Director of Partnerships (Hybrid)

Director of Partnerships

Job Description and Scope of Work

The following is a description of the Director of Partnerships role in selling and fulfilling sponsorships for Arete Sports Group (ASG), a sports property with a growing portfolio that includes The Picklr, USL Long Island League One professional soccer team (a placeholder brand), SUSA FC youth soccer academy and the National Women’s Pickleball Association (NWPA) and its affiliates. This position is open to be immediately filled and will report directly to the CEO.

Arete Sports Group operates, advises and invests in sports properties and sports tech companies. In this role you will serve as the Director of Partnerships as the head sales and department lead for ASG which includes multiple sport properties in its portfolio and growing. This portfolio currently includes The Picklr CrossCourt PC suite of clubs (multi-unit franchise owner-operator), USL Long Island, SUSA FC and the National Woman’s Pickleball Association

The Picklr (owned) -- Sponsorship Sales Approach

Picklr CrossCourt PC (CCPC) is a franchisee of the Picklr which is the industry leading national brand that was recently named a Top 10 Wellness Brand by Time Magazine. Picklr CrossCourt has the exclusive territorial rights across Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens and throughout different counties in New Jersey. Currently, Picklr Cross Court has 2 open clubs and are soon to open 2 more by the end of this year with an acquisition path to get Picklr CrossCourt to 10 clubs by 2027. The two clubs that are currently open are #1 and #2 in local sponsorship sales across the entire Picklr network (70+ clubs).

The Director of Partnerships run all aspects of the sponsorship lifecycle for The Picklr: research → outreach → pitch development → negotiation → corporate contract generation → fulfillment → relationship management → renewals. The approach follows a sports-property model: rather than selling one-off advertising, the Director of Partnerships packages the club as a sports property platform and sells integrated partnerships across both digital and physical assets. Digital assets include social media posts and series, newsletter features, and co-promoted content; physical assets include in-club signage, event title sponsorships, on-site activations, and physical presence at tournaments and open plays. Packages are built to be comprehensive and collaborative — the Director of Partnerships works with each sponsor to custom build assets around their business objectives rather than selling from a fixed rate card.

The Director of Partnerships is the point of contact who understands each sponsor's brand and audience, protects category exclusivity, and keeps partners engaged to optimize partnership deals and renewals. 

The in-person club visit is the central selling tool and similar to selling stadium/venue assets: the physical space during busy programming is the strongest pitch, so the Director of Partnerships targets high-activity times and send partners home with printed materials. Fulfillment is collaborative — The Director of Partnerships integrate the sponsor's brand into the club experience across all contracted assets, run kickoff meetings, and coordinate the partnership rollout.

USL Long Island (USL League One expansion team) (client) -- Sponsorship Sales & Approach

An expansion professional soccer club on Long Island at the USL League One level announced in August 2026 and competing in the early 2028 season. USL Long Island will serve one of the largest, demographically robust, and most soccer-dense U.S. markets that is ripe for a pro club of its own: 2.8M+ residents, top-tier household income, 60,000+ registered youth players, and deep immigrant and second-generation soccer communities

The Director of Partnerships run most aspects of the sponsorship sales lifecycle for USL Long Island as a client: research → outreach → pitch development → meetings → negotiation → fulfillment → relationship management → renewals. Because USL Long Island is a client rather than an internal team, the Director of Partnerships holds regular check-in meetings with the USL Long Island team to share pipeline progress, propose ideas for new sellable assets, loop in the right stakeholders, and get approvals on proposals, targets, and deal terms before taking them to market.

The Director of Partnerships again applies the same sports-property model: rather than selling traditional advertising, the person packages the club as a platform to reach its highly engaged fan base and the Long Island market. The Director of Partnerships sell integrated partnerships across digital and physical assets to include club title sponsor, jersey/kit sponsor and in stadium assets. Digital assets include social content, newsletter features, and co-promoted campaigns; physical assets include field and facility signage, event and tournament title sponsorships, and on-site activations at games and events. Packages are built around each sponsor's objectives with an emphasis on partners who want to engage with a highly loyal captive audience.

The Director of Partnerships manages these relationships and serves as each sponsor's day-to-day contact, learning their brand and audience, guarding category exclusivity, and keeping partners engaged so they renew. Live game days and events are the central selling tool. Fulfillment is collaborative: The Director of Partnerships integrates each sponsor's brand across all contracted assets in coordination with the USL Long Island team and run the partnership rollout.

SUSA FC (client) -- Sponsorship Sales & Approach

SUSA FC is Long Island’s largest soccer academy with soccer sophisticated development and academy programs ranging for youth up to 18 years old and is the only academy which also owns its physical training facility so the most robust soccer academy in the region. In addition to the youth programs, SUSA FC has a Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPSL) team, which is hosted at the SUSA Complex; the largest youth soccer complex on Long Island. SUSA FC has over 1,600 carded players and affiliate clubs with thousands of additional youth players following our development model

The Director of Partnerships runs most aspects of the sponsorship sales lifecycle for SUSA FC as a client: research → outreach → pitch development → meetings → negotiation → fulfillment → relationship management → renewals. Because SUSA is a client rather than an owned property, the Director of Partnerships holds regular check-in meetings with the SUSA team to share pipeline progress, propose ideas for new sellable assets, loop in the right stakeholders, and get approvals on proposals, targets, and deal terms before taking them to market.

The Director of Partnerships applies a similar sports-property model: rather than selling one-off advertising, the person packages the club as a platform to reach its highly engaged network of families and players. The Director of Partnerships sells integrated partnerships across digital and physical assets. Digital assets include social content, newsletter features, and co-promoted campaigns; physical assets include field and facility signage, event and tournament title sponsorships, and on-site activations at games and events. Packages are built around each sponsor's objectives with an emphasis on partners whose products fit a youth-soccer and family audience.

The Director of Partnerships manages these relationships and serves as each sponsor's day-to-day contact, learning their brand and audience, guarding category exclusivity, and keeping partners engaged so they renew. Live game days and events are the central selling tool. Fulfillment is collaborative: The Director of Partnerships integrates each sponsor's brand across all contracted assets in coordination with the SUSA team and run the partnership rollout.

National Women's Pickleball Association (NWPA) (client) -- Sponsorship Sales Approach

+ National Women’s Pickleball Foundation & National Women’s Pickleball League affiliate assets.

NATIONAL WOMEN’S PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION (NWPA) Headquartered in Palm Beach County, Florida, and founded in 2024, the National Women’s Pickleball Association (NWPA) is the premier governing body and membership organization dedicated to empowering female athletes through pickleball. NWPA promotes physical fitness, lifelong wellness, and fair play by cultivating a vibrant, welcoming community. Through inclusive programming, competitive events, educational initiatives, and national advocacy, NWPA inspires confidence and resilience in women of all ages, driving the future of female participation in the nation's fastest-growing sport.

NATIONAL WOMEN’S PICKLEBALL LEAGUE (NWPL) Owned and operated by the NWPA; the National Women’s Pickleball League (NWPL) is the competitive and social playing arm of the association.

NATIONAL WOMEN’S PICKLEBALL FOUNDATION (NWPF) The National Women’s Pickleball Foundation (NWPF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to leveraging pickleball for social good, community health, and empowerment. Established in 2024, NWPF mobilizes an extensive volunteer network of certified pros, coaches, and players to deliver adaptive programming for underserved youth, individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, and senior populations

As the partner selling NWPA as a client, The Director of Partnerships runs the full cycle from research and outreach through pitch, negotiation, contract, and renewal for the Association, Foundation and League platforms platform and the audience it brings together: sponsors are associating their brand with the growth of women's pickleball. The Director of Partnerships build integrated packages across digital reach (social campaigns, newsletter features, co-promoted content) and live presence (event title and presenting sponsorships, on-site activations, and visibility at tournaments and Foundation events).

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2–3 years of sponsorship sales experience within sports, media, or a related field
• Established relationships and network within the sports and sponsorship community
• Strong negotiation and presentation skills, with the ability to represent the brand confidently in front of decision-makers
• Bachelor's degree preferred

Compensation

• Commensurate with experience