As a kid, and later a teenager, the return of fall always meant one thing: back to school, and back to soccer practice.

There were few things I loved more at that age than suiting up in my shin guards and cleats and hitting the field with my best friends and teammates. Even when we didn’t win, we had fun, and the sense of camaraderie we shared both on and off the field far outlasted the high that came with outscoring our opponents.

Then, when it came time to head off to college, soccer became a thing of the past, as studies, exams and prepping for the real world took top priority. Sure, I made plenty of new friends, but the relationships that formed on the soccer field all those years of my youth were never replicated.

And while it’s easy to live vicariously through our professional sports teams here in Atlanta—including one of Major League Soccer’s most popular and successful squads—nothing is quite as thrilling as getting out there and playing the field yourself. Of course, you don’t have to be an MLS-level athlete to earn playing time: It turns out, Atlanta is home to several organizations that offer average Joes like you and me an opportunity to release our inner athletes. In our cover story (page 30), writer Amy Meadows highlights a few fun options, from Ultimate Frisbee to cornhole. If you’re like me and relish the friendships that come with participating in team sports, you might just decide to join a league.

October also brings relief from Atlanta’s famously sweltering summer temps, and writer Lia Picard is helping us celebrate with a roundup of some of our city’s most welcoming rooftop bar and restaurant spaces—the perfect place for a weekend brunch, or, perhaps, to celebrate a hard-earned win with your new teammates. Enjoy!

Lindsay Lambert Day
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF