BRIDGEVIEW, Ill.(Nov. 14, 2018) - The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced today that longtime Seattle Sounders FC and D.C. United executive Kyle Sheldon has been named Senior Vice President, Marketing. He begins his new role today and will report to Chief Operating Officer John Urban.
Sheldon will oversee all Club marketing, advertising, creative services and brand identity.
“Kyle is an important hire for our Club,” said Urban. “He’s a well-respected and well-known executive in our industry who has dedicated the majority of his career to help growing the sport in the United States and Canada. His knowledge of, and passion for, Major League Soccer, and his ability to manage multiple departments, will lend itself to our front office. Our Club wants to grow its presence in Chicagoland and Kyle will lead those efforts for us.”
Prior to joining the Fire, Sheldon was the VP of Marketing for Seattle Sounders FC. He oversaw a collection of departments including marketing, communications, broadcast, digital and social media, design, game presentation, events and the club’s mobile app. Under his leadership, the club saw significant gains in single-match tickets sold, single-match ticket revenue and local television broadcast viewership. His team was named the 2016 MLS Marketing Team of the Year and he was a finalist for the 2017 MLS Marketing Executive of the Year.
Previously, Sheldon spent three years as part of NASCAR’s Integrated Marketing Communications group where he oversaw the company’s social media presence. He was charged with setting NASCAR’s social strategy, overseeing social content production, social campaigns and programs, social advertising, and media pitching and placement, amongst other duties. Under his guidance, the company’s social platforms grew by nearly 70 percent, surpassing the 10 million follower mark. In 2015, NASCAR’s social channels generated more than four billion impressions, a 50 percent increase over the prior year. He was part of the team that was honored with PR Week’s 2014 In-House PR Team of the Year award.
Prior to his time at NASCAR, Sheldon spent eight years with D.C. United, eventually serving as the team’s Director of Marketing Communications. In that role, he oversaw all marketing, promotions, advertising, media and public relations, sponsorship activation, social media strategy and brand management. While with the club, he was a member of the team that was honored with the MLS Public Relations Team of the Year Award on three occasions (2005, 2006, 2007).
Since 2014, he has served on the Board of Directors of The Kuykenstrong Foundation, whose mission is to support children suffering from pediatric cancer and their families. Kuykenstrong was the vision of MLS player Shawn Kuykendall, who died of thymic carcinoma in 2014 at the age of 32.
Sheldon has a B.A. in Communications from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota – where he also played collegiate soccer – and an M.A. in Public Relations from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Sheldon will be relocating to Chicago with his wife, Corinne, and son, Jack.
