IN THIS ISSUE

• 🤝 Introduction: On a career fast track

• 👨‍🎓 Soccer Thought Leaders: Zayne M. Thomajan of Gotham FC

• ⚽️ Soccer Jobs: New + interesting jobs

• ⭐️ Featured Job: Graphic Designer at FC Cincinnati

• 🫵 Do This Now: A free download to guide your research

INTRODUCTION

Hello, Pathwayers! 👋

From time to time, there are individuals that take the career fast track - the reason is usually part circumstance, part timing, but without exception, the greatest contributing factor is found in the quality of the talent, a lethal combination of ambition, intelligence, personality, and a wisdom that is usually reserved for those much more seasoned.

And today’s Soccer Thought Leader, Zayne M. Thomajan is most certainly on a career fast track.

Zayne has recently been named Gotham FC’s Chief Soccer Officer after three and a half years at Austin FC. As you’ll see from our conversation, that opportunity came only after a ton of hard work and very intentional effort.

I had the good fortune to work closely with Zayne during my time at Austin FC and was so impressed with her mindset, diverse skillset, depth of knowledge, and incredible attention to detail.

I’m confident you’ll find great value in what she has to share.

-Nolan Sheldon, Co-Founder & Chief Experience Officer

ONE CLICK POLL

Please take 11 seconds to complete our poll - your responses will help guide future decisions.

SOCCER THOUGHT LEADERS: GOTHAM FC’S ZAYNE M. THOMAJAN

Gotham FC’s new Chief Soccer Officer, Zayne M. Thomajan, has defied the traditional career timeline and experienced a fast track to club leadership - as you read her interview, you’ll understand why.

At every step of her journey, Zayne has proceeded with real intentionality and purpose, pausing at the right times to consider other options, and consistently positioning herself in ideal roles to learn, grow, and develop professionally.

Following her graduation from Harvard in 2020, Zayne accepted a position at Austin FC. Initially serving as the Special Assistant to both the club President and Sporting Director. She later transitioned into the role of Senior Manager of Business and Soccer Operations. During her time at Austin FC, she witnessed the club and roster being built from the ground up.

For her many accomplishments at Austin FC, she was recognized as a member of the 2022 class of New Voices Under 30 by Sports Business Journal.

This past December, Zayne was appointed as the Chief Soccer Officer for the reigning NWSL champions, Gotham FC. We had the chance to speak with her about her transition from college, her experiences at Austin FC and her current leadership role at Gotham FC. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Questions and answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity (and any emphasis below is ours).

PATHWAY: If you will, share a bit about your backstory in soccer. What attracted you to the sport so much that you decided to make a career out of it?

ZAYNE: I was a kid who grew up and just loved being outside, playing any sort of game, and so I grew up playing every sport. When we moved from New York to Texas, soccer very quickly became intrinsic to who I am; I was the nerd who took her soccer ball everywhere and got into watching the Premier League whenever I could get access to games. We lived in an apartment complex when we first moved to Austin, and I just was constantly outside on the ball creating different games. I was an only child, so it was just me and the ball – it has been a part of me for my whole life.

While in college, I got really sick and had to take a full academic year off. I was in a debilitating state, was in no place to be able to do my duties as a student or as an athlete - that was a real inflection point for me. I realized I didn’t want to just go do what I'm supposed to do based on my concentration and go work hundred-hour weeks on Wall Street. I wanted to do what I love and what I am passionate about and what excites me. But this was my senior year and there was no sports management major, so I was kind of at ground zero. But that was the moment where I was like, ‘I know that I want to go into football.’

PATHWAY: Your alma mater provided networking support for career tracks in law and finance, but there wasn’t anything in place for someone that wanted to pursue a career in soccer. How did you overcome that challenge and begin to build professional relationships and a network?

ZAYNE: The route at my school for when you study economics was going to Wall Street and doing finance or consulting at one of the big three in New York - McKinsey, Bain or Boston Consulting Group.

There were very few people that I knew that had gone into the sports world, let alone the soccer world from where I went to school - I was at this moment where I was like, I know I want to do this but I don't know anything about it. So I started trying to get connected with whoever I could in the industry.

Very serendipitously, I was put in contact with Tom Fox, [then President of the San Jose Earthquakes]. I didn't want to just have a conversation with him. My entire focus was to learn and absorb as much as possible from his path. So, I did at least an hour and a half of background research on him as I wanted to maximize what I was able to grab from just a phone call that could really give me context for what this path and what this career looks like. I spoke with Tom who then offered to connect me with Andy Loughnane, President of Austin FC. And again, I did the same thing. I did a deep dive into his background - I mean sheets of paper filled with details of his career path. I still remember those details to this day. I remember Andy started in sports, but then went away from sports for 10 years and came back. So I asked what are the differences that you saw from going away for a decade and now the integration of social media and all the other new developments? And I was really trying to be intentional with the time that I had with them.

PATHWAY: Prior to graduating college you completed an internship with Austin FC in business strategy. Upon graduation, the club offered you a job, but you actually came back and pitched taking on a completely different role. Tell us how those conversations went.

ZAYNE: At the conclusion of my internship in August 2019, the club offered me a role as business strategy coordinator to return upon graduation the following May. The internship was really my first foray into sports business and being in the world of soccer from a career standpoint. There were so many things from that experience that opened my eyes that I had not been familiar with. I loved who I worked with, I loved the club, and I was really excited about getting to continue to work within business strategy. But, I felt like that was so niche from a standpoint of there are so many other aspects of the business that is all so new to me and exciting to me. And I didn't want to limit myself to that. So, I held off for a very long time on accepting it - I wanted to make sure that I was making the right decision.

I knew some people from college that had begun as special assistants – so, I spoke with them to hear about their experience. As a special assistant, you get to work with club leaders and be exposed to so many different conversations, meet so many different people, and just have such a large scope of learning and getting to contribute at that level. And that was something that was really exciting and interesting to me.

So, I emailed Andy Loughnane and raised the idea of me being his special assistant and helping with different special projects. He was very supportive, but wanted the position to support the club’s Sporting Director, as well. So it was winter break, I was home - which is Austin - and I went in, chatted with Claudio Reyna [then Austin FC Sporting Director], connected with him, and then a week later he had signed off on my offer letter.

PATHWAY: And were you glad that you went that route? What were the benefits related to your professional growth?

ZAYNE: I'm so thrilled I did it. My work ended up being 80% with the Sporting Director, especially at the start, as I was based out of the training center, and I ended up loving being on the team side. When I joined full-time at that point, we didn't have a single player under contract. Our stadium was not built, our training center was not built.

For me, it was such a big thing to have been able to be part of conversations that I otherwise would not have been exposed to; it introduced new ways of thinking, new ways of considering things, and having this holistic big picture look. Because again, I didn't even at that point know exactly what direction I wanted to go within it. I knew I loved being on the team side. I knew I wanted to be in the soccer world, but I didn't know exactly in which way. So this gave me an opportunity to wear a lot of different hats and get an inside look at a lot of different departments of the club and ways of working.

PATHWAY: At Austin FC you were on a career trajectory of growth, yet decided to leave Austin FC and take a position with Gotham FC. Tell us about that decision. 

ZAYNE: I had been in this generalist role helping a lot of different departments within the soccer operations department. Then in 2023, the club’s Director of Player Personnel [Sean Rubio] became Interim Sporting Director, and I supported him closely in this role in terms of the roster management, contracts, and salary cap pieces. This was the first moment where I was like, ‘I love this. This is what I want to be doing.’ This, for me, especially studying economics in college, was the perfect fit. And then with the arrival of Rodolfo Borrell from Manchester City, as the new permanent Sporting Director – similarly, I got to be relied on in such a significant way to help him fully understand the complexity of the salary cap and roster rules in MLS.

And so when this opportunity came and talking with Yael Averbuch West [Gotham FC’s General Manager] and getting to speak about her vision and what she sees for the club, I think it's an incredibly exciting time. Obviously, they won the NWSL championship, which is incredible. But beyond that, the longer term vision that she shared with me, the league, women's soccer, and women's sports in general. And to have the opportunity to create something special and contribute to women's soccer is a super exciting thing. It just felt like the complete package. And I'm very grateful to Austin FC for every opportunity that they gave me. It just felt like a right time to take on a new challenge.

PATHWAY:  You’re four years into your professional career and you’re now in a leadership position as Chief Soccer Officer at a high performing and ambitious professional club. How do you approach this role and the leadership that is required?  

ZAYNE: I think leading is in your actions. It's how you empower people. It's how you lift people. And I recognize my age a thousand percent, but I think there are, in the last 10, 15 years, a lot of things that I've gone through in life that have forced me to grow up pretty quickly, whether it's the difficult health stuff or family stuff. And so I've always felt older than my age in a way. I think a lot of things that I've gone through have changed my priorities and what I value and how I want to spend my time.

For me, pressure is a privilege. I am excited to be able to come into a leadership role at my age and work alongside our leadership team to create something special. And I welcome the pressure.

Culture for me is everything. And it's finding the right balance of people who are high achieving, have high standards for themselves, high expectations for themselves, but also being able to create an environment where people feel safe to work, and also feel safe to be themselves and express themselves. And I think it's a hard thing to find that balance, but I think when you do, it's something special and you've got to keep an eye on that.

So, that's my goal - to contribute in any way I can as a leader to drive the standards each and every day. For me, a big saying that I stand by is ‘you are what you do every day.’ And so again, every day setting those standards and creating a space for people to come in and perform their best and for players and staff, just creating a special environment.

PATHWAY: Simply, what is your favorite thing about working in soccer?

ZAYNE: I will never forget when I got back home after my first day of my internship at Austin FC.  I went to my mom and I said, “it's amazing being in a space where people are just as much as a nerd about it as I am.” I was like, “I'm around my people and that felt great.”

Ed. note: You can connect with or follow Zayne on LinkedIn.

Go work with Zayne! Gotham FC has a few open positions right now:

• Vice President, People and Culture

• Massage Therapist

MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITY: “ASK ME ANYTHING” WITH ZAYNE M. THOMAJAN

Calling all students & early-career professionals! 

We’re thrilled that Zayne M. Thomajan has agreed to be our guest for a “Pathway Ask Me Anything” session, intended for current college students and early-career professionals. We will select eight (8) participants to join us for an exclusive 40-minute session with Zayne on Zoom. Be sure to include a fresh and creative question in your application - we will select what we believe to be the top eight questions and those individuals will receive an invitation to join us next week (Tuesday, February 5th) for what is sure to be a fun and memorable experience.

• PATHWAY ASK ME ANYTHING APPLICATION: Zayne M. Thomajan - Gotham FC [click to apply!]

SOCCER JOBS: THE MOST INTERESTING NEW JOBS IN SOCCER

Check out a few jobs that grabbed our attention this week:

• Videographer - Bay FC

• Talent Coach, Guam - FIFA

• Senior Coordinator, MLS NEXT - MLS

• Travel Director, Girls U13-U19 - Virginia Reign FC

• Senior Manager, Partnership Marketing - Rhode Island FC

• Seasonal Assistant Coach, Men’s Soccer - Harvard University

Want more? Sign up for our weekly “Pathway Jobs Newsletter” where we aggregate and share 100+ soccer jobs all in one place - and drop it into your inbox every Friday. Hooray!

DO THIS NOW: DO YOUR RESEARCH!

We know how simple this concept sounds but not everyone takes this step seriously (seriously!). 

From personal experience as an interviewee for podcasts, radio shows, and career development sessions, nothing impresses me more than when someone has done their homework and can ask intelligent, thoughtful questions about my career path. The conversation tends to be so engaging that I almost always give extra time to ensure we cover everything. And perhaps most importantly, I remember that person’s name. 

In Issue 003 of the Pathway Newsletter, we provided detailed instructions on how to prepare for an informational interview when you’ve secured time with a future manager, mentor, colleague, or collaborator. Combining that framework with insights from today’s featured guest, we’re excited to share a downloadable guide that will serve as a framework to help you conduct your research in preparation for these conversations.

We hope this will be an invaluable resource, empowering you to approach your research with intentionality, learn as much as you can, and create genuine connections with the individuals you are interviewing. 

• Download the Guide Here

We hope you find it helpful!

-John Bello, Co-founder & COO

WHEN YOU’RE READY, HERE ARE A FEW WAYS WE CAN HELP:

1. If this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up here to ensure you get every issue (sent on Wednesdays!) directly in your inbox.

2. You can subscribe to our Pathway Jobs Newsletter, which hits inboxes every Friday and lists as many new soccer jobs in North America as we can find (usually 80+ per issue!).

3. And, if you’re a club or brand looking to hire the most ambitious talent in soccer, drop us a line and we can tell you about our process, our growing talent pool, and the services we offer.

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See you next week, soccer friends. 👋

• John Bello

• Kyle Sheldon

• Nolan Sheldon