ATLANTA, USA // Sarah Kate “Skate” Noftsinger serves as Senior Director of Marketing & Fan Engagement for Atlanta United, the Major League Soccer expansion club in Atlanta owned by Arthur Blank’s Family of Businesses. She began her role in October 2015 and leads all marketing and engagement functions inclusive of strategic planning, creative strategy, content, e-sports, media buying, CRM, brand development, activations and events, licensing, matchday entertainment, and more. Her leadership and team’s work have been recognized most recently with 2018 MLS Digital Team of the Year, 2018 MLS Retail Team of the Year, 2018 MLS Supporter Experience Team of the Year, 2018 MLS Operations Team of the Year, 2018 MAX Winner – Marketing Award for Excellence, 2018 Sports Business Journal Team of the Year Finalist, 2018 AMY Award Winner – Web and Interactive Marketing/Consumer Engagement, and 2018 Shorty Award Finalist – Social media. In 2017, she was named MLS Marketing Executive of the Year as well as 2017 MLS Marketing Team of the Year, which is the first time in MLS’ 22-year history that a club has ever won both awards in the same year.
The club has set multiple league records including season tickets sales (36,000-plus), single-game attendance (72,243), single-season average (53,002) and total home attendance (901,033). In 2018, Atlanta United attendance average of 53,002 , ranks 14th in the world in attendance, and is more than any NHL, MLB, MLS or NBA team. In addition, Atlanta United is ranked #1 in retail in MLS for the second year in a row.
She is on the Board of Directors for Elite Clubs National League, serves on the Brand Council for Arthur Blank’s Family of Businesses, which includes the Atlanta Falcons (NFL), Mercedes-Benz Stadium, PGA Tour Superstores, Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, and Atlanta United. Prior to joining Atlanta United, Noftsinger served as the Commissioner for the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) for six years where she grew the league to include 79 ECNL member clubs across the country and more than 10,000 players. It is the nation’s top soccer league for young women and is a breeding ground for the U.S. Women’s National Team.
“Skate” was the 1997-98 Gatorade Virginia Girls Soccer Player of the Year, an all-American, All-ACC midfielder at Wake Forest University and became the first female student-athlete to be drafted by a professional sports team when she was drafted by the Washington Freedom in 2002. Following a career-ending neck injury, Noftsinger served as Developmental Assistant Coach for the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team in the 2006 World Cup, and as Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach at Stanford University.
She is the co-founder of Inspire Transformation, which identifies and supports aspiring local leaders internationally to establish locally sustainable team and community-based programs using sport and culturally relevant activities to generate positive social change. Her work has been featured on the front page of The New York Times, ESPN and more.