At our September event, Louisville City Football Club President Brad Estes shared an inside look at the journey of a pro sports startup in a college town. He talked about the emergence of professional soccer in the United States, the planning and effort behind bringing a club to Louisville, the logistics of building a stadium, and the latest news about Lou City.
A Louisville native, Brad Estes has served multi-billion-dollar corporations and closely held family businesses with a finance and operating background before leading his hometown’s top professional sports franchise. As president of Soccer Holdings LLC, Estes oversees both the USL Championship club Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC, a 2021 newcomer to the top-tier National Women’s Soccer League.
Estes’ career includes stops as Chief Financial Officer of Smoothstone IP Communications, Vice President of Finance for Trilogy Health Services and President of Neace Ventures. After assisting the club as a consultant for a year, Estes signed on with Soccer Holdings full time in 2017. The St. Xavier High School graduate received his accounting degree from Marshall University while playing football for the Thundering Herd. Estes completed his education in 2002 with an MBA from the University of Louisville.
