide our supporters with the highest quality of soccer on the field and the highest quality partnership to our community.”
Hughes graduated from Goizeuta Business School at Emory University and the University of Georgia School of Law. During his legal career, he worked in a variety of substantive legal areas and served in management for a national law firm. He left private practice to be a senior-level corporate officer for a national media, communications, and automotive conglomerate as well as a leader in their family office and foundation.
For the last decade, Hughes has worked in his family businesses as they have developed historic properties, created live/work environments, and invested in community-based businesses focused on craft and people. His happiest moments are walking his rescued dogs in his beloved community and participating in non-profits that empower people.
“The NPSL’s community-oriented business model aligns perfectly to the development and vision for Apotheos FC,” Hughes said.
More information can be found by visiting www.apotheosfc.com or by following the club on Facebook (@ApotheosFC), Instagram (@apotheosfc) and Twitter (@ApotheosFC).
“Apotheos FC brings a wealth of experience from both a business and soccer perspective,” NPSL Director of Membership Development Dina Case said. “We are excited to welcome them to the NPSL as they have a clear vision for their club and will be a solid addition to the region and the league.”
More information about expansion opportunities in the NPSL can be found at www.npsl.com/expansion/.
