After a tumultuous end to ’16, NASL was buoyed by U.S. Soccer’s decision to keep it Division II on the soccer pyramid. Now, going into the ’17 season, the league is hoping that its near-collapse has set the path toward stability and growth in the future. After the U.S. Soccer decision, NASL earlier this month announced that it would play in ’17 with eight teams, four fewer than the previous year. Also, Commissioner Bill Peterson, who had led the league since '12, is out. NASL Dir of Business Development & Legal Affairs Rishi Sehgal was promoted to interim Commissioner and is aiming to help take the league forward. "We had some challenges in 2016, and fortunately now we’ve left a lot of those challenges behind us,” Sehgal said. “A lot of it had to with our relationship with Traffic Sports, and there was a real perception of instability -- we’re excited to move forward.” Traffic Sports, whose execs were indicted as part of the investigation around fraud and corruption in world soccer, had been a significant financial investor in the league. Sehgal said that the league has completely severed any relationship with the sports marketing firm. Sehgal also noted the league needed to put more measures in place to allow for growth off the field. He said the league is currently working on guidelines for teams that will encourage more responsible spending, as well as a more rigorous vetting process for its expansion clubs and ownership groups. While Sehgal admitted some fans may be frustrated after an offseason where the league was reportedly close to shutting down, he said the response and continued investment in the league’s local markets makes him optimistic that each will see commercial growth this season.
SEARCH COMING FOR NEW COMMISH: As part of moving the league forward, NASL is planning on running a search process for a new commissioner, Sehgal said, and is currently working to identify which search firm it is going to hire for the process. The league additionally has hired Keith Bruce, who most recently served as Super Bowl 50 Host Committee CEO & President, as an exec consultant to lead its transition process. Bruce, who previously was president of SportsMark Management Group and led the agency’s FIFA World Cup business unit, will help develop the league’s strategic vision moving forward, as well as assess all aspects of the league’s operations model, commercial model and governance. He will also set the overall strategy in regards to NASL’s commissioner search, and will work alongside the league’s board and executive staff on any other business objective. Sehgal said that he also hopes the future brings a more symbiotic relationship between the NASL, MLS and USL -- which has often been contentious in the past. “We’re all better off if we pass the ball back and forth, to use a soccer reference,” he said. “There needs to be more collaboration off the field, and we have to figure out a way to better integrate all the stakeholders in U.S. soccer -- that’s something we’re open to.”
