Sporting Kansas City and its employees garnered several honors on Thursday during Major League Soccer’s 2015 Club Executive Awards Ceremony, held at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore in conjunction with the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
The year-end awards commend individuals and clubs for outstanding contributions off the field. The following winners were recognized for their success during the 2015 Major League Soccer season:
Corporate Partnerships Team of the Year – Sporting Kansas City, accepted by Jon Moses (Director, Corporate Partnership Sales)
Public Relations Team of the Year – Sporting Kansas City, accepted by Rob Thomson (Executive Vice President, Communications)
Supporter Liaison of the Year – Darin Canova (Supporter Liaison Manager)
In addition, Sporting Kansas City's ticket sales and service staffs were identified as distinguished members of the following categories:
Commissioner's Club for Full Season Ticket Renewals– Sporting Kansas City, accepted by Gregg Allen (Vice President, Ticket Sales and Service)
President's Club for Full Season Ticket Sales– Sporting Kansas City, accepted by Gregg Allen
Bronze Award for Group Ticket Sales– Beth Brittain (Premium Sales Executive)
Excellence in Service Awards– Devan Dignan (Senior Client Services Executive), Amesha Tate-Thomas (Manager, Premium Services), Zach Mayer (Manager, Client Services)
Sporting Kansas City advanced to the MLS Cup Playoffs for a fifth straight year in 2015 and won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the club’s third major championship since 2012. Midfielder Benny Feilhaber set a single-season club record with 20 assists across all competitions en route to an MLS MVP nomination. Goalkeeper Tim Melia enjoyed a career season between the posts, garnering MLS Comeback Player of the Year honors, while seventh-year Manager Peter Vermes became the club’s winningest coach.
Away from the field, Sporting Kansas City and Children’s Mercy announced a long-term youth health and pediatric sports medicine initiative. The partnership granted Children’s Mercy the exclusive naming rights to Children’s Mercy Park, formerly Sporting Park, home to an active MLS sellout streak that spans 70 games dating back to April 2012. In another initiative targeted to foster local youth, Sporting Kansas City and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, celebrated the opening of new futsal courts in the city.
Sporting Kansas City enters its 21st season in 2016 and will begin regular season action on March 6 in a nationally televised match against Seattle Sounders FC. Visit SportingKC.com/schedule for the club’s full, 34-game regular season schedule.
