PROFILE
BY ALEX PALMER
Photography by David Yellen
18
1st QUARTER 2014
WORLD
OF
SPORTS
M
ore so than many sports, soccer
requires a high degree of teamwork,
from coordinating goal defense to
changing formation at a second’s
notice. So it makes sense that Luis Miguel
Garcia, chief financial officer of the New York
Red Bulls, describes his role as a member of
a team.
“Our work is really done on a ‘we’ basis —
it’s not about one individual dictating a deci-
sion and others following,” he says.
This work his team does since he came
onboard in August 2011 has been focused
on maximizing ticket sales for games at the
state-of-the-art Red Bull Arena in Harrison,
NJ (named for the Bulls’ owner, Austrian
beverage giant Red Bull GmbH); expanding
sponsorship opportunities; and increasing
awareness of the club throughout the region.
The team’s senior management group includes
General Manager Jérome de Bontin and
Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh. Garcia’s
own area of responsibility is not highly con-
strained. He views his job as involving every
part of the organization, and proselytizing for
the sport of soccer itself.
“In my role today, I’m responsible for the
finance organization, but also IT, human
resources, and operations,” says Garcia. “It’s
a challenge in many ways, but it’s enriching
being able to expand into these other areas of
the business and see how the finance function
can help a business grow and develop.”
Raising Relevance
Soccer may be the most popular sport in the
world, but in the United States it remains
something of an underdog, and as CFO of
one of the country’s most prominent soccer
teams, Garcia hopes he can help change that.
“Relevancy is the key priority,” Garcia says
about helping to boost interest and ticket sales
for his team and the sport in general. “While
NEW YORK RED BULLS
CFO LUIS MIGUEL
GARCIA NOT ONLY
WANTS TO STRENGTHEN
HIS ORGANIZATION,
BUT THE GAME
OF SOCCER ITSELF
HIGHER
