As Kevin Payne, Dave Kasper, Ben Olsen and our technical staff have been working hard to put a top-quality product on the field for D.C. United this season and to continuing the rapid development of our youth Academy system, the rest of the front office has put in the long hours necessary to be sure all other elements of our business are tended to in advance of the 2011 MLS campaign ahead.
Opening Night on Saturday, March 19 can’t come soon enough for players, staff and supporters alike. Over the ten days leading up to the Columbus game, I’ll walk through the business flow of our offices, sharing insight and updates on strategic development of ideas for the core areas of our focus. Under the leadership of Executive Vice President Stephen Zack, day-to-day business activities work in concert to create a seamless flow of information, activation and promotion, leading to sales. A dedicated customer service staff and high-energy support crew follow-up to maximize these opportunities.
At the forefront of our efforts is a media relations team, which sets the tone for our overall process. A never-ending job tended to primarily by Kyle Sheldon, Boris Flores and Alex Caulfield sees the Black-and-Red covered by major media and soccer outlets from around the country on a daily basis. There’s never a roster move, scheduling announcement, award presentation or community appearance that is not released, covered and followed up on by this group.
With a new coach, a host of new players and excitement building for the season before us, our PR team has been hopping. For every Dax McCarty and Charlie Davies acquisition, comes hours of content development and story pitches. Their efforts-to-date have produced the most pre-season media coverage of the club since 2004. Major pieces by the Associated Press, Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, Washingtonian and Fox Soccer Channel will soon be followed by coverage in USA Today, espn.com, The New York Times and Men’s Journal. A strong local push will also be evident leading into Opening Night, seeing the Black-and-Red on TV shows, calling into radio stations and throughout local sports sections and soccer blogs.
Looking ahead, United’s PR staff is committed to continuing efficient systems of information distribution and tracking, providing the most creative and well-versed media collaterals and to establishing a more professional and effective atmosphere for journalists at training sessions and games. Through these efforts and improving established relationships with local and national reporters and outlets, the media relations team is poised for a successful season ahead.
Exciting news is key, but an organized and aggressive media team is needed to maximize the exposure. Keep an eye out for all of the great coverage in the coming days.
Check back to dcunited.com tomorrow, as I’ll be speaking of our community relations initiatives.
Doug Hicks is D.C. United’s Senior Vice President, Marketing Communications. Follow him on twitter at @DCUDoug.
