Soccer News: Steinbrecher To Be Chairman of the Advisory Board
Former U.S. Soccer Secretary General Hank Steinbrecher is a passionate man who loves the soccer world – the man who spearheaded American soccer’s surge to international prominence and credibility in the 1990s, Steinbrecher was first a soccer player and then a coach. This National Soccer Hall of Famer now will help TeamRunner meet the travel needs of youth soccer teams across America.
Zimcode Inc. announced today that Hank Steinbrecher has joined the company as Chairman of the Advisory Board and Corporate Development Consultant. Steinbrecher’s goal is to further advance the growing portfolio of regional and national accounts for Zimcode’s TeamRunner — the online travel solution making team travel simple.
Steinbrecher comes with a wealth of experience within the soccer industry. Steinbrecher directed the Football venue for the Los Angeles Olympic Games at Harvard University. From there Steinbrecher entered the corporate world, directing the Sports Marketing activity for the Quaker Oats Company’s Gatorade Brand.
In 1990, Steinbrecher accepted the post of Secretary General of the US Soccer Federation. Steinbrecher was responsible for all US National Teams, and for the management of all US Soccer business affairs. As CEO of US Soccer, Steinbrecher was responsible for all aspects of managing a large not-for-profit sport organization with annual revenues in excess of 30 million. Steinbrecher served in senior leadership positions for the 1994 World Cup and the 1999 Women’s World Cup.
In his role at the Federation, Steinbrecher was responsible for a number of innovations, including U.S. Soccer’s relocation to Chicago, the 1993 Soccer Summit and the implementation of Project 2010 and Project Gold. Steinbrecher also served as U.S. Soccer’s point man in serving as the host federation for two incredibly successful World Cups (1994 men’s and 1999 women’s) and the 1996 Olympic Soccer Tournament.
Perhaps most importantly, though, he took a lead role in marketing the sport to potential sponsors, helping U.S. Soccer’s corporate family grow throughout the 1990s. By the end of the 1990’s, the U.S. Men had appeared in three World Cups, won a Gold Cup, finished third at two Confederations Cup and established an annual national presence by competing domestically year round in tournament’s like the Nike U.S. Cup. For the U.S. Women, success meant two Women’s World Cup crowns, an Olympic Gold Medal and a winning record unrivaled in the sport.
In 1993, Steinbrecher was at the forefront of the Soccer Summit, bringing together leaders from across the American soccer landscape to chart the course of the sports future into the next millennium. That course would eventually result in the successful 1994 World Cup and then the birth of Major League Soccer, the highest level of professional club soccer ever seen in the United States.
Steinbrecher was awarded the 2012 U.S. Soccer’s Werner Fricker Builder Award, which honors individuals who have worked tirelessly in furthering the interest of the world’s favorite sport. Recipients of the Werner Fricker Builder award proudly wear the red sports jacket.
Ziad Tleimat, CEO of Zimcode said, “Hanks wealth of experience and industry knowledge will make him a key addition in the development of TeamRunner’s customer base and valued partnerships. Our ongoing product and market development led us to look for an addition to our team who fit in with our ethos of innovation, customer service and social conscience and its very fortunate we were able to find someone of Hank’s caliber to fulfill this role.”
“TeamRunner was founded due to the trials and tribulations we experienced when arranging sports team travel for our own kids and teams,” said Colette Kuhnsman, Founder – VP Marketing.
TeamRunner’s clients include US Youth Soccer’s Cal South and various top ranked youth soccer tournaments.
RELATED ARTICLE: Less Hassle For Youth Soccer Team Travel, Cal South Strategic Partnership With TeamRunner
