KAY RAWLINS

CLUB FOUNDER & SVP OF COMMUNITY & SOCIAL IMPACT, ORLANDO CITY/ORLANDO PRIDE, ORLANDO

Orlando City Soccer Club was founded in 2011 and has been a Major League Soccer team since 2015. Orlando Pride joined the National Women’s Soccer League in 2016. Together, the two teams employ more than 200 and play an active role in the Central Florida community through volunteerism, support for local nonprofits and board service. “We focus on health and wellness and have an extensive youth soccer system, encompassing recreational all the way up through academy and reserve teams,” Rawlins says. She’s one of the founding members of the local chapter of WISE — Women In Sports & Events. It provides support, mentorship, networking and the opportunity to interact with women across a wide variety of sports.

EDUCATION: Radbrook College, U.K. (BS)

FIRST JOB: I left school at 17 during a particularly rebellious time of my life and went to work in a large bank in the U.K. There were over 100 employees, and the majority were young like me. It provided an excellent social life as well as invaluable experience of dealing with people.

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: I would love to have a travel program where I get to go to amazing countries and report back! My children have lived in six different countries, and I’ve joined them in their extensive travels — there’s always more places I want to visit!

MENTEE IMPACT: As part of the WISE mentoring program, I began mentoring a young woman in the golf industry. She was eager to learn and when she was struggling with her work situation, we spent time discussing pros and cons of staying in her current job or taking the leap and moving. She took the leap and is now thriving in her new role.

INDUSTRY TREND
“The increase in support and sponsorship of women’s sports is the biggest trend — sponsorship is growing 50% faster than men’s and exceeding ROI expectations.”