THE HARD WORK HAPPENS BEFORE KICK OFF
Born by RONDO helps leadership move important early-stage soccer initiatives forward
WHY BORN BY RONDO EXISTS?
I have seen the same pattern play out multiple times across organizations.
An opportunity surfaces. Leadership sees the potential. Interest builds. But then it stalls.
Why? Because it sits between roles. Budgets are unclear. Expertise gaps exist. Competing priorities take over.
This is the moment Born by RONDO is built for.
I work alongside leadership to take temporary ownership of important early-stage soccer initiatives, bringing the market perspective, structure, and momentum needed to move them forward.
Together we clarify what matters, pressure-test assumptions against the realities of the sport, and build a clear path forward.
Once the initiative has direction, momentum, and committed ownership, I step aside so internal teams and agency partners can execute with confidence.
WHo i work with
CORPORATE BRANDS
Call me when they are serious about soccer, but not sure where they belong.
Soccer doesn’t function like most sports marketing channels. It’s global, relationship-driven, and easy to misread if you treat it like a standard sponsorship or media buy.
I work with senior brand leaders early, before commitments are made, to clarify where value actually lives and what role the brand should realistically play.
That means shaping partnership strategy, pressure-testing deal structures, having real market conversations instead of relying on internal debate, and negotiating partnership agreements.
Once direction is clear and the right partnerships are defined, work can be owned internally or by agency partners.
CLUBS, LEAGUES, & GOVERNING BODIES
Call me when an initiative needs executive leadership before it needs an execution team.
You are responsible for running the business today and building what comes next. I have lived that reality. The immediate demands make it hard to keep your eye on the future.
The strongest growth opportunities rarely sit inside a single team. They cut across sporting and commercial priorities, which makes ownership unclear and momentum hard to sustain.
Progress comes from understanding how the pieces actually fit together.
That is where I work. I step in as a temporary extension of leadership to move critical growth work forward. I bring focus, align the right people, and turn early ideas into clear options, real decisions, and action.
INVESTORS & OWNER OPERATORS
Call me before they invest capital.
Many soccer investments look strong in a deck or a financial model. The real risk is misunderstanding how the sport actually works and what drives value.
Clubs, leagues, media rights, and events all play by their own rules. If you have not spent real time inside the game, ideas that feel logical on paper often break down in practice.
I work with investor groups early to test the thinking, challenge assumptions, and see how an opportunity would operate day to day once capital is involved.
The goal is simple. Make smart decisions before money, control, and reputation are locked in.
BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE
John is a senior executive with more than 35 years experience helping organizations make important decisions and move complex initiatives forward across the global game.
He has held leadership roles at the highest levels of the sport, including serving as President and CEO of the Chicago Fire, where he led the club’s move to Toyota Park and strengthened its commercial foundation. Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Vice President of the NY/NJ MetroStars and held senior agency roles at API and Octagon managing soccer sponsorship and television partnerships.
In 2008, John founded Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing, the first soccer-specific marketing agency in the United States, providing strategy and activation services to global brands including AT&T, Heineken, Microsoft, Pepsi, the Premier League, Unilever, and Volkswagen.
Most recently, he served as President of Growth Enterprises at For Soccer, advancing growth initiatives across owned properties and agency services.
John is a former All-American and National Champion and holds a Master’s degree in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts.