Chattanooga Football Club has announced the appointment of global sports executive Alton Byrd as its next Chief Executive Officer, positioning the club for exponential growth midway through its 15th season in Chattanooga and its third full season as a professional club.
The CFC men’s team is currently undefeated, sitting in first place, and leading attendance in the National Independent Soccer Association.
Byrd has accumulated over 30 years of sports and brand marketing experience as a European professional basketball player, head coach, general manager, entrepreneur and business executive. In his new role at CFC, he will put a special focus on growing the club, investing more resources into the community, and creating a high-performing team on and off the field.
“Alton is making a positive impact in our organization already by ramping up staff and bringing new ideas from his global experiences,” said CFC Board Vice-Chairman Davis Grizzard. “The national search introduced us to some incredible candidates from different levels of soccer and professional sports overall; however, it became increasingly clear that Alton’s values and growth mindset align with where we want to take this club in the future and he’s already proving to be the right person for the job.”
Byrd most recently served as senior vice president of growth properties and community relations for BSE Global, which owns the Brooklyn Nets, Long Island Nets (NBA G League), New York Liberty (WNBA), and Nets Gaming Crew (NBA 2K League Esports). In this role, he was recognized among the best in the NBA G League for community engagement and spearheaded marketing deals with some of the most iconic brands in America. Before his senior vice president role at BSE Global, he was chief revenue officer with the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA where he achieved the highest level of sponsorship in team history.
Byrd held a variety of other roles that have shaped his business experience, including Maloof Sports & Entertainment (Sacramento Kings) and the London Monarchs of NFL Europe.
“I’m honored to join Chattanooga’s soccer club to continue the momentum the team has garnered over 15 years and counting,” said Byrd. “Together with the board and ownership, we look toward an exciting future with a clear intention to honor the vision and the values that really sets this club apart.”
“Alton’s experience at some of the highest levels of professional sports has all of us excited,” said CFC Co-founder and Board Chairman Paul Rustand. “Whether it’s basketball or soccer, using professional sports to make our communities better is something that Alton has proven to do well at each stage of his career.”
“There's a lot of opportunity here in Chattanooga and at Chattanooga FC,” added Byrd. “This city is one where new and fruitful relationships are really possible. Over the next few years, we hope to enhance the strong foothold that Chattanooga FC has in Chattanooga with local and regional companies and create more interest throughout this large multicultural community.”
Byrd is a dual citizen in the U.S. and Great Britain. Spending two decades in the UK helped him fall in love with the world’s game. He is uniquely positioned to bring growth ideas from his wide range of global experiences into professional soccer within the Chattanooga market. He is an unabashed Liverpool FC supporter.
“I want to listen and learn about our fan base and about how we can increase our youth fandom and make our brand of soccer and in-game experiences appealing to all who enjoy live sports and entertainment in Chattanooga.”
Chattanooga Football Club is midway through its 15th season in Chattanooga and its third full season as a professional club. The men’s team is currently undefeated, sitting in first place, and leading attendance in the National Independent Soccer Association. For more information about CFC, visit ChattanoogaFC.com. To view the CFC Men and CFC Women team schedules, visit chattanoogafc.com/schedule.