Sporting Kansas City President Jake Reid was named to the Class of 2017 for the third annual Leaders Under 40 Awards, the global search for the best talent in sports business under the age of 40.
Leaders and Aspire Academy announced the Class of 2017 this week, awarding 42 candidates from 585 nominations worldwide over a nine-month selection process.
Reid, 34, will be formally recognized in London during the Leaders Awards Dinner held at the iconic Natural History Museum on Oct. 3, 2017, during Leaders Week. The Leaders Under 40 Awards recipients will be celebrated for their respective achievements and for the impact they have made in their discipline, organization and sport.
“This award is a testament to the remarkable achievements from everyone in the Sporting Kansas City organization over the last several years,” Reid said. “I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition, but it would not have been possible without the support of our talented, innovative and hardworking associates and the best ownership group in professional sports. I am proud to represent Major League Soccer and Sporting KC alongside an amazing group of Leaders Under 40 Award recipients.”
Reid was named Sporting KC President in January 2016, becoming the youngest President in Major League Soccer. He has worked for the organization since 2010, previously serving as Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service before his promotion to Chief Revenue Officer in 2012.
Reid is currently involved in Sporting Kansas City’s chief endeavors — focusing primarily on growing the business through innovative partnerships, strategic fan development and providing the city an unparalleled entertainment experience. Other notable projects include the highly anticipated National Training and Coaching Development Center, and state-of-the-art Swope Soccer Village and Wyandotte Sporting Fields.
Since Reid was appointed Chief Revenue Officer in 2012, Sporting Kansas City has sold out 97 straight MLS matches and has sold all season tickets — including premium inventory — for four consecutive seasons. On the sponsorship side, Reid secured Ivy Funds as the club’s first-ever jersey sponsor in 2013 and helped seal a long-term partnership with Children’s Mercy Kansas City for the naming rights to Children’s Mercy Park as part of a youth health and pediatric sports medicine initiative.
In April 2016, Reid was included in the Ingram’s Magazine “Forty Under 40,” a group of Kansas Citians recognized for their leadership, civic engagement and contributions to charitable causes. Three months later, the Kansas City Business Journal named Reid a NextGen Leader for his well-rounded business contributions to Sporting Kansas City.
Outside of the Sporting Kansas City organization, Reid is a committee member for the Kansas City Sports Commission, The Victory Project and Boys Hope Girls Hope of Kansas City.
A panel of 87 judges from across the globe were involved in an extensive review of all Leaders Under 40 Awards nominees. The six categories included in this year’s class were Digital, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Marketing and Communications, Sales and Legal & Governance. Reid was one of seven honorees in the Sales category.
Leaders is a global networking platform that connects senior industry leaders, creating essential market intelligence to grow and develop professional sports on and off the field. The organization runs premium, invitation-only global summits and private forums for sports business executives and performance practitioners around the world. Its multimedia platform takes a content-driven approach in publishing year-round to 90,000 sports industry frontrunners.
