Podcast: Tate Kelly — How To Spot, Interview, and Hire People With an Athlete Mindset

In this episode, we sit down with Tate Kelly, Senior Vice President of Partnerships at the United Soccer League (USL), to discuss the explosive growth of professional soccer in the US. Tate brings a wealth of sports business experience, having previously sold corporate partnerships for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL, driven revenue for Gonzaga Sports Properties at Learfield IMG College, and started his career with a unique role for Nike. Tate discusses his perspective on building a robust corporate partnership foundation for expansion clubs and the highly anticipated introduction of promotion and relegation to the USL. We explore how his background as a Division I runner translates into a relentless sales mentality, his core hiring philosophy centered on the "athlete mindset," and his favorite memories from college basketball.

Mar 25, 2026
# mins
Podcast: Tate Kelly — How To Spot, Interview, and Hire People With an Athlete Mindset

Podcast: Tate Kelly — How To Spot, Interview, and Hire People With an Athlete Mindset

In this episode, we sit down with Tate Kelly, Senior Vice President of Partnerships at the United Soccer League (USL), to discuss the explosive growth of professional soccer in the US. Tate brings a wealth of sports business experience, having previously sold corporate partnerships for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL, driven revenue for Gonzaga Sports Properties at Learfield IMG College, and started his career with a unique role for Nike. Tate discusses his perspective on building a robust corporate partnership foundation for expansion clubs and the highly anticipated introduction of promotion and relegation to the USL. We explore how his background as a Division I runner translates into a relentless sales mentality, his core hiring philosophy centered on the "athlete mindset," and his favorite memories from college basketball.

Podcast: Tate Kelly — How To Spot, Interview, and Hire People With an Athlete Mindset

Podcast: Tate Kelly — How To Spot, Interview, and Hire People With an Athlete Mindset

In this episode, we sit down with Tate Kelly, Senior Vice President of Partnerships at the United Soccer League (USL), to discuss the explosive growth of professional soccer in the US. Tate brings a wealth of sports business experience, having previously sold corporate partnerships for the Tennessee Titans in the NFL, driven revenue for Gonzaga Sports Properties at Learfield IMG College, and started his career with a unique role for Nike. Tate discusses his perspective on building a robust corporate partnership foundation for expansion clubs and the highly anticipated introduction of promotion and relegation to the USL. We explore how his background as a Division I runner translates into a relentless sales mentality, his core hiring philosophy centered on the "athlete mindset," and his favorite memories from college basketball.

Podcast: Tate Kelly — How To Spot, Interview, and Hire People With an Athlete Mindset
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