Steve Livingstone

Steve Livingstone
Head of Global Sports
Nepa

With over 25 years' experience in professional sports, Steve Livingstone has worked in all areas of the sports industry, on both sides of the Atlantic, with some of the world's leading sports brands and organizations, including the National Football League, United States Soccer Federation, Scottish Football Association, Scottish Rugby Union, North American Soccer League, United Soccer League and Copa America.
Steve currently heads up the global sports division of leading consumer science and market research firm, Nepa, and recently spearheaded the Swedish-based company's launch into the U.S. market.
Previously, Livingstone helped guide the USL's Louisville City F.C. to significant growth in attendance, ticket sales and sponsorship revenue as Consultant/COO during the club's USL Championship-winning season in 2017. He also assisted in the development of Lou City's new 11,000-seat stadium project at Butchertown while also advising two USL expansion club's in Hartford, CT and Omaha, NE.
 
Prior to consulting with USL clubs, Livingstone was part of the Copa America Centenario USA tournament in 2016 as the managing director of the Orlando venue at Camping World Stadium. Livingstone directed the conversion of the Citrus Bowl in Orlando from an artificial pro turf surface to a FIFA/CONCACAF compliant grass surface for the Copa America tournament. He recruited and led a 30-strong staff and coordinated over 300 volunteers in record time, working closely with the City of Orlando, Florida Sports Commission, the Host Committee and Orlando Venues to produce a successful host venue which featured three international matches played in five days and the management, organization and security of six visiting men's national teams from Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Haiti, Panama and Paraguay.
 
From 2013 to 2016, Livingstone helped establish and build one of the NASL's most successful expansion clubs, Jacksonville Armada F.C.. At the Armada, he directed the brand and competitive launch of the club, which debuted in front of over 14,000 against the MLS' Philadelphia Union at EverBank Field on February 7, 2015; and set a modern-day NASL regular season attendance record of 16,164 against FC Edmonton on April 4. He was hired as the club's first employee and went on to recruit and build a front office staff of 25.
 
During the Armada's Inaugural season, the club attracted an attendance of over 160,000, (averaging over 8,000 per match for 20 matches) and successfully partnered with over 70 local, national and international sponsors including Nike, Coca Cola and Winn-Dixie. He was also instrumental in organizing a mid-season friendly at EverBank Field in Jacksonville with the storied Argentinian club, Boca Juniors – a match that was broadcast to over eleven million on FOX Sports Latin America. Operationally, he successfully directed over a dozen turf conversions of the Baseball Fields at Jacksonville from baseball field to soccer pitch.
 
Born and raised in the East End of Glasgow, Scotland, Livingstone began his professional sports career in media and journalism, where he was a soccer writer, producer and editor with several national media outlets from 1990-1996 covering the Scottish and English Premier Leagues, the Champions League and the NFL. He “jumpedâ€ï†ï† the football fence in 1997 to join the NFL Europe (formerly World League) Scottish Claymores, moving up through the organization to become the youngest general manager/managing director in the NFL in 2000 at the age of 32.
 
Livingstone emigrated to the United States at the end of 2004, settling his family in Jacksonville, Florida, before beginning a nine-season appointment with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Jaguars, he helped direct the club's business development and marketing efforts from 2005-2013 and was responsible for generating over $50M in sales revenue annually. Livingstone led staffs that set record attendances and revenues for the Jaguars in the 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011 seasons despite indifferent performances on the field and a tough economy off it. The Jaguars were also recognized consistently as the #1 team in the NFL for Fan Experience from 2005-2013.
 
Steve, who holds joint U.S./U.K. citizenship, resides in St. John's, Florida, with his wife Jeanine and their two daughters.