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NAME: John Guppy
POSITION: President/CEO
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Chicago Fire President and General Manager John Guppy enters his fourth season in Chicago overseeing all aspects of soccer and business operations after being named President on April 11, 2005.
During his tenure, the Fire has been a consistent MLS Cup contender, making the playoffs each season and narrowly falling short in two Eastern Conference Final appearances. In 2006, a championship trophy was historically captured, when the Fire defeated the Los Angles Galaxy to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at TOYOTA PARK. This victory gave the Fire the Open Cup title for an MLS record-breaking fourth time.
Success on the field has been accompanied by landmark developments off the field. Guppy successfully steered the club's move into the spectacular $98 million TOYOTA PARK, and in short time established a well-rounded business foundation for the Fire. The Chicago Fire achieved record attendance levels in 2007, playing before an average crowd of 16,489 - 82% of capacity.
On January 15, 2008, the Fire announced a groundbreaking partnership with Best Buy, making the blue-chip consumer electronics franchise the team's first-ever jersey sponsor. This unique multi-million dollar partnership has helped the Fire achieve unprecedented levels of corporate support.
Substantial business development has provided the Fire with the resources to invest in the future of the club. One of Guppy's highlight accomplishments was the launch of the Chicago Fire Academy - a fully-funded development program for the most promising youth players within the Chicagoland area.
Guppy's work with the Fire has not gone unnoticed, as he was listed as one of Crain's Chicago Business's "40 Under 40" in its annual review of the city's youngest movers and shakers in 2006.
A native of Winchester, England, Guppy, arrived in Chicago having spent the previous five seasons with the MetroStars. In his role as Executive Vice President, he oversaw all of the team's commercial endeavors, including Corporate Sponsorships, Ticket Sales, Marketing & Advertising, and Broadcasting.
Prior to joining the MetroStars, Guppy, spent more than two years as Group Director of Octagon Marketing in Connecticut, responsible for the sales & marketing of U.S. Youth Soccer, USA Track & Field, and the Air Force Millrose Games. He also spent seven years (1992-1998) with Soccer USA Partners, managing the organization's relationship with the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Guppy spent several years in the youth system of English club Southampton FC before coming to the U.S. to earn a B.S. in Business Administration from New Hampshire College in 1990. The two-time All-American later received his Master in Sports Management degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1992 while acting as the Assistant Coach for the Men's soccer program.
Guppy and his wife Carla currently reside in Naperville, Ill., with their three children - Ella (9), Ian (7) and Julia (3).
