Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid was recognized with Major League Soccer’s highest honor for business leadership on Monday, being named the Doug Hamilton Executive of the Year as MLS announced winners of the league’s annual Mark Abbott MLS Club and Executive Awards.
Reid has led Sporting Kansas City through significant growth since joining the club’s front office as an executive in 2010. Serving as President and CEO for the past seven seasons, Reid oversees the club’s business operations at the team’s new downtown office – voted Kansas City’s Coolest Office Space last month – with a staff that has more than doubled in size during his tenure.
Reid’s leadership also extends to the management of hospitality and events for an impressive portfolio of high-performance properties, including Children’s Mercy Park, Compass Minerals National Performance Center, Swope Soccer Village, Compass Minerals Sporting Fields, Central Bank Sporting Complex and No Other Pub.
In 2024, Sporting Kansas City also returned to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium – the team’s original home from 1996-2007 – on the anniversary of the club’s inaugural match and drew a record-setting crowd of 72,610 fans on April 13. The highest attended MLS match of the year and the highest attended Inter Miami CF match since Lionel Messi’s arrival, SKCvMIA stands as the third largest single-game regular season crowd in Major League Soccer history.
Sporting Kansas City also continued to attract numerous major events to Children’s Mercy Park in 2024. The state-of-the-art stadium, which installed new videoboards and LED sports lighting at the start of the season, hosted the first-ever Copa America match in Kansas City and the world-class venue also welcomed the U.S. Men’s Olympic Soccer Team as well as the U.S. Men’s National Team for international fixtures. In addition, Children’s Mercy Park welcomed capacity crowds as Kansas Football played the first two NCAA Division I football games in stadium history.
An active local leader in the civic community, Reid serves as Vice President on the KC2026 Board of Directors in support of the region’s preparations for FIFA World Cup 26™ and six highly-anticipated World Cup matches in Kansas City. Reid is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation and he proudly serves as President of The Victory Project, which was named this year’s Community Champion at the Kansas City Sports Awards.
Doug Hamilton Executives of the Year
2024: Jake Reid (Sporting Kansas City
2023: Xavier Asensi (Inter Miami CF)
2022: Andy Loughnane (Austin FC)
2019: Larry Freedman (Los Angeles FC)
2018: Darren Eales (Atlanta United)
2017: Darren Eales (Atlanta United)
2016: Tim Hinchey (Colorado Rapids)
2015: Marc de Grandpre (New York Red Bulls)
2014: Bill Manning (Real Salt Lake)
2013: Mike Golub (Portland Timbers)
2012: Bill Manning (Real Salt Lake)
2011: Mike Golub (Portland Timbers)
2010: Erik Stover (New York Red Bulls)
2009: Gary Wright (Seattle Sounders)
2008: Chris Canetti (Houston Dynamo)
2007: Paul Beirne (Toronto FC)
2006: Stephen Zack (D.C. United)
2005: Doug Hamilton (LA Galaxy)
2004: Doug Hamilton (LA Galaxy)
2003: Doug Hamilton (LA Galaxy)
2002: Dan Counce (Colorado Rapids)
2001: Jim Smith (Columbus Crew)
2000: Nick Sakiewicz (NY/NJ MetroStars)
1999: Nick Sakiewicz (Tampa Bay Mutiny)
1998: Peter Wilt (Chicago Fire)
1997: Kevin Payne (D.C. United)
1996: Jamey Rootes (Columbus Crew)
