The Hartford Athletic has named a veteran sports executive with experience in professional men’s lacrosse and women’s basketball as its chief executive officer.
The Athletic, of the division II United Soccer League (USL), on Monday announced it appointed Jim Burda as CEO in place of interim president Andy Smith.
Burda most recently spent the last year launching the New York Riptide of the National Lacrosse League serving as executive vice president and chief revenue officer.
From 2015 to 2019, Burda also served as chief revenue officer and vice president of marketing partnerships for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. Burda played a major role in growing the team’s sponsorships by more than 105% during his tenure, the Athletic said.
Bruce Mandell, CEO and co-founder of the Athletic’s ownership group, Hartford Sports Group (HSG), in a statement said Burda will be tasked with building the team’s “economic model” and developing its C-suite.
“The combination of great talent under Jim’s guidance along with Coach [Radhi] Jaïdi’s leadership on the soccer side will lead us to great success on and off the field,” said Mandell, who previously held the team’s CEO title.
HSG has made several leadership changes in recent months, starting with the hiring of Jaïdi as its second head coach in November. Jaïdi replaced coach Jimmy Nielsen, who parted ways with the franchise just weeks earlier.
Days after Jaïdi’s appointment, the Athletic cut ties with chief operating officer Donovan Powell, who was charged with running the team’s business operations.
The Athletic will kick off its second season at Hartford’s Dillon Stadium on Saturday, March 21, vs. the Charleston Battery.
The club is coming off its first regular season in the USL with eight wins, 21 losses and five ties, ranking second-to-last, or 17th, in the league’s Eastern Conference.
