Ian Ayre To Head Up New MLS Club
Former Liverpool CEO Ian Ayre has been appointed as the first chief executive of Nashville’s new Major League Soccer (MLS) club, expected to join the league in 2020.
The 55-year-old confirmed his new position with the expansion franchise on Sunday and will reportedly manage all aspects of the new team.
Ayre joined UEFA Champions League finalists Liverpool in 2007 as commercial director and as a member of the club’s board of directors, before becoming managing director in 2011. He was the club’s chief executive from 2014 to 2017.
During his tenure with the club, Ayre restructured Liverpool’s commercial, operational and on-field elements and oversaw the stadium expansion. Ayre later served as managing director at German side 1860 Munich, but left after eight weeks citing ownership conflicts.
In February, Ayre was also named executive chairman of the Ubiquity Group, making a personal investment in the company, but it is yet to be confirmed how his new position will affect his role with the marketing agency.
Ayre told US outlet, the Tennessean: “The MLS has huge ambitions to be one of the biggest and leading leagues in the world, and is on that trajectory. Both as a soccer fan and an executive in the industry, it’s something I’ve had my eye on because it’s important.
“You talk about MLS and its growth, I think it’s becoming easier and will become easier to attract the right talent to something that’s exciting and developing. And if you have a reputation of being involved in a club like Liverpool, you hope that stands for something when you start to try and attract talent.”
