Apotheos FC announces coach, details about inaugural season
Oct. 6—Apotheos FC, Kennesaw's upcoming National Premier Soccer League team, went with someone who knows the area as its first head coach.
Adam Reakes, a former player and assistant coach at Reinhardt University in Waleska, was hired to take the post as a first-time head coach, and he is excited to bring a new program to the northwest Georgia area.
"I'm excited about the idea and the opportunity to coach this level of soccer," said the 28-year-old Reakes. "Its a great chance for a young coach to get experience.
"I think Kennesaw is a really vibrant area. The whole northwest Georgia area has a lot to say for itself. It's exciting to give the Kennesaw community something to celebrate."
Reakes comes to Apotheos FC after serving as an assistant with the Georgia Revolution, a fellow NPSL club based in McDonough. He is also the academy director of coaching at Inter Atlanta FC and coached at Colchester United Academy in his native England.
Reakes said he is looking forward to Apotheos FC's inaugural season next summer, when he hopes to be able to highlight some of the area's best collegiate talent.
"It is important to have local players," Reakes said. "They are the key, getting those guys to come and represent their local community, but we aren't going to limit it to just local players. We're going to turn over every rock looking for talent. Local players are important, but we want to get the best players possible."
Reakes will be able to relate to his players who are eventually looking to move on to the professional level. His career includes playing for the NPSL's Chattanooga FC and Knoxville Force, following his college soccer at NAIA-level Reinhardt and NCAA Division II Clayton State.
"I am very industrious," Reakes said. "Hard-working and bought-in (to the team and business model). I was very fortunate to play for Chattanooga FC, which was the foundation of this model."
Apotheos FC was announced as one of the newest NPSL teams last month, and co-owner Dale Hughes said he is excited to have someone like Reakes take charge of the club. In addition, Hughes said there are a number of things coming together as the club starts preparations for its first training camp, which will begin in February.
Hughes said the team has been in talks to play its inaugural season at North Cobb High School.
"We have talked to the people at North Cobb," Hughes said. "Now it is off to the (Cobb County School District) for approval."
How long plays on a temporary field is still to be determined, but if Hughes and co-owner Anthony Catalano get their way, it may not be for long.
Hughes said he and his partners have been searching for a possible site to built a multi-use facility, with a soccer field as the centerpiece. In some ways, Hughes said he hopes it would become like a miniature version of The Battery Atlanta, the area around the Atlanta Braves' Truist Park.
The complex would include restaurants connected to and surrounding the soccer facility to become a destination spot year-round, and not just when games are being played. In addition, the complex could also be used for community gatherings, shows and events.
Reakes said he is excited about the potential of the prospective development the team hopes to be working on by 2023.
"I think its a fantastic idea," he said. "I think it would separate us from everyone else in the league."
