#141 Kyle Sheldon - Founder and CEO, Name & Number Sports Management Podcast

Welcome to episode 141 of Sports Management Podcast.
Kyle Sheldon is the founder and CEO of Name & Number - a soccer-specific marketing and creative agency built to connect teams and brands to American soccer fans and culture. He is also the co-founder of Pathway – where they help ambitious professionals break into and build a career in soccer. 
Kyle is an award-winning marketer with nearly 20 years of experience in pro sports and he has worked almost exclusively in soccer except for 2 years in NASCAR.
In this episode we spoke about:
What learnings he brought from NASCAR to soccer The story behind the Name & Number logo The rise of soccer in the US The importance of FIFA World Cup 2026 What are some hirable qualities And much more!
 
WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/DIZEXD6D2Co 
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro 
01:36 Name & Number 
03:52 Soccer in the US
08:10 FIFA World Cup 2026
10:45 Kyle's Soccer Origin 
12:58 Founding Pathway
16:20 Hirable Qualities 
18:23 Managing Two Companies 
21:00 Importance of Business Relationships 
23:00 Working for NASCAR
30:00 Leadership 
32:40 The Kuykenstrong Foundation
34:25 The Name & Number Logo 
36:10 Marketing is Storytelling 
37:40 Kyle's Favorite Soccer Team
39:07 Bumps On the Road 
42:44 Outro
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Kyle's Channels:
https://www.nameandnumber.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/kyleandnumber/ 
https://twitter.com/kylesheldon 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylesheldon/ 

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