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Behind the Stripes

Riley Macdonald

By Atlanta United FC

December 10^th, 2019

March 5, 2017. Riley Macdonald and her dad were waiting in line at Bobby Dodd Stadium, eager to see Atlanta’s newest team: Atlanta United FC.

“I remember thinking that there are so many people here,” explained Riley. “Soccer has one of the most diverse communities that I've ever seen. It was amazing to see so many different types of people bonding over the same thing.”

She was immediately in awe of the support from the city and captivated by the atmosphere. “It was so electric and amazing.”

“I thought to myself that [Atlanta United] is going to be my thing. I love it so much.” Riley continued. “Then going into Mercedes-Benz and seeing how the atmosphere just expanded, I just fell in love with it more.”

Riley wanted to express her love for the beautiful game in her own way. Taking inspiration from the passion of those around her, she decided to try something she hadn’t seen too often in the soccer world.

“You see people expressing themselves with their outfits or in their actions to express how much they care about this team. I saw people at games with multiple scarves or different hats and color coordinating their outfits. I’ve always liked art, but I am not very good at it on paper. So, I figured I might as well try it on my face!”

And that is when her idea came to fruition.

“At Bobby Dodd, I used to wait at the player bus with like one stripe across my face and then for the fourth of July I had red, white and blue stripes,” said Riley. “Then when we moved to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, I tried putting a line across my face with red, gold, and black stripes.”

“I was always doing the same look for every game, but then decided it would be fun to try something different. So, I started doing [that] and people liked it and started to notice.” She continued. “As I kept doing it, I got a little bit more advanced and it just took off from there.”

Nowadays, you might see her wondering around the Mercedes-Benz Stadium waiting for the player arrival or at the Gulch with the rest of the supporters sporting her latest look.

“My dad and I spend a lot of time down there [at the Gulch] and everyone is so supportive of my work.” Riley explained. “They're so friendly and make it a nice experience.”

Achieving these advanced and intricate designs is not easy. It takes Riley a lot of time and dedication to perfect the look each match.

“Usually the night before I will lay everything out because I am a very organized person. I don't like to be jumbled up,” she said. “It'll take me at least 4-5 hours to do. If it's a late afternoon Sunday game, I'll get up at 6 o'clock in the morning.”

Riley pulls inspiration from all different avenues to achieve each matchday look.

“On Instagram, I'll put inspiration on my story and ask people if there's something they want to see, or I will run into people at games that want me to do something. But mostly Pinterest and taking inspiration from things the team does, like the King Peach.”

All Riley’s hard work and dedication to her face painting has paid off. She has been getting recognized by people and getting a lot of positive feedback. People have been very supportive of her work and how she expresses herself.

“A lot of people ask if I do it myself, how long it takes me, what time I get up, if I get paid for it. They're also interested in how I come up with it,” Riley said. “My supporters’ group, Resurgence, has also given me a lot of inspiration.”

This love and support has fueled Riley to keep doing what she’s doing, to keep sharing her work, and to keep perfecting her face painting skills.

“I plan on doing it as long as I have the time before games,” Riley explained. “With school and stuff, it can get kind of hectic. But as long as my schedule is clear, I will always try to do some sort of look for matchday because I love doing it and I love supporting my team.”

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