April Biagioni received a phone call with news that would transform her backyard: she and her husband, Mark, had just won a $20,000 synthetic turf soccer pitch for their three sons.
The prize came from Great American Green, a family-owned landscaping and synthetic turf installation company based in Canton, Georgia, according to CBS News. The company, led by Darryl and Beth Dulong, is marking 50 years in business in 2026, having started in landscape design before expanding into synthetic turf installations across the Southeast, per a company release. The win gives the boys a place to practice soccer at home.
Aiden and Quinn, two of the Biagioni boys, are regulars at the public FIFA watch parties held at Decatur Square, the same civic gathering spot used for outdoor broadcasts and festivals across the city. That connection to Decatur's soccer culture isn't incidental: the City of Decatur ran WatchFest '26, a 34-day public World Cup celebration at the square that required 350 local volunteers to staff match viewings, musical performances, and family fan zones, as Hoodline previously reported. The festival partnered with local tourism and development authorities to host daily community events throughout its run.
Why Great American Green Built the Prize This Way
Great American Green's giveaway was a synthetic turf soccer pitch for the Biagioni family's backyard. Synthetic turf of this kind is marketed to active families as a lower-maintenance alternative to traditional grass lawns, the company notes.
Contest organizers leaned on federal health data to make their case for home athletic space, citing U.S. Department of Health and Human Services figures showing that 73% of physically active adults played sports during their youth, the station's report notes. Federal wellness guidance has increasingly framed family physical activity as a model for healthy living across generations, per the same account.
That framing lines up with research from the Aspen Institute, whose Project Play initiative tracks youth sports trends and physical activity retention nationwide. The institute's research found that adolescents who play youth sports are eight times more likely to stay physically active at age 24 compared to peers who didn't participate, a finding Project Play attributes to Perkins's 2004 study, according to Aspen Institute.
A Company on a Statewide Soccer Tour
The Biagioni family's win didn't happen in a vacuum. Great American Green has scheduled a regional marketing activation at the Creature Comforts taproom in Athens for Saturday, October 3, 2026, tied to the University of Georgia's Homecoming game, featuring interactive turf putting greens and product demonstrations, according to the company's release. The company is celebrating its anniversary year.
The timing also dovetails with a historic sports season for the region. Metro Atlanta is set to host eight 2026 FIFA World Cup matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium between June 11 and July 19, according to WABE.
One Family's Prize, A Region's Soccer Moment
For the Biagionis, the $20,000 turf field means their sons no longer have to kick a ball around the front yard between watch parties at Decatur Square. For Great American Green, it's a 50th-anniversary marketing moment wrapped in a feel-good local story. And for Decatur and the broader metro area, it's one more data point in a soccer boom that stretches from City Hall-backed watch festivals to World Cup fixtures at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Hoodline has reported on turf upgrades ahead of the tournament.
