Who is Tate Kelly?

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The Business of Belonging

An exclusive conversation with Tate Kelly, Senior Vice President, Partnerships at the United Soccer League

Tate Kelly’s career in sports has been built around a deceptively simple idea: people do business with people they know, trust and like. That philosophy has taken him from a summer job with Nike in Mammoth Lakes, California, to some of the most recognizable organizations in American sports. Along the way, Kelly built a career across collegiate athletics, professional football and soccer, developing partnerships and generating revenue for organizations including Gonzaga University, the University of Oregon and the Tennessee Titans.

But Kelly’s story begins with competition. A Gonzaga University student-athlete, he was a four-year varsity cross-country letter winner and two-year captain, while also competing in track. By the end of his collegiate career, he had established school records and earned conference recognition. That athlete’s mentality would eventually become a defining part of his approach to business: show up, compete, deal with setbacks and keep moving forward. His professional career began with Nike, where he spent a summer promoting products to high-school athletes. He then moved into collegiate sports through IMG College, working with Gonzaga Athletics before joining the University of Oregon. After returning to Spokane, he became Associate General Manager of Gonzaga Sports Properties and was later recognized as Regional Account Executive of the Year and the organization’s top revenue producer.

Then came the NFL.

Kelly joined the Tennessee Titans as Director of Corporate Partnerships, working across sponsorship and commercial opportunities at Nissan Stadium. After his time in Tennessee, he continued developing his expertise in sports partnerships before returning to Spokane and joining USL Spokane, where he became Vice President of Partnerships and helped connect local businesses with the city’s emerging professional soccer organization. And then came another step forward. In April 2025, Kelly joined the United Soccer League as Senior Vice President, Partnerships. His role focuses on developing strategic partnerships and helping bring new stadiums and key assets to life in emerging soccer markets across the country.

On paper, it is an impressive résumé.

But the résumé doesn’t fully explain Tate Kelly. Talk to him for a few minutes and the conversation quickly moves away from sponsorship inventory, revenue figures and corporate logos and toward something much more human: relationships. Kelly believes sports are storytelling platforms. He believes clubs can become gathering places. He believes brands can become part of traditions rather than simply interrupting them. And he believes the most successful partnerships are built when people take the time to understand what matters to one another. That perspective may be rooted in sales, but it doesn’t sound much like traditional sales. It sounds more like belonging. And perhaps that’s what makes Kelly’s current role so interesting. As American soccer continues to expand into new markets, the challenge isn’t simply putting teams on the field. It is convincing communities to care, giving fans something to identify with and creating commercial partnerships that feel like a natural part of that relationship.

For Kelly, that isn’t just a business opportunity. It’s the point.

In this conversation, Kelly reflects on his unconventional path through American sports, the lessons he learned from athletics and sales, the changing business of soccer and why, in an increasingly digital world, the most valuable thing a sports organization may still be able to offer is something remarkably old-fashioned: A place to belong.

Key Insights

• Kelly sees relationship building, trust and authentic curiosity as central to successful sports partnerships.
• He believes soccer clubs can create belonging by becoming gathering places and building traditions within their communities.
• His career spans Nike, collegiate athletics, the Tennessee Titans, USL Spokane and the United Soccer League.

Our Exclusive Interview with Tate Kelly

The Relationship Builder

If Tate Kelly had 60 seconds to tell the world who he is, what would that sound like?

He wouldn’t mention Nike, the NFL, IMG, Gonzaga or the USL.

He would talk about people. “I’m a relationship builder,” Tate says. “I love getting to know people and understanding what makes them tick. I really enjoy hearing people’s stories.” It’s a philosophy that extends well beyond his professional life. Tate points to his wife as a perfect example. She was born and raised in Bulgaria, immigrated to the United States at 17, and met Tate toward the end of their college experience. Eleven years later, they have built a life together. She is now living her dream as a lawyer. Tate is living his dream working in sports. “It’s been an unbelievable story for us,” he says.

“I’m a relationship builder,” Tate says. “I love getting to know people and understanding what makes them tick. I really enjoy hearing people’s stories.”

His description of himself is remarkably simple:

“I am authentically curious by nature.” That curiosity has become one of his greatest professional assets. Tate believes business ultimately comes down to relationships. You want to do business with people you know, trust and genuinely like. “In sales, you need to be likable,” he says. “Because if you’re not, you will find it hard for people to do business with you.” But being likable isn’t about being superficial. For Tate, the real value comes when a relationship creates enough trust for people to be honest with each other.

“If you have that foundation with each other, you can be more candid with each other.”

And that candidness matters. Because successful partnerships aren’t built on a sales pitch. They’re built on understanding.

Are We Selling Soccer or Belonging?

It is one of the most interesting questions in the modern sports business:

Are we actually selling soccer, or are we selling belonging?

Tate believes too many sellers sometimes get caught up in the wrong things. Metrics matter. Data matters. Audience numbers matter. But they are only one layer of the story.

“These partnership platforms and these clubs are storytelling platforms,” he explains. He compares the experience to something much older than professional sports. Imagine sitting around a fire. Long before television, smartphones, streaming platforms and social media, people gathered around a fire to tell stories, exchange experiences and simply be present with one another.

Tate believes sports still provide one of the few opportunities in modern life to recreate that feeling. “There are very few things in life that keep us present, especially in this digital age with a million distractions.” Professional soccer can do exactly that. It can give people something to arrange their week around. A match on Saturday night. A tradition with friends. A family outing. A supporters’ group. A jersey. A pregame ritual. And in some USL markets, the significance goes even deeper.

In places such as Boise, Madison, Knoxville and Lexington, there may be a university and a strong college sports culture, but there isn’t necessarily another professional sports entity. That creates an opportunity. “How can brands become part of those really important fan moments?” Tate asks. That’s the real partnership opportunity. Not simply putting a logo on a sign. Not simply buying an impression. But becoming part of a tradition. Because when a brand becomes woven into the fabric of a local club and its community, something powerful happens.

“If you can align brands with traditions at the local level with these clubs, they will never leave. They will be forever brand partners.” That is the difference between sponsorship and belonging.

“If you can align brands with traditions at the local level with these clubs, they will never leave. They will be forever brand partners.”

A Career Built Around Sports

Tate’s philosophy didn’t appear overnight.

His career has taken him through some of the biggest and most recognizable names in American sports.

His journey began with an opportunity at Nike, where he spent a summer at a Nike outpost in Mammoth Lakes, California, promoting Nike products to high-school athletes.

That experience gave him an early taste of the sports business.

He then moved into collegiate athletics through IMG College, first working with Gonzaga University, where he developed and managed corporate sponsorships for Gonzaga Athletics.

From there, he moved to Oregon and continued his work in collegiate sports sponsorships with IMG College and the University of Oregon.

Eventually, he returned to Spokane, taking on the role of Associate General Manager for Gonzaga Athletics.

His commercial success continued to grow.

At Gonzaga Sports Properties, he became the organization’s Regional Account Executive of the Year and its top revenue producer.

Then came the NFL.

Tate joined the Tennessee Titans as Director of Corporate Partnerships at Nissan Stadium, overseeing areas including advertising, marketing, hospitality and ticketing.

But eventually, soccer came calling.

Tate left the Titans to join USL Spokane, becoming part of the effort to develop professional soccer in Spokane.

And in April 2025, his journey brought him to the United Soccer League, where he became Senior Vice President, Partnerships.

His current role focuses on crafting league-wide partnerships across broadcast, in-stadium assets and digital platforms.

It is a role that seems almost tailor-made for his philosophy.

Relationships.

Storytelling.

Sales.

Solutions.

And authenticity.

The Human Behind the Executive

After spending time talking about professional soccer, sponsorships, and building a sports career, I wanted to know something simpler.

Who is Tate when the meetings are over?

His answers reveal perhaps more than his résumé does.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee. All day long.

Beach or mountains?

He loves both, but chooses mountains.

Sunrise or sunset?

Before kids, sunrise.

Now?

Sunset.

City life or quiet countryside?

Neither completely.

Somewhere in the middle.

“I love a midsized town.”

Summer or winter?

Summer.

Early bird or night owl?

Definitely an early bird.

“I like the mornings.”

Plan everything or go with the flow?

He’s a planner.

But fatherhood has taught him something important:

“You have to learn to go with the flow.”

Dinner out or cooking at home?

Dinner out.

Road trip or flying somewhere new?

A road trip.

He enjoys seeing different parts of the country from behind the wheel.

Books or movies?

Movies.

Five-star hotel or tent under the stars?

No hesitation.

Tent under the stars. Every day of the week.

Money or fame?

Fame isn’t for him.

“Definitely not fame. I’ll say money by default.”

And finally:

Never work again or never sleep again?

For someone who genuinely enjoys what he does, this one is easy.

“I love to work!”

He chooses never sleeping again.

“Sounds brutal, but we’ll figure it out.”

Listen First. Talk Second.

Perhaps the most revealing thing Tate Kelly told me had very little to do with soccer.

He talked about stories.

Everyone has one.

And he believes the best way to understand people is to listen.

There is a reason we have two ears and one mouth, he says.

We should be listening to people’s stories more than we’re talking.

That idea runs through everything he does.

It explains why he describes himself first as a relationship builder rather than a salesperson.

It explains why he talks about belonging rather than simply selling soccer.

And it explains why authenticity appears again and again in his language.

For Tate, the future of sports isn’t simply about bigger audiences, bigger sponsorships or bigger numbers.

It’s about creating something people genuinely care about.

Something they can identify with.

Something they can make their own.

Because ultimately, people don’t just buy products.

They don’t just buy tickets.

And they don’t simply consume sports.

They buy into stories.

They buy into communities.

They buy into moments.

And when a brand can become part of those moments without disrupting what makes them special, everyone wins.

That may be the real business of partnerships.

Not selling space.

Not selling impressions.

Not even selling soccer.

Selling belonging.

Selling belonging.

And if Tate Kelly’s career is any indication, that is a business he understands very well.

FAQ

What is Tate Kelly’s role at the United Soccer League?

Tate Kelly is Senior Vice President, Partnerships at the United Soccer League (USL).

What organizations has Tate Kelly worked with?

His prior experience includes Nike, IMG/Learfield, Gonzaga Athletics, University of Oregon, Tennessee Titans and USL Spokane.

What is Tate Kelly’s approach to sports partnerships?

His approach focuses on relationships, storytelling, authenticity, community and creating partnerships that become part of local traditions.