BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Notre Dame College (Ohio) men’s and women’s water polo coach and Ohio University men’s collegiate club athlete Matt Kittle was part of the team that helped SoFI Stadium claim honors as the 2024 Sports Business Journal Sports Facility of the Year.
The award marks the third Stadium of the Year award for SoFi Stadium in the past 12 months following similar honors from Pollstar and Billboard.
The three-year-old stadium, which has a $2.5 billion in contractually obligated income, was ranked No. 1 on Pollstar’s Year End Worldwide Top 100 Stadiums list based on gross revenue with $172 million. This includes Beyoncé’s three September concerts that grossed a total of $45.54 million and six sold-out Taylor Swift nights in August, where SoFi also co-starred in the Taylor Swift Eras Tour Disney film.
Promoted to Senior Vice President of Business Operations at SoFI Stadium and Hollywood Park in 2021, Kittle oversees all day-to-day business functions of SoFi Stadium, Hollywood Park, and YouTube Theater. Hollywood Park’s Human Resources, Marketing, Communications, and Community Affairs functions report into him.
Hollywood Park is a near 300-acre sports and entertainment destination built by Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. SoFi Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, is the centerpiece of the development, and YouTube Theater, located under the same roof canopy as the National Football League (NFL) stadium, is a newly opened 6,000-seat venue for concerts, entertainment and more.
A former member of the Ohio University men’s collegiate club water polo team and a three-time graduate of the institution with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (2004), a Master of Business Administration (2008) and a Masters of Sports Administration (2009), Kittle previously served as a Business and Organizational Advisor for SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park from 2018 until his promotion to Senior Vice President of Business Operations in 2021.
An former adjunct professor of Professional Studies in the Masters in Sports Industry Management program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Kittle previously worked for TeamWork Online, a sports job website, as Director of New Business and Marketing Partnerships (2009-2012) and Chief Growth Officer (2012-2015).
Kittle served as head coach at Notre Dame from 2011 until resigning in 2013 due to work commitments.
