Despite the booms and busts throughout history, American soccer has a lot to be proud of. From the bright lights of MLS and NWSL, to pre-professional teams in small town America, the game is alive and well.
In Episode 77 of the Because Football Podcast, we chat with Eleni Hitchcock, General Manager at Columbus United FC of USL 2 and VVP of Business Operations at Virtual Veep. Eleni tells us about her journey in the game, from getting wrapped up in the game day buzz as a child, to learning the ins and outs of club management during coffee dates with her father, Michael Hitchcock, a leader and builder in American soccer since early MLS days.
At the heart of Eleni’s passion and professional expertise lies a desire to share soccer with local communities, to give them an identity and a team to rally around.
Soccer business has always been family business and Eleni shares how she applies what she’s learned with Columbus United, a passionate soccer town on the Georgia-Alabama border. From meaningful partnerships with cool coffeeshops and hip breweries to youth soccer initiatives, affordable tickets and hardworking, authentic team staff, we discuss some of the foundations of successful soccer business that have worked in dozens of markets across the US.
Aside from the ins and outs of running a USL 2 club, she talks about Virtual Veep, a sports management services and consulting company that offers virtual assistance to lower division and minor league soccer teams across the country. Leveraging VP-level talent and experience across multiple organizations allows small town soccer teams to do what has often been so fundamentally difficult in American soccer - survive.
Leaders, fans, and coaches of community soccer clubs around the country will enjoy many takeaways from our discussion about the powerful simplicity that soccer can offer in the United States… and with the World Cup on our doorstep, that impact will only continue to grow!
Connect with Eleni, Columbus United, and Virtual Veep here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleni-hitchcock/
https://www.instagram.com/columbusunitedfootballclub/#
Connect with Because Football here:
https://www.youtube.com/@BecauseFootball_
https://www.instagram.com/becausefootball_/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/baggaleyandrew/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/because-football-media/
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