VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirmed on Tuesday the addition of Wade Martin as chief revenue officer and member of the club's senior leadership group. The addition of Martin is the next step in the ongoing organizational realignment as the club prepares for its second decade in Major League Soccer.
"We are very pleased to welcome Wade to the club and city," said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC chief executive officer and sporting director. "Wade brings a wealth of experience across North America, and a proven track record of significant revenue growth throughout his career in the sports industry.”
Martin arrives in Vancouver after three and a half years on the executive team of the Oakland Athletics. During his tenure in Oakland, he was responsible for strategic leadership and significant growth of all revenue streams including corporate partnerships, hospitality and premium experiences, broadcast and digital media. The A’s business saw incredible growth under Martin’s leadership, supporting an on-field product that made three consecutive MLB postseason appearances.
In addition to his revenue leadership, Martin also led significant initiatives around the A’s new ballpark effort, including naming rights and founding partnership strategy, valuation, and experiential design. He also served on the executive boards of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce and the East Bay Leadership Council.
Prior to joining the A’s, Martin worked as vice president of global partnerships and naming rights at Endeavor, where he worked with the Chicago Cubs, Denver Broncos, Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. In that role, he led the naming rights strategy for The Park at Wrigley and programming of events tied to naming rights in and around Wrigley Field.
From 2008 to 2015 Martin spent eight seasons in the NFL leading partnerships, broadcast strategy, and marketing activation for the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals.
Martin graduated from The College of Wooster in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, where he was also a member of the nationally ranked men’s basketball team. He also earned his master of business administration and master of sports administration from Ohio University, serving as class president in 2007. A native of Athens, Ohio, Wade and his wife, Heather, are the proud parents of Ford Matthew, born in October 2020.
The club is continuing the process to add a chief marketing officer to the senior leadership team, as well as a director of community, diversity, and inclusion and a director of fans and members to join the management structure of the club.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
The Vancouver Whitecaps FC purpose is to unite and inspire its communities. Whitecaps FC is one of the longest standing professional soccer clubs in North America, having originally been founded in 1974. Since 2011, the club has played in Major League Soccer, the top tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. Whitecaps FC are a fully integrated club, housing one of the most unique soccer development programs in North America, starting from grassroots and including professional development programs for both boys and girls, with a goal to provide a safe and welcoming environment so that all participants can thrive and achieve their potential
