One of Real Salt Lake’s original executives when the club was formed is returning to the organization as it faces a time of great upheaval.
On Wednesday morning, Major League Soccer announced that John Kimball, who worked at RSL from 2003-2013, will be the interim president of Utah Soccer, the umbrella under which RSL, Utah Royals FC, the Real Monarchs and multiple other soccer entities have been owned by Dell Loy Hansen.
Hansen announced Sunday that he intends to sell Utah Soccer, and chief business officer Andy Carroll has taken a leave of absence after allegations of sexism were made against him earlier this week in a story from RSL Soapbox.
Since 2015, Kimball has been with Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment, most recently as president of Vivint Arena since last fall. MLS announced Wednesday that he will take a temporary leave from that position to assume the role at Utah Soccer.
As reports have swirled in recent days that the Gail Miller family — which owns the Utah Jazz and Salt Lake Bees — could potentially buy RSL from Hansen, a joint statement was released Wednesday afternoon by Utah Soccer, the Miller family and LHMSE which said in part, “Given Mr. Kimball’s foundational experience working for RSL, this is a natural interim step that will ensure a successful and seamless transition to new Utah Soccer ownership.”
Steve Starks, CEO of the Larry H. Group of Companies, was quoted in the statement as saying, “We care deeply about the success of Utah Soccer both in the short term and in the long term and are happy to offer our support. We have committed to Mr. Hansen and the leagues our willingness to be helpful during this transition.”
As part of his duties at Utah Soccer, MLS said Kimball will have “exclusive management responsibility and control of operations for the organization,” and he’ll report to MLS commissioner Don Garber on MLS matters during the ownership transition.
Kimball will also be RSL’s representative on the MLS board of governors.“John Kimball is an experienced sports executive who brings extraordinary leadership and stability to the organization. John was instrumental in the launch of Real Salt Lake and has a deep connection to the local soccer community.” — MLS commissioner Don Garber
“John Kimball is an experienced sports executive who brings extraordinary leadership and stability to the organization,” Garber said in the announcement. “John was instrumental in the launch of Real Salt Lake and has a deep connection to the local soccer community.”
Garber added a thanks to the Miller family and Starks “for their support during this important transition period.”
In October of last year, Kimball was named president of Vivint Arena, replacing Jim Olson, who was named president of LHMSE and the Utah Jazz (Olson replaced Starks, who was promoted to his current position). Previous to that appointment, Kimball was vice president of corporate sponsorships at LHMSE.
In his previous stint with RSL, Kimball held roles of chief marketing officer and senior vice president for the club and Rio Tinto Stadium, and he was also general manager of ESPN 700.
“John is a trusted executive and strong leader in our industry,” Olson said in Wednesday’s joint statement. “Given his previous experience working for Real Salt Lake, we are pleased to share his talents and expertise to ensure a successful soccer season here in Utah.”
By Ryan McDonald Sep 2, 2020, Desert News