Tommy Baker Field – Georgia Impact

Photos by David Welch, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.86

Tommy Baker Field 930 Marietta Highway Canton, GA 30114

Georgia Impact website

Year Opened: 1957 Capacity: 4,000

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Paint the Town Pink

Georgia Impact is a soccer club based in Cherokee County, Georgia, fielding both boys’ and girls’ teams at the select, elite, and academy levels. The club joined the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) as part of its 2023 expansion, marking the return of the league to Georgia following Peachtree City MOBA’s departure in 2021. The WPSL is a summer semi-professional women’s soccer league with players comprised mostly of collegiate players or recent college graduates.

Georgia Impact plays its home matches at Tommy Baker Field, located on the campus of Cherokee High School. The field was built in 1956 when the school opened and was dedicated in 1958 to Tommy Baker, a student who had been stricken with polio and tragically passed away after a wheelchair accident at the school.

The club has a partnership with Rangers Football Club of Scotland, which provides training support through visits from Rangers Academy staff who work directly with Georgia Impact coaches and players.

Food & Beverage   3

A traditional high school concession stand is located beneath the main stands on the home side of the field, offering standard fare, hot dogs, pizza slices, chips, candy, canned Coca-Cola products, Powerade, and bottled water. As the stadium is located on public school grounds, alcohol is not served.

A tent on the concourse also serves hand-grilled tacos and quesadillas. For something sweet, cups of watermelon with Tajín and Chamoy are available. In addition, the Kona Ice truck, with its endless flavors of shaved ice, is a hit with kids, especially as the match winds down.

Atmosphere   3

Tommy Baker Field is a standard high school football facility that is used for multiple sports. The turf is lined for football, soccer, and lacrosse. This does create a busyness to the pitch, but is rather standard for most high school facilities. With field houses at each end of the field, it gives the stadium a rather cozy feel.

The nearside touchline is very close to the elevated seating area, creating obstructed views of plays along the sideline. Because of this, sitting either in the front row of the lower section of seating, or as high up as possible, will allow you to see action close to the stands. The stadium has just one scoreboard that is used to show match time and score, which is topped with a modest-sized videoboard that plays a live feed of the game, though that screen can be hard to follow the action on.

The match presentation follows basic soccer customs, including kids walking out onto the pitch with the players for pre-match introductions. Half time of the match features skills competitions from Impact’s younger teams, as other members of the program fire t-shirts into the stands with their t-shirt cannon.

Neighborhood   3

Tommy Baker Field is on the campus of Cherokee High School. The field seems a bit out of sight directly behind the school’s basketball gymnasium. Cherokee High School is on Marietta Highway, the main thoroughfare through Canton. Dining along this route includes typical national and regional chains, but one location of interest might be Williamson Bros. Bar-B-Q, one of Atlanta’s highly regarded barbecue spots.

For more of a small-town vibe, downtown Canton is a five-minute drive from the stadium, with local coffee shops, boutiques, and restaurants. The Mill on Etowah, a 120-year-old cotton mill once owned by golf legend Bobby Jones’ grandfather, has been converted into a lively community space with green space, a stage and visual screen, Reformation Brewery, and retail spaces.

Beyond this area, Canton offers fewer attractions for visitors, but The Mill provides a vibrant local feel.

Fans   2

(Note: This latest review was conducted during a significant rainstorm, which likely affected attendance.)

There is no formal supporters’ group here, though younger players in the Georgia Impact system take on that role in spirit, banging on snare drums and occasionally setting off smoke bombs. However, this support is not sustained enough to strongly shape the match day atmosphere.

For the most part, the fans at Tommy Baker Field appear to be family members of players, or the families of players in Georgia Impact’s pipeline. The team doesn’t seem to have been able to tap into the community much as of yet, though this does not necessarily lessen enjoyment of the contest.

Access   3

Cherokee High School is accessible via Interstate 575 from Atlanta, or from Highway 515 north of Canton. Traffic coming from the north is rather inconsequential, but if coming from the south, 575 can be a patience tester due to the influx of rush hour traffic during the evening commute to the suburbs.

If using GPS to navigate to Tommy Baker Field, the directions likely lead to the less convenient parking lot. Instead, using the entry point at the traffic light and parking next to the gymnasium leaves the easiest access to the stadium.

Inside the stadium, a walkway runs behind the home bleachers, connecting both ends. The field-level concourse divides the upper and lower seating sections. While the away side bleachers behind the benches are accessible, most fans sit on the home side.

Return on Investment   4

Tickets purchased online are reasonably priced and in line with other WPSL teams. After fees, general admission runs just under $11, with free entry for children. Parking is also free, making it a very budget-friendly family outing.

Concession prices are what would be expected at a high school concession stand, e.g. $3 for pizza or a hot dog. The grilled tacos and quesadillas cost more, but offer good quality and value.

Extras   2

Following the match, the team throws miniature signed soccer balls into the stands. Though this seems like a small gesture, it goes along way in creating excitement with the younger fans in attendance.

Georgia Impact has done well to try to ingrain itself locally; the team has hosted club bonding events and watch parties for the community at Reformation Brewery at The Mill on Etowah.

Final Thoughts

Among the Georgia-based teams in the WPSL’s Peachtree Division, Georgia Impact appears to have a strong foundation and a clear vision for growth. Its women’s team plays an important role in advancing the professional pathway for female players in the region.

With Cherokee High School preparing to relocate and the current campus transitioning to a career academy, it remains to be seen whether Tommy Baker Field will continue to serve as home to the Georgia Impact. Regardless, the club seems well-positioned for continued development and deeper community engagement as it continues to grow.