Jake Edwards Named VP of USL PRO

International soccer executive Jake Edwards has joined the United Soccer Leagues management team as Vice President, USL PRO. Edwards will work on all aspects of the development of USL PRO as it enters into a new chapter of growth following the recent announcement of its formal affiliation with Major League Soccer.

“Jake Edwards brings a background in a wide range of areas that will make him a key player as USL PRO continues to build its position as the strongest, best operated and most experienced North American men’s professional soccer league below and in support of MLS,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said. “Jake’s hiring is part of our continued efforts to strengthen USL PRO through the addition of experienced and talented sports executives that can help create new business opportunities to benefit the league and its teams.”

Edwards played professionally both in the U.K. and U.S. before embarking on a management career that led him to serve as a strategy consultant in London for Octagon Worldwide, the world’s largest sponsorship consulting practice. With Octagon Edwards worked with global leagues and clubs, building business models and strategies while offering real-time strategic support.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to be a part of USL PRO as it moves into the next phase of its growth,” Edwards said. “In USL PRO I see a league with unlimited potential, buoyed by its partnership with MLS, and I’m looking forward to being part of its future as it continues to redefine professional soccer in North America.”

After completing his MBA from Warwick Business School in 2008, Edwards served as commercial manager for Solihull Moors Football Club where he increased on-field advertising by 50 percent and sourced the club’s first stadium naming rights sponsorship.

A native of Manchester, England, Edwards attended and played collegiately for James Madison University in Virginia before going on to play 10 years professionally in both the U.K. and with USL PRO’s Charleston Battery in the U.S.

United Soccer Leagues: USL has become the largest organization of elite-level soccer leagues in North America by building on the vision, commitment, and passion of players, fans and investors. Now in its third decade of operation, USL continues to be a driving force in the growth of soccer in the United States, Canada and Caribbean. USL provides a clearly defined path for the progression of male and female soccer players beginning at the youth level (Super Y-League/Super-20 League/NGS), continuing through the amateur level (PDL/W-League) and up to the professional level, both outdoor and indoor (USL PRO/MISL). A platform for countless players to reach for their dreams each year, USL is devoted to developing the sport at the grassroots level in every community across the region.