Hi everyone, I’m Mike Tang - Founder, President and CEO of the Atlanta Riichi Club.
When I first envisioned what a Riichi Mahjong club in Atlanta could look like back in August of 2021, I knew that a club with Atlanta at the heart of its community had the potential to be something amazing. I kept questioning: “As one of the fastest growing cities in the country, how is that we don’t have a club to represent the southeast? How can I grow the Riichi Mahjong community in Georgia – not only teaching new players but also bringing together existing players? Once that community exists, how do I get everyone to the next level so that we are recognized as a force to be reckoned with?”. These are questions I continue to keep in mind to this day. I also knew that for my vision to come to life, a lot of work was going to be necessary. Fortunately, with the right team, I would soon start seeing my vision come to life.
Our first official club meet took place in July of 2023 in our treasurer’s apartment and it is unbelievable how fast we have grown since then.
In less than a year’s time since our first meet, not only do we have a place we call home to our weekly public meet at Wasteland Gaming, we have also had the privilege to host Mahjong Learn and Play at public events such as Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA) and Charlie’s Collectible Show (CCS), and I couldn’t be more proud of what we have accomplished. A heartfelt thank you to all those who attended and volunteered.
For the club to continue to grow and create more opportunities for our community, we must be willing to change as well. As early as the day of our first meet, a lot of people in our club community have been asking us how they can contribute to the club and until now we have not had a definite answer.
Atlanta Riichi Club will begin offering a club membership starting February 7th, 2024 and that will include some benefits to help us get to that next level. These specific benefits include: the Atlanta Riichi League – a ranked league with tracked scoring across 3 seasons for the year, access to specialized study sessions and valuable educational resources, triannual steering meetings to directly influence the direction of the club, and more. For an extensive list of benefits, click here to visit our club’s membership information page.
For those who may not be comfortable with a paid membership, I want to be clear that you will always have a place in our club. Atlanta Riichi Club will continue to host free public meets forever, period.
On February 11th, 2024 we will be hosting our last free private meet as we will be repurposing the private venues for ranked play. I hope to see all of you there for this milestone in our club’s history!
I hope that this message helps everyone understand my vision for the club and that everyone shares the same desire as I do for its growth. Let’s to continue to build the fastest-growing mahjong club in America together!