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Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, purchases and products across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
Gotham FC Names Two to Key Leadership Positions
NJ/NY Gotham FC has hired industry executive Liz Montaño as chief operating officer and Ryan Dillon as chief business officer. Dillon had been serving in that role. Montaño will lead data and analytics finance, people and culture and legal. Elevate Talent assisted with the search. A 15-year sports and entertainment industry veteran, Montaño is believed to be the first Latina chief operating officer in the National Hockey League. She served as the chief strategy officer (2021-2022) and COO (2022-2024) for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, where she oversaw the Coyotes’ day-to-day business operations and revenue growth strategies. Dillon was formally named chief business officer, an acknowledgment of the club’s growth and Dillon’s leadership for the past six months. Dillon, head of portfolio growth at Next 3—the sports investment platform owned and operated by the Tisch family—has been overseeing the front office since December.
Mets Names Organization’s First Chief Growth Officer
Andrew Grossman has been appointed as the organization’s first chief growth officer and a member of the executive leadership team. In this position, Grossman is responsible for leading new initiatives that drive incremental revenue growth, deepen engagement with fans and improve organizational effectiveness. Grossman most recently served as the head of corporate strategy and chief of staff to the CEO at Bloomberg Media, Bloomberg L.P.’s global consumer media business. At Bloomberg, Grossman collaborated with senior leadership to answer questions about digital advertising, consumer subscriptions, live events and the future of news. During his tenure, Bloomberg Media saw significant revenue growth across its business lines.
NWSL Elevates Executive Bench With New Senior Hires
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has appointed Michelle Haines as vice president, marketing; Jennifer Levine as vice president, public relations and communications; and Derek Throneburg as vice president, club business. Throneburg will report to chief operating officer Sarah Jones Simmer. Haines and Levine will report to chief marketing and commercial officer Julie Haddon. Haines will oversee NWSL marketing initiatives inclusive of events, sponsor activation and partner marketing as well as social, community and brand creative. She joins the NWSL from the league’s Seattle Reign FC, where she oversaw marketing, ticketing and community engagement department for the club. Levine will lead the PR function for the league; her remit will include driving fan growth and brand awareness as well as increasing the NWSL’s relevance among consumer press and opinion leaders. She joins the league from Amazon Studios & Prime Video. Throneburg will launch the league office’s club business initiatives, including the development of overall strategy and implementation of the first ever NWSL Club Optimization Group, focused on NWSL club business performance strategy. He most recently worked with fan engagement platform StellarAlgo.
PWHL Names Vice President of Communications and External Affairs
Mandy Gutmann, a communications and community development executive with 20 years of experience, has been appointed vice president of communications and external affairs for the Professional Women’s Hockey League. In her new role, Gutmann will be responsible for leading the PWHL’s public relations and business communications strategy, along with the league’s community outreach and inclusion efforts. Prior to her current role, Gutmann served as a communications consultant with the PWHL supporting the launch of the league and its public relations strategy throughout the inaugural season.
United Pickleball Association Names Chief Revenue Officer
Former Dallas Mavericks EVP/CRO and Major League Rugby commissioner George Killebrew has been named chief revenue officer of the United Pickleball Association (UPA), the holding company of the Carvana PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball. Killebrew will lead the organization’s revenue strategy. As CRO, Killebrew will oversee the sponsorship sales, on-site revenue(ticket sales and amateur registrations) and sponsorship activation teams. He has been consulting with the PPA Tour since October 2023. At the Mavericks, the team was consistently ranked in the top tier of revenue generation within the NBA. As commissioner of Major League Rugby, Killebrew led efforts to add expansion teams, increased sponsorships from only barter deals to more than $1 million in his first year and secured an all-encompassing TV contract with Fox Sports.
Fiesta Bowl Names Senior Vice President to Leadership Team
Mike Iaquinta has been named to the newly created position of senior vice president of corporate partnerships and development. Iaquinta will lead the strategy and execution of corporate partnerships and activation programs; identify and pursue new partnership opportunities for the organization’s year-round portfolio of events and community activities; and oversee fundraising efforts to support the philanthropic endeavors of Fiesta Bowl Charities, including its signature Palo Verde Wishes for Teachers initiative and nonprofit grants program. Iaquinta joins the Fiesta Bowl Organization following 23 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals in business development, most recently as vice president for business development for the last five years.
DraftKings Announces Set Free Richardson as Creative Director of NBA Culture
DraftKings has named hoops culture crafter Set Free Richardson as the brand’s first creative director of NBA Culture. In this role, Set Free will drive opportunities and ideas to engage basketball fans and further elevate DraftKings as an innovator within this space. Over the past two years, DraftKings has teamed up with Richardson to create an award-winning (2023 Clio Sports Bronze), multi-dimensional game plan that helped connect DraftKings to basketball culture through music, fashion, meaningful conversations and more, amplifying the brand’s initiative to deliver fans more exciting offerings both on and off the court. Fans can expect more collaborations with artists, exclusive DraftKings hoops-inspired merchandise, events and more.
French Motocross Star Tom Vialle Signs With Wasserman
French motocross star Tom Vialle has signed with Wasserman, where he will be represented by Lucas Mirtl, the senior vice president, action sports & Olympics. Vialle is a two-time MX2 Motocross World Champion, who won the 2023 Motocross des Nations as a member of Team France, and just clinched the 2024 AMA Supercross 250cc East Championship. Mirtl also represents multi Supercross and Motocross champion Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, Jo Shimoda, Ryan Villopoto, Chance Hymas, Seth Hammaker, Ryder DiFrancesco, and Lucas Coenen. Additionally, Mirtl represents BMX freestyle Olympic gold medalist Logan Martin, who will defend his medal this summer in the Paris games.
PARTNERSHIPS
LVXP Selects AECOM to Design NBA-Ready Arena on Las Vegas Strip
LVXP has selected AECOM, an infrastructure consulting firm, to provide architectural and engineering services for its planned sports and entertainment arena on the Las Vegas Strip. The NBA-ready arena will serve as the anchor for LVXP’s planned 27-acre experiential mixed-use development. The project will also include a luxury resort and casino designed by architect Paul Steelman. Nick Tomasino, chief construction officer of LVXP, has worked on several developments in Las Vegas including The Sphere, Las Vegas Ballpark, Dolby Live and The Park. LVXP’s development site is strategically located across from the newly expanded Las Vegas Convention Center, adjacent to Fontainebleau Las Vegas, and near Resorts World Las Vegas.
IMG Academy, Advance NIL Partner to Provide NIL and Life Skills Education
IMG Academy, the world’s leading sports education brand, and Advance NIL (Advance), an athlete development organization, will partner to provide IMG Academy student-athletes education to help navigate the complexities of collegiate NIL. The NIL and life skills collaboration further enhances IMG Academy’s holistic approach to education aligned with its purpose to empower student-athletes to win their future. Advance will bring its expertise in NIL-related finance, legal, entrepreneurship, branding and life skills to IMG Academy’s student-athletes starting this fall. The collaboration aims to empower young student-athletes and their families by educating them on how to protect themselves, maximize their personal brand and to be champions of their potential NIL financial futures.
TicketRev and Miami Marlins Announce Multiyear Partnership
Live event ticketing platform TicketRev announced a three-year partnership extension with the Miami Marlins, a milestone in the Marlins’ quest to redefine their fan experience and ticket purchase process. The partnership will see the return of Make Your Pitch and the launch of Seat Upgrades. Make Your Pitch allows fans to name their own price for tickets while Seat Upgrades allows fans to upgrade their current seats to an improved location for Marlins home games. TicketRev and the Marlins launched the Make Your Pitch campaign last fall, allowing fans to submit offers for tickets within their preferred seating location.