United Soccer League
Job Title: Youth & Pre-Professional Expansion Manager
Position Type: Full Time
Location: Tampa, FL (USL Headquarters)
Overview of the United Soccer League (USL)
The United Soccer League (USL) is the heartbeat of American soccer. Impacting more than 200 communities across the United States, the USL is the first and only soccer organization in the United States to build a youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women within one ecosystem. That structure includes three professional leagues: USL Super League (women), USL Championship (men), and USL League One (men); two pre-professional leagues: USL League Two (men) and the USL W League (women); and two youth platforms: USL Academy and USL Youth.
Authentic, vital, and exciting, the USL is dedicated to providing an inclusive and memorable soccer experience for players, fans, and communities across our growing "soccer nation."
Position Purpose
The Youth & Pre-Professional Expansion Manager will be instrumental in facilitating and leading the exciting growth for youth and pre-professional leagues within the United Soccer League. This position will be responsible for identifying, developing, and securing new member clubs for: USL Youth, USL Academy, USL League Two and USL W League. This role will involve significant prospecting and tracking of conversations, opportunities, and the management of the sales pipeline. This role will also represent USL to external individuals and organizations which will require a high level of interpersonal professionalism.
Duties and Responsibilities
Specific duties include, but are not limited to:
- Conduct comprehensive research to identify emerging youth and pre-professional soccer markets.
- Analyze market trends, competition, and potential opportunities for growth.
- Develop strategies to penetrate and establish a presence in target markets.
- Secure and manage a significant number of expansion communications (phone, email etc.) to prospective members.
- Track and manage the sales pipeline for each youth and pre-professional USL league.
- Develop and implement effective sales strategies to achieve targets and maximize revenue.
- Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders in youth & pre-professional soccer organizations and related entities.
- Support the development of each league’s expansion strategy.
- Acquire and maintain a deep awareness of the trends and opportunities that exist within the US soccer landscape.
- Prepare and present expansion presentations for external stakeholders and USL leadership.
- Track sales performance and provide regular reports on key metrics.
- Utilize data-driven insights to continually refine strategies and optimize results.
- Provide feedback to internal teams on market dynamics, customer preferences, and competitive activities.
- Other duties/responsibilities as assigned.
Qualifications
- 2-4 years of experience working within a sales generation position, preferably within soccer and/or sports.
- Bachelor’s degree in sport management, business administration, marketing, or related field or equivalent professional work experience and/or combination of both work experience and education.
- Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills.
- Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
- Robust sales and business development experience, preferably in the soccer industry.
- High level of knowledge about youth soccer within the US.
- Capable of leading financially valuable calls.
- Ability to work on tight deadlines.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively interact with team members, executives, member clubs, and external partners.
- Ability to work independently in a multi-faceted, fast, fluid, and deadline-driven environment.
- Positive attitude and strong work ethic a must.
- Ability to work as business needs require which may include long days, evenings, weekends, occasional holidays, and travel if / when necessary.
- Must have U.S. work authorization.
Work Environment
Based in Tampa, FL, USL Headquarters provides a vibrant and open working environment designed to promote collaboration, the exchange of ideas, and knowledge sharing. We believe in fostering a culture that encourages creativity, communication, and teamwork.
Currently, USL HQ operates on a hybrid work model. From Monday to Thursday, team members gather in person to harness the power of face-to-face collaboration. This not only strengthens the bonds within the team but also enhances communication and innovation. On Fridays, we transition to a remote work setup, providing our team with the flexibility to manage their tasks in an environment of their choosing.
Typical USL HQ hours are Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:30pm ET. Evenings, weekends, occasional holidays, and travel may be necessary based on business demands.
We have great Perks - Comprehensive Benefits Package • Medical, Dental, Vision • Health HSA and FSA • 401k w/ up to 6% company match • Pet Insurance • Corporate Discounts • Paid Vacation, Holiday & Sick Days • Business Casual Dress • Optional Remote Work Fridays • And More!
