Rhode Island FC Hires First Team President In Club History
Just two days after unveiling its club name and branding Rhode Island FC has named its first team president Brett Luy. Luy comes to the USL Championship club from the league office where he most recently served as the executive vice president of league operations. Luy's tenure in USL began in 2014.
This is the first major hire on the team-building side of the club as Luy will be responsible for the day-to-day operations which will ultimately determine the team's success both on and off the pitch.
“I am thrilled to be joining the incredible soccer community in Rhode Island,” said Brett Luy via a team press release. “The opportunity to build a club and compete immediately for championships is a dream come true. I’m looking forward to getting to work and capitalizing on the local market’s enthusiasm for soccer. In the months to come, we will hire a coach, begin building our team, and put all the pieces in place to provide fans with a first-rate experience cheering on a team for all Rhode Island.”
RIFC co-founder Brett Johnson is very familiar with Luy given his prior ownership stakes in other USL franchises.
“I have known Brett Luy for nearly a decade and am certain that he will build Rhode Island FC into a crown jewel franchise for USL. As a senior executive with USL, he has played a direct role in the league’s growth. He is the rare sports executive who understands both the business and competition side of the industry,” said Brett Johnson via a press release. “When we set out to hire a president, we wanted someone who shared our passion for connecting the club with the community and someone who can build a competitive franchise immediately. As a top executive at USL, Brett pushed clubs to build authentic connections with their fans and the communities they call home. Brett’s experience with the game and his well-earned reputation amongst his peer executives in American soccer is unrivaled. Brett Luy will quickly establish himself in Rhode Island as one of the state’s most energetic, most accessible, and most successful chief executives.”
Luy is not a local hire as he currently resides in Tampa Florida where the league office is headquartered and his collegiate experience was at Illinois Wesleyan University for his undergrad and Florida State University for his master's. He is expected to move to the Ocean State in the next couple of weeks.
Ultimately team presidents can make or break a franchise as their decisions will affect all aspects of the club. It will be interesting to see what Luy prioritizes going forward as the club continues to build towards a 2024 launch date. The club launched season ticket deposits on Tuesday and sold 1,000 in the first hour alone.