North American soccer's top-tier National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has promoted chief marketing officer Julie Haddon to the position of chief marketing and commercial officer.
It is a new and expanded role, involving Haddon overseeing the integration of the league’s commercial, broadcast, and marketing divisions into one business unit which is to be focused on maximizing brand, fan, and revenue growth for the league.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said: “We’re excited and proud to have Julie lead this innovative organizational structure that will catalyze the NWSL’s next iteration of growth. Julie has demonstrated that her contributions to the NWSL can be scaled alongside the growth of the league.
“It’s our responsibility to continue to grow alongside our fanbase, and this new marketing and commercial organization will serve as the foundation of that commitment.”
Haddon joined the NWSL in August 2022, as the league’s first-ever chief marketing officer.
According to the NWSL, during her time in the role, by the halfway point in the 2023 season, the league had seen a 48% increase in attendance, while unique streaming viewership on the Paramount platform rose by 50%, and total viewership on affiliated national network CBS went up by 21% year-over-year.
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By GlobalDataHaddon said: “The women’s sports landscape is experiencing a long overdue momentum shift in growth and engagement and I’m excited to help the NWSL capitalize on that momentum in this expanded role.
“Anchored by our remarkable athletes, passionate fanbase, and forward-thinking leadership, the NWSL has all the key elements needed to continue its extraordinary growth.
“Bringing the marketing, broadcast, and business development functions together will unlock new and exciting opportunities to further develop the NWSL’s fan, brand, and revenue streams as we continue taking our league and our sport to the next level.”
Last month (September), the NWSL awarded expansion franchise rights to Boston Unity Soccer Partners (BUSP), a local ownership group led by women, with the new team set to enter the growing league in 2026.