The MLS started in 1996 with 10 teams, a niche market, and enough skeptics to sell out the World Cup. Once seen as a sure failure, the MLS has bowled over the critics, growing to 19 teams while recently surpassing the NBA in live fan attendance. As a league the MLS has not only endured, it’s managed to thrive, and early figures like Payne have made all the difference. With what seems to be a genuine mix of soccer passion and business interest, Payne has not only helped the league advance, has also put DC United on the map as arguably the most successful soccer team in the history of the United States. With four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supporter’s Shields (awarded to the team with the best regular season record), and a total of 12 domestic and international trophies, DC United has set the standard for stateside excellence in soccer.
With the early mantra of “The Tradition Begins,” Kevin Payne and the DC United franchise set two clear goals in 1996. First, play like a premier soccer team. Second, be a respected pillar of the community. Payne explains, “I believe that sports organizations have the ability to influence their communities and members of their communities for the good.” As with every team in every league in the world, DC United wanted to win, but less intuitive, they wanted to use their clout as professional athletes to positively impact the community. “You really have a responsibility as a sport organization,” Payne says, “to think more broadly about your place in the community than simply to win games and do well economically.”
Payne and DC United have embraced that responsibility, and proved a pacesetter in professional soccer. They were the first MLS team to incorporate a community relations department into their day-to-day operations, the first team to begin large scale charitable giving, and among the first teams in the league to create a 501c3, or a non-profit public charity. While DC United is a relatively small professional organization, Payne hasn’t let the size of his franchise or the perceived start-up status of the MLS limit his scope of the organization’s impact. Through United for DC, DC United offers a variety of charitable and service-oriented arms, including United Soccer Club, Kicks for Kids, and United Reads. Every year, the club provides a game-day experience for 7,500 DC youth, distribute over 10,000 books to schools that serve 1,500 children, and provide free afterschool soccer clinics to underprivileged children. DC United also serves its community in other ways, expanding its outreach capacity by inviting fans to participate in community efforts. Through United Builds, fans, DC United staff, and players work together in partnership with local charities, such as Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army to assist with various projects. United Drives is another initiative that attempts to leverage the team’s fan base.
Every month, DC United selects a charity and asks fans to donate charitable items such as books, food, and soccer equipment. Further leveraging their impact, the organization invites local DC area schools in a competition to collect the most items on a monthly basis, and winners receive a pizza party with DC United players. Kevin Payne and DC United started with two clear goals. While one was less obvious than the other, both have served to guide the franchise toward unprecedented levels of success.
Payne believed that a competitive sports organization could also make a positive impact on the local community, and he turned his beliefs into reality. Just imagine, if the most successful soccer franchise in the United States can find time to heavily impact the DC community positively, what can your organization do?
I think it’s amazing to see how Kevin Payne was able to invest in the Major League Soccer's (MLS), which is also known as, DC United. I live very close to DC so I hear things all the time about how this team gives back to their community like crazy. I like how he only has two goals for his players to play like a premier soccer team and to be a respected pillar of the community. For Kevin to put so much into a sport and to build up his business based on a passion is unheard-of now days. I think as DCUnited grew bigger by coming one of the top teams and by the community respecting them for more than just a team. I think it is amazing how they can give back to the community so much, and helping the community with donations throughout the year. I found a lot more information about DCUnited on their website http://www.dcunited.com/ if anyone is interested. Does anyone know of any other teams that give back their community so much?
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is extremely hard to be success when starting a professional sporting league of any kind or when owning a professional sports team. The way Kevin Payne, CEO of the D.C. United, went about promoting the United should be used as a blueprint other owners should to run the franchises and also how they should interact with the community that supports the team. He made realistic expectations and as his team met them, he went on to raise them. This is the perfect example of how a new team or existing team in general can connect or reconnect with the community and be a source of good that help improve the surrounding areas.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a lot of relevance here for existing teams. Management of existing sport franchises could explore how they currently connect in the community, what kind of impact that they want to have, and whether that reveals a gap....
ReplyDeleteThis article is a prime example of what vision and desire can do. Even though the MLS was doubted in its start Kevin Payne could see the potential. As a leader of the DC United francise Kevin not only set goals for success on the field but also off the field. His committment to helping the community shows what a professional sports to can do productively for a community. If more organizations, not just sports, would focus more on the social obligations, millions of more kids would be helped. Not only would these kids recieve support, but they would also have postive influences in thier life to look up to as role models.
ReplyDeleteOn top of that, Mathew, when organizations focus on "social obligations", it becomes cyclical. Ideally, these kids then receive support to go on an be more productive members of society. In other words, their communities become stronger. And to me, that's a big part of Payne's vision - to strengthen his local community.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of giving returns to the followers by giving back to the community instead of free junk days is a much stronger way to gain better followership. Followership is the one of the most important parts of leadership. The vision of Kevin Payne to realize that by giving back to the community would help bring the sport to a higher level is awesome. This could be the reason why there is a higher attendance than the NBA. The NBA in recent years has been in decline because of the players looking for more money. The NBA could take a lesson from how Kevin Payne and the MLS handle business and their followers.
ReplyDeleteKevin Payne was interested in more than winning, he wanted his team to be noticed for more than wins. By making his stamp on the community was a large part of his goal as a leader in the soccer industry. When the community was seen more important and then they started to become involved in the MLS more supporting them for the help they have been given. When he to stared this he wanted this players and community to learn that things can come true and goals can be reached by putting effort and gathering support. The leadership he took was stepping into a power role and making it into a success for everyone.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Kevin Payne has some tremendous leadership qualities. His vision from the very beginning of the establishment of DC United was stated and he never broke away from that. By setting goals that may have seemed unrealistic at the time, the fans and supporters knew he was determined and committed to accomplishing his goals. From this article, I have learned a great deal. If you are determined enough to succeed and have a strong will to achieve, anything is possible. Even though this is a generic cliche' in today's day and age, I believe Kevin Payne is a prime example of how this really does work.
ReplyDeleteThis is a prime example of a leader looking at his job, excelling in it, then taking on additional responsibilities to give back to his community that essentially allows him to have anything to own to begin with. It also should be noted that this strategy is being applied in America where soccer is far behind the "mainstream" sports in mass popularity and note, in my opinion to get even more fans out. If a team is known to be active in helping the community they will without question receive more love from their city and become a more successful organization by all definitions of success.
ReplyDeleteIn this article, one thing that is clearly apparent is this man's love for not only soccer, but being a great leader. Soccer is not a highlighted sport in the USA, with all of the emphasis in this country on the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball. Soccer started out slow but with guys like Kevin Payne, it started to expand. This article is also a great example of how sports isn't just what is going on in the field of play. It is incorporating a great deal of everything to make this franchise be the best it can be. And with people like Kevin Payne running it, I feel as if you are in good hands.
ReplyDeleteReally a clever man and a thriving business for the entire MLS.
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