NEW YORK (TICKER) — The WNBA is heading to Atlanta.

League president Donna Orender announced Wednesday that Atlanta has been awarded an expansion franchise for the 2008 season.

“As a great sports town and a region that enthusiastically supports women’s athletics, Atlanta is a terrific destination for the WNBA,” Orender said. “I am confident that as a world-class sports league providing great family entertainment, the WNBA will be embraced here for years to come.”

The team will be owned and operated by real estate mogul J. Ronald Terwilliger. The team, which will choose a name, logo and colors at a later date, will be the sixth WNBA franchise to be independently owned and operated.

“I am participating as a sports fan who will enjoy the journey and as a dad for his daughters and other young women like them,” Terwilliger said. “We are committed to developing a successful team, taking the time and expending the energy to build something very special.”

The franchise will play its home games at Philips Arena, the home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.