Jim Frevola: Keeping His Eye on the Ball

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To say that Jim Frevola loves sports is an understatement. From his days in Florida as a high school tennis player, his love for the Yankees and his first job as a minor league baseball announcer, to his long career on the business side of sports, Frevola loves every game.

Frevola helped start the NHL's second newest franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights, in 2017. It was there that he helped build a solid foundation that enabled the young team to win its first championship in just six seasons.

He's recently hopped across the pond to bring his knack for results to the world of British soccer. Frevola is currently the president of business operations for AFC Bournemouth, a 125-year-old soccer club that is part of England’s Premier Football League.

He's also held executive positions with teams across the NHL, NFL, MLB and UFC.

Frevola recently joined Amit Mahajan, City National Bank’s head of Corporate Sports Finance, for a conversation about finding business success in the world of professional sports.

 

Hitting It Out of the Park From the Start

Frevola’s childhood dream was to be the play-by-play announcer for the Yankees. In his student days at the University of Miami, he volunteered for the campus radio station and did the play-by-play for all the sports teams.

“When I was hired to do play-by-play in Sioux City for the minor league team, I had the choice of a part-time job as the announcer with the expectation that I would bartend in the off season, or a full-time job selling tickets and sponsorships when I wasn't announcing,” Frevola said. “I took the full-time option and that’s how my business career started.”

Frevola credits his sales training in Sioux City with starting the ball rolling all the way to his current position in the U.K. The only major league he hasn’t worked for is basketball, although he said he likes that sport, too.

After Sioux City, he worked for the Marlins baseball team in Miami, who shared a stadium with the Dolphins.

“When I was offered a job with the Dolphins, it was an easy family decision to make,” Frevola said. “In baseball, there are 81 home games per season, but there are only 10 home games in football. I rode a golf cart with my office supplies from one side of the stadium to the other when I took the Dolphins job.”

Another career highlight was working with Bill Foley in Las Vegas to start the Golden Knights franchise.

“When I worked for the UFC in Vegas 2011, I thought it was a great place to live and to raise a family, but it needed sports,” Frevola said. “Every sports franchise that’s in Vegas now owes Bill a big thank you because his bringing hockey there allowed the NFL to see Vegas as a market, the NBA and now maybe baseball will come there, too.”

 

Skills that Work With Any Kind of Ball

During his time with the Golden Knights, Frevola said the franchise was in the top five for revenue, sponsorships and ticketing. Their success helped demonstrate that the Vegas area was ready to be a premier sports destination.

“The big lesson we learned is that you don’t let your market size dictate who you are or your success,” he said.

Now that Frevola works with AFC Bournemouth, he's been catapulted into a new world of sports fandom.

“It’s wild, like a communal love affair for the sport, the town and the players,” he said.

While Bournemouth has earned a place in one of the most elite soccer leagues in the world, its size is in stark contrast to the giants of the league. While some of the largest clubs have massive stadiums that seat 60,000 or more people, Bournemouth's grounds hold 11,300.

This size difference means that Bournemouth needs its leaders to make shrewd business decisions that maintain the club's financial stability. Frevola's focus since joining the team has been growing the club's reach far beyond Bournemouth, England.

In the U.K., team success is tied to the business success of the franchise. If the team doesn’t do well, it could be relegated to the lower championship league, which would mean financial losses of sponsorships and distribution support.

“In order for this club to grow and play in Europe and compete against teams like Manchester United, we must grow beyond our borders, build our fan base and raise our profile,” Frevola said.

What's one plan to keep Bournemouth competitively and financially at the top? The team is constructing a state-of-the-art training ground where players can develop their talents.

Additionally, the team is looking to expand its fanbase by playing exhibition matches outside of England. The club recently announced it'll be training and playing exhibition matches in California this summer.

 

Lessons for a Solid Sports Career

The sports world, including football, hockey, basketball, baseball and soccer, is a small community, Frevola said.

“That’s the best part about it,” he said. “There are only about 150 elite sports businesses in the world, compared to about 150 law firms in Miami. The ownership is concentrated too, so everyone knows each other.”

That tightknit community means that reputation becomes even more important, he said.

“You have to do everything the right way every day,” Frevola said. “If you lose your reputation, you won’t work in sports again.”

For people who aspire to a career on the business side of sports, Frevola recommends learning how to sell sponsorships and tickets, even if they want to go into marketing or analytics or general management for a sports team.

Networking and staying in touch with people are even more important to build a strong sports business career, he said.

“If you’re an intern or in a job, ask advice of every senior leader and stay in touch after you leave,” Frevola said. “The sports world is interconnected. Almost every day I talk to someone in the NHL, NFL, MLB, MBA or college sports. If someone is looking for a job, I can usually connect them.”

You can catch the rest of the conversation between Jim Frevola and Amit Mahajan by listening to the full podcast above.