Kevin J. Payne (March 5, 1953 – December 25, 2022) was an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

executive. He was the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

from 1994 to 2012, and the president and general manager of

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

. He was also chairman of the technical committee and board member for the

U.S. Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

and vice chairman of the U.S. Soccer Foundation.

Early career

Payne played soccer growing up, in college and at the amateur/semipro level. After careers as an award-winning radio journalist in New York City and as a senior resort marketing and special events executive in Vail, CO, Payne became the national administrator of the

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

in 1989. In the fall of 1990, he was named deputy executive director and director of marketing for the federation. In 1991, he moved to New York and became the executive vice president and, ultimately, the president of Soccer USA Partners, which owned all marketing, broadcast and event promotion rights to the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team ha ...

leading up to the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...

. Payne left the federation in 1991 to become executive vice president of sales and marketing of Soccer USA Partners (SUSAP/API Soccer), and was named its president in early 1994. This sports marketing agency staged more than 60 U.S. national team matches, including the 1992 and 1993 U.S. Cups, and developed more than $35 million in sponsorships for U.S. Soccer and U.S. Youth Soccer.

Major League Soccer

In the fall of 1994, Payne, as president of SUSAP, began to work with

Alan Rothenberg Alan I. Rothenberg (born April 10, 1939) is an American lawyer and sports executive. He is known for his contributions to and influence on the growth of soccer in the United States. He is the namesake of the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy, which was ...

and a charter group of investors on the creation of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

(MLS). Payne put together the original investment group for D.C. United, which included

George Soros George Soros ( name written in eastern order), (born György Schwartz, August 12, 1930) is a Hungarian-American businessman and philanthropist. , he had a net worth of US$8.6 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated mo ...

, Paul Tierney and The Sponsorship Group/API and served as the president and general manager of the team from its inception. Under his guidance, D.C. United has been the most successful team in MLS, winning 13 major championships. In 2001, Payne joined

Anschutz Entertainment Group The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports even ...

(AEG) as senior vice president and managing director of AEG Soccer, which, during his tenure, oversaw six MLS teams, including the

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

, Chicago Fire, D.C. United, MetroStars and

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

. Payne also oversaw all other AEG soccer activities until his decision to return to D.C. United in 2004 as president and CEO. Payne served as member of the board of governors of MLS and sat on the league marketing and competition committees Payne left D.C. United for

in November 2012. He served as club president and general manager until being fired in September 2013.

Career history

* President/CEO,

, 1994–2001 * Senior vice president and managing director,

AEG Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in Berlin as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität'' in 1883 by Emil Rathenau. During the Second World War, AEG ...

Soccer, 2001–2004 * President/CEO, D.C. United, 2004–2012 * President/general manager,

, 2012–2013 * CEO/executive director,

US Club Soccer US Club Soccer is a national organization and member of the United States Soccer Federation that works to develop and support soccer clubs in the United States. It was founded in 2001 as the National Association of Competitive Soccer Clubs (NA ...

, 2015–2021

Personal life and death

Payne and his wife Pamela lived in

Reston, Virginia Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia and a principal city of the Washington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Reston's population was 63,226. Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City movem ...

, and had two daughters, Ashley and Rebecca. He died from

idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), or (formerly) fibrosing alveolitis, is a rare, progressive illness of the respiratory system, characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue, associated with the formation of scar tissue. It is ...

in Charleston, South Carolina, on December 25, 2022, at the age of 69.

References

External links

Greater Washington Sports Alliance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Kevin 1953 births 2022 deaths American soccer players D.C. United non-playing staff Major League Soccer executives American soccer chairmen and investors Association footballers not categorized by position National Soccer Hall of Fame members People from Reston, Virginia Toronto FC non-playing staff