For Major League Soccer, expansion is a hot topic not only nationally but also in the league’s Manhattan headquarters.
Ahead of the new season, the league recently completed a nearly two-year project to move into an additional 33,000 square feet in its Fifth Avenue offices.
The project, led by Chief Administrative Officer JoAnn Neale with assistance from the league’s senior director of facilities, Luis Acevedo, and senior vice president of information technology, John Sullivan, has moved the league’s business ventures and digital operations teams onto the floor beneath the rest of the league’s staff. Those 190 employees had been split between a different floor in the building and a satellite office across the street.
The new space embraces the open-office concept, moving away from cubicles to the flexibility of shared workspaces to encourage collaboration.
The new design also reflects elements of the league’s rebrand in 2014, with design cues taken from its new, more understated logo. There was also an effort to pay homage to the game of soccer — without overdoing it. No green “pitch” carpet with white lines here.
“We tried to pull out pieces of the game and our league in an authentic way and showcase that in the office — but at the same time, not have it be cheesy,” Neale said.
ALL PHOTOS BY DAN CHEATHAM / MLS
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The conference rooms bear the names of key terms and players.
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Images line the open workspace.
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Designs referencing the league’s teams mark the walls.
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Collaboration space
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Photos from MLS Works projects
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The design on the clear doors of meeting rooms and other spaces draws on the “slash” in the MLS shield.
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