THE HARD WORK HAPPENS BEFORE KICK OFF
Born by RONDO is a senior advisory for early stage soccer initiatives
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.
As a senior soccer advisor, I work as an extension of leadership to move the early work forward.
Clarify what matters. Test assumptions against the realities of the sport. Bring structure to decisions that shape long-term direction.
Once the direction is clear and ownership is in place, the project is integrated into internal and agency teams to carry the work forward with alignment and confidence.
WHo i work with
CORPORATE BRANDS
DEFINING THE RIGHT ROLE
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
DRIVING THE FUTURE FORWARD
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
SEEING THE BUSINESS REALITY
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 at the intersection of soccer, business, and brand growth.
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.