Friday , March 29 2024

Portland Timbers president of business to speak at Soccerex USA!

Soccerex has announce that Mike Golub, President of Business, Portland Timbers has been confirmed as a speaker for Soccerex USA, taking place November 15/16 in Miami.

Mike oversees all business functions for the Timbers, the Portland Timbers 2 and the Portland Thorns FC women’s soccer team, and at Soccerex he will be sharing insights into the club’s current and future commercial ventures.

The women’s game is flourishing globally. In the US, the NWSL continues to grow from strong foundations and in Europe we are seeing increasing levels of investment from some of the incumbents in the men’s game. However, despite this growing popularity and professionalism, women’s soccer has not yet achieved its commercial potential in areas such as broadcasting rights and sponsorship and there remains a big disparity in salaries and overall working conditions with the men’s game.

The Portland Thorns are a perfect example of a women’s soccer team who have got it right, developing significantly as a business since they were founded in 2013 and progressing through the industry under Mike’s management, whilst picking up 2 NWSL championships in the team’s inaugural season and then again in 2017. The franchise can now boast the highest average attendance – over 17,000 – of any professional women’s sport team in the world.

Mike is a highly regarded sports marketing and management professional, with over 30 years of experience in the industry, including a wealth of knowledge of sports in Portland and the Pacific North West. Previous roles include senior positions at the NBA and Nike, along with an NHL team and two NBA franchises.

The Portland Timbers were established in 1975 when the expansion of the North American Soccer League granted Portland the opportunity to create a franchise. The organisation grew in stature over 25 years and was entered into the USL (United Soccer Leagues) First Division in 2001, before being given the opportunity to expand into a Major League Soccer franchise in 2009, dependent on the construction of a stadium for soccer only. Providence Park stadium was completed in 2011, with the Timbers competing in the MLS from 2011 to this date, with a memorable championship victory in 2015.

Golub joined the Timbers in 2009 and helped lead the organisation during its highly successful transition to Major League Soccer. Golub is a two-time recipient of the Doug Hamilton MLS Executive of the Year (2011, 2013).Under Golub’s guidance, the Timbers have indelibly changed the landscape of sports in Portland, while becoming a national success story and a model professional sports franchise.

Speaking on the announcement of Mike Golub’s involvement in Soccerex USA, Soccerex Marketing Director David Wright commented, “I am extremely excited to have Mike on board as a speaker for Soccerex USA. He brings a depth of US sports marketing knowledge to the programme and his insight into the commercial development of the Thorns will be of huge value to the delegates attending.”

Mike will be part of an industry leading conference programme at Soccerex USA that is being developed in conjunction with an advisory board containing representatives from CONCACAF, MLS and US Soccer.

Soccerex USA is sponsored by the London Football Exchange, the world’s first fully integrated soccer club stock exchange and marketplace, and hosted in partnership with General American Capital Partners. The two day event will take place at Miami’s iconic Marlins Park and will comprise an exhibition showcasing the latest soccer business, performance and technology innovations.

Soccerex USA will include a programme of structured and informal networking events to connect delegates from across the USA and the rest of the world and it will feature a market leading conference agenda, with international experts tackling topics such as league expansion, women’s soccer, youth development, eSports, stadia technology, investment and new commercial opportunities.

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