Atlanta’s NWSL team hires Deandra Duggans as Vice President and Chief Business Officer

Atlanta’s 2028 NWSL team keeps adding building blocks to the foundation it’s laying for what fans hope will be a repeat of the successful launch Atlanta United had in 2017. The organization announced today that they’ve named Deandra Duggans as the club’s Vice President and Chief Business Officer. Duggans will report to newly appointed President of Football, Mauricio Culebro.

Duggans will be running the day-to-day business side of the club. That essentially means marketing, sales, sponsorship, digital, community, and basically everything that isn’t the soccer itself. AMBSE is calling her the “central architect” of the club’s long-term vision, covering growth, governance, culture, and community engagement. She actually steps into the role on Wednesday, April 15.

Duggans has over 15 years in sports and entertainment brand building. Most recently she was Chief Marketing Officer of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA, where she picked up 2025 Executive of the Year at the Black Sports Business Symposium. Before Vegas, she spent six seasons as director of advertising and branding for the Baltimore Ravens, and before that, five years with Events DC on the marketing side. She’s a DC native with a bachelor’s from NC State and a master’s in sports administration from Georgia State, so she has Atlanta ties already.

“We’re excited to have Deandra on board NWSL Atlanta 2028 as we continue to lay the foundation of our newest club,” said AMBSE Chief Executive Officer Rich McKay. “Deandra has an extremely impressive background spanning multiple professional
sports leagues. Her passion for building sports and entertainment brands is evident, and her clear vision for the future of NWSL Atlanta 2028 made her the perfect candidate for our Chief Business Officer position. I’d like to thank our search committee and Sportsology Group for their time and dedication throughout this process.”

The number that screams Atlanta soccer, though, is what she pulled off in Vegas. Under her marketing leadership, the Aces became the first WNBA team in league history to sell out every single one of their 20 regular season home games, which they did in 2024. According to AMBSE, the Aces have now sold out every regular season home game for three consecutive seasons, which is another league first. For a club like NWSL Atlanta 2028 that’s trying to build something from the ground up in a new market, despite Atlanta United’s early success, this kind of leadership is crucial.

“I’m thrilled to join NWSL Atlanta 2028 and the AMB Sports and Entertainment family,” said Duggans. “I have admired the work they’ve done – not only building Atlanta United and the Falcons – but building Atlanta as a premier sports city and the epicenter of soccer in the United States. I’m excited to be part of launching the NWSL property under the umbrella of AMBSE at such a special time for the league and women’s sports. I look forward to carrying out Arthur Blank’s vision in building this club into one of the premier clubs on and off the pitch, driving community impact and joining in pushing the league to greater heights.”

We reported back around when NWSL Atlanta 2028 was announced that it would be a bit of a slow burn as AMBSE built this team brick by brick. With news about a likely training site and the inaugural kit sponsor already in place, it was the next natural step to see the front office staff begin to trickle in.

Let us know down below what you think of the move!