Keystone Sports and Entertainment, LLC, just became a whole lot stronger. And more experienced.
The ownership group for Major League Soccer Philadelphia 2010 announced the hiring of two more key executives on Monday -- Rob Smith as director of operations and Dave Debusschere as chief financial officer. Both executives will officially begin their assignments on June 2.
Smith is currently the president of FC Delco and the varsity women's soccer coach at Downingtown (Pa.) High School. FC Delco, which was ranked as the No. 1 soccer club in the United States in 2004 by SoccerAmerica, has produced seven USYSA national championship teams and six runner-up appearances since '91.
A Coatesville resident, Smith calls himself a "passionate" soccer fan who has also provided marketing development support to Nike's Soccer Sports Marketing Group over the years.
In his new role, Smith will oversee team and stadium operations, customer relations and assist in the development of the community relations effort. He'll do that by working to build strong foundations within the community as well as establishing and maintaining relationships with local, national and international organizations.
Smith is a graduate of Geneva College who initially worked as a corporate controller for IREX Corp. He then joined Nike in '90 as Regional Sales Operations Manager. Since then, Smith has been CFO at the United States Training Center and managing partner at ITK Marketing, LLC.
"Our goal is to field a competitive team that is fun to watch, hard working, committed, passionate -- a team that understands the underlying philosophy and respect for the game," Smith said. "We want the fans to be engaged and at the same time, we will be learning from the fans. This is a tremendous opportunity and I'm looking forward to giving the community a quality product."
Nick Sakiewicz, CEO and operating partner of Keystone Sports and Entertainment, said that the addition of Smith is huge for the organization.
"Rob is already deeply connected to the community through his work with area youth soccer programs such as FC Delco," Sakiewicz said. "His long-standing relationship with Nike proves he also knows how to build relationships with large national and international companies. His combination of enthusiasm and experience makes Rob the ideal Director of Operations for MLS Philadelphia."
Joining Smith is Debusschere, a certified public accountant with more than 10 years of financial experience. He has worked as an auditor and business advisor at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and most recently, as an assistant vice president at Philadelphia Insurance Companies where he had a variety of responsibilities in the areas of finance, treasury and accounting. A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, Debusschere received his MBA from Saint Joseph's University and his Bachelor's degree from Colgate University, which he attended on an ice hockey scholarship and received Academic All-American honors.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Debusschere said. "To help build this team and stadium from the ground up, and to have the opportunity to make a positive economic impact on the surrounding community is exciting. This initiative will not only result in the creation of jobs but will drive the type of overall business development which will benefit the region for years to come."
"Dave has extensive experience in fast paced, successful companies and he understands what drives profitability," said Sakiewicz. "He is a hard worker with a competitive attitude, which is exactly the kind of mentality you need to have to be a part of the MLS Philadelphia 2010 team -- whether as a manager or as a player."
In addition to Sakiewicz, Keystone Sports and Entertainment, LLC is comprised of chairman and chief executive officer of iStar Financial, Jay Sugarman, Swarthmore Group chairman James Nevels, Philadelphia attorney William Doran, and Christopher and Robert Buccini and David Pollin, founding partners of The Buccini/Pollin Group, which is leading the development of the waterfront project.
Since officially being awarded the 16th MLS team on February 28, more than 4,000 season ticket deposits have been purchased. Groundbreaking on the 18,500-seat soccer-specific stadium is scheduled for the fall.
Andy Jasner is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
