The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that Golden Baseball League (GBL) founder David Kaval has been named the president of the club. Current president Michael Crowley has been elevated to managing director of the Earthquakes. Kaval will oversee both the business and technical sides of the club and report directly to Crowley, who has served as the Earthquakes president since the team returned to MLS in 2006.
“David brings a wealth of experience and leadership from a very diverse background to this position,” said Crowley. “He has a proven track record of success and we think that he is a great fit for our organization. I needed to take a step back from the day-to-day operations and I felt like now was the perfect time for that move.”
Kaval, 34, comes to the Earthquakes after six successful seasons with the independent GBL, a league that he founded with a fellow Stanford Business School graduate in 2003. The league currently includes 10 teams in three different countries. Kaval was responsible for raising the initial capital to get the league launched and attracting a number of investors from around the country for the venture. He also negotiated a number of major corporate partnerships, including the league naming rights agreement.
“I am very excited to join the San Jose Earthquakes and I would like to thank (Earthquakes owner) Lew Wolff and Michael Crowley for the opportunity,” said Kaval. “Soccer is experiencing a great deal of growth right now in this country and in the Bay Area in particular. The Earthquakes have built a great organization both on the field and on the business side and I am looking forward to joining this team.”
With the GBL, Kaval proved his skill in international negotiations, creating partnerships with the Samurai Bears (Japan) and the Chinese National Team, while working with teams in Canada and Mexico as well. Over 100 players from the GBL have been signed to Major League Baseball contracts and Kaval was also able sign such big names as Ricky Henderson, Jose Canseco, Jose Lima and Hideki Irabu to GBL contracts. Current San Francisco Giants pitcher Sergio Romo and Boston Red Sox outfielder Daniel Nava are GBL alumni.
Prior to founding the GBL, he spent time working on the budget for national security for the Office of the President of the United States. He also worked as the Director of Business Development for Sparks.com and as a Business Analyst for Accenture.
Kaval authored the book, The Summer That Saved Baseball, which was originally published in 2000. The book highlighted a tour of all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums in the summer of 1998 and is now in its second printing. He currently serves as a Director of the Workforce Investment Board in San Mateo County and frequently guest lectures at the Stanford Business School.
Transaction: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) – Earthquakes name Michael Crowley Managing Director. Earthquakes name David Kaval President.
