Commissioner Garber will discuss the state of Major League Soccer by highlighting key accomplishments and challenges to date, as well provide insight as to where he sees the league headed in the years to come.

When:

Thursday, November 20, 2008

5:15-6:15 PM:

Pre-event reception and silent auction

6:15-7:15 PM:

Commissioners’ Address, including Q&A

7:15-8:15PM:

Post-event reception (no-host bar)

Where:

Town & Gown, University of Southern California

665 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90089

Fees

$50 per person. There is a 20% discount for USC Alumni and Students.

Registration fee includes pre-event reception and complimentary parking.

Since Garber accepted Major League Soccer’s top position, his vision and leadership have enabled MLS to build a strong foundation for professional soccer in the United States. Garber has guided MLS through decisions that have solidified the League’s core business, guaranteed its long-term viability and positioned it for growth.

Many recent accomplishments highlight Garber’s impact on soccer in America.  During his tenure, the League has added 11 new investors, expanding and diversifying the League’s ownership group, including six new expansion teams since 2005.  In addition, five soccer-specific stadiums have been built, including two - - BMO Field in Toronto and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park near Denver - - that opened during the 2007 MLS season.   Two more soccer stadiums built for MLS teams, Real Salt Lake’s new stadium that will open in October of 2008 and Red Bull Park, are currently under construction.

During the last two years, Garber has secured long-term national television agreements for Major League Soccer with four national television broadcast partners, including ABC/ESPN, Fox, HDnet and Univision, an unprecedented accomplishment for the sport in the United States.  Additionally, he implemented ground-breaking player initiatives such as the MLS Designated Player Rule and created the MLS Youth Development Initiative, positioning the League as the leader of the sport that now totals nearly 18 million participants in the United States. 

In 2001, Garber re-structured MLS and spearheaded the formation of Soccer United Marketing (SUM), a company owned by MLS investors that is the preeminent commercial soccer entity in North America.  SUM represents several prominent soccer properties, including the U.S. Soccer Federation, Women’s Professional Soccer, the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Champions League and the Mexican Soccer Federation for all sponsorship, marketing and game promotion in the United States.  In addition, SUM manages American tours for some of the world’s greatest soccer clubs, including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Chivas de Guadalajara.  Most recently, Garber was instrumental in the creation of SuperLiga, the innovative professional tournament between MLS and Mexico’s First Division clubs that debuted in July, 2007, and the Pan-Pacific Championship that debuted in 2008. SUM previously owned the English-language television rights for the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Germany 2006 and Korea/Japan in 2002 and the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

In 2007, Garber formed MLS W.O.R.K.S, the League’s community outreach initiative, dedicated to addressing important social issues affecting young people throughout America.

Prior to becoming Commissioner of MLS, Garber spent 16 years with the National Football League, finishing his tenure as the senior vice president/managing director of NFL International, where he oversaw all aspects of the NFL’s business outside the United States. Garber began his career at NFL Properties in 1984 and became the League’s director of marketing in 1988.  In 1992, he was appointed the NFL’s senior vice president of business development and was responsible for a variety of television, special event and marketing activities.

Garber serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Soccer Federation and The United States Soccer Foundation, as well as the Board of the Hope and Heroes Foundation at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York.  He is on the Board of Advisors for New York University’s Tisch School for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management and the University of Central Florida, DeVos Sports Business Management Program.  Garber also is a member of the National Board of Directors for the Center for Sports in Society in Boston and the Advisory Board for the World Congress of Sports.