Executive Director, Youth Sports Operations Leader

Christopher R. Lay

**** *********** **. 608-***-****

Madison, WI 53558 ***********@*****.***

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Driving vision, strategy and organizational commitment among staff and key stakeholders.

Cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with customers, vendors, business partners and co- workers.

Exceptional managerial skills validated by employee retention rate, membership growth, positive community and member feedback.

WORK EXPERIENCE AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Madison Area Youth Soccer Association & Reddan Soccer Park, Madison, WI July 2007 to Present Executive Director – Responsible for managing a 14,000-plus not-for-profit youth sports organization serving eight counties. In addition, responsible for the promotion, oversight, operations and ongoing improvements at a sports facility which hosts more than 275,000 visitors annually and generates over $3.5 million for the local economy.

Spearheaded and managed a $3 million project to renovate Reddan Soccer Park fields and facilities, including fundraising and a partnership with a local college.

Guided the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic; retaining staff, communicating with member clubs and ultimately retaining all members while keeping them engaged throughout.

Increased membership by 5 % within the first three years of my tenure by designing a player retention program and outreach to previously unaffiliated organizations.

Researched, identified and rolled out new systems to improve the scheduling and score-entry for the more than 4,000 games played by the 500-plus teams each year in MAYSA resulting in better management and adaptability of participating leagues.

Increased participation in tournaments at Reddan Soccer Park by 22% via direct marketing campaigns and strategic partnerships with clubs throughout the Midwest.

Cultivated media relationships and public exposure in local newspapers, television and radio.

Established and integrated “Best Practice” guidelines for affiliated member clubs in order to improve coaching standards, conduct, fiduciary responsibility and governance.

Started and coached a TOPSoccer program for special needs athletes.

Initiated a Wisconsin Women’s Soccer Advisory Council to achieve better representation and experiences for female coaches and players.

Serve on a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee on a state-wide level. Famous Footwear, Madison, WI July 2005 to May 2007 Marketing Specialist – Responsible for co-op advertising: working with vendors to integrate their brand strategy with Famous Footwear’s brand strategy across multiple channels including print, radio, in-store and television.

Successfully collected over $13 million annually in co-op advertising revenue from vendors.

Assisted with the launch of special-make-up shoes in Famous Footwear stores for brands such as Nike, Adidas and Converse in addition to new-brand launches. Big Toe Soccer, Madison, WI May 2000 to April 2005 Marketing and Business Development Director – Responsible for translating Big Toe Soccer’s brand positioning across a wide range of marketing activities for the $10M catalog company.

Analyzed existing secondary data including industry, manufacturer and youth soccer association reports and utilized the data to determine merchandise mix and marketing strategies.

Developed “Big Toe Soccer Elite Club” team sales program which aided the company in more effectively utilizing current inventory and retaining its most valuable customers.

Attentively carried out partnership agreements with industry leaders (e.g., Vogelsinger Soccer Camps and Academies, 90:00 Soccer Magazine, Soccer Excellence Tournaments) by planning and facilitating promotional activities resulting in direct access to customers and enhancing Big Toe Soccer’s presence in the marketplace.

Managed event marketing activities and coordinated company’s representation at two major industry conventions annually, involving logistics planning, designing promotional materials, booth presentation and facilitating the collection of sales leads.

EDUCATION, CREDENTIALS and AWARDS

MBA, Concordia University, Management

B.A., Concordia University: Management and Communications

B.A., University of Wisconsin Green Bay: English with a minor in Communications

Numerous coaching qualifications.

Madison InBusiness Magazine “40 under 40” Top Executives (awarded in 2010)

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