LOS ANGELES (Friday, April 21, 2023) – The LA Galaxy today announced that Galaxy Senior Vice President of Soccer & Business Operations and Business Development Tom Braun has been named to the 2023 Street and Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal’s Forty Under 40.
Braun has been with the club since 2015 and earns his first Forty Under 40 award. The achievements and accomplishments that led to Braun’s nomination include organizing and executing the inaugural Soccer Champions Tour: a nine-day, four-city summer tour with several of the most famous international soccer clubs in the world, including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Juventus, Club América and Chivas de Guadalajara. The July 2022 tour became a record-breaking success with sell-out crowds, 250,000 plus tickets sold, millions in broadcast and sponsorship revenue, and hundreds of millions of global media impressions. The tour also resulted in the all-time highest attended club soccer match in Los Angeles history, with more than 93,000 attendees filling the Rose Bowl for a match between Real Madrid and Juventus. The Houston, Texas, native also designed and launched the inaugural Coachella Valley Invitational: a first of its kind MLS preseason event on the same footprint of the iconic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Under his leadership, the event has grown from five clubs in 2022 to twelve clubs in 2023, and was open to fans for the first time this year.
Over the course of his nearly 10-year career at AEG, Tom has expanded the LA Galaxy’s brand and business in new and innovative ways, including leading the development and launch of the first-ever MLS team owned-and-operated USL club: LA Galaxy II. Braun recently led the transition of LA Galaxy II from the USL Championship to MLS NEXT Pro. Additionally, Braun supported the development and launch of the LA Galaxy Academy’s High School – a first of its kind endeavor for the club. The program combines both high-school studies and soccer training, and helps young athletes grow their knowledge and skills both on and off the field. Braun also led the acquisition of the Kinecta Soccer Center, Powered by the LA Galaxy, and the development of LA Galaxy Sports Park. Under his management, these facilities have grown into popular and profitable youth soccer destinations for the Torrance and Carson community. Notably, Braun established a new division within AEG focused on Soccer Business Development. This growing team is generating new revenue streams within domestic and international soccer and is expanding the influence of AEG on the global stage.
Braun is a graduate of the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and received his MBA from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. Prior to joining the LA Galaxy, Braun worked in Analytics & Research for AEG Sports. Before moving to Los Angeles, Braun was an Associate Vice President of Institutional Equity Sales at FBR Capital Markets in Washington, D.C.
Representing teams and leagues, agencies and media companies, and working across sectors such as finance, law, sports betting and analytics, Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Class of 2023 exemplifies excellence in the industry. Their work and accomplishments are driving sports business to new heights. All 2023 honorees will be featured in the June 26 issue of SBJ, where the stories of their careers and successes are told. They also will be recognized at our annual Forty Under 40 gala on Oct. 20 at The Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. This is the 24th year of SBJ’s Forty Under 40 program.
