When Kate Solomon became FC Cincinnati’s Director of Marketing & Community Engagement prior to the club’s inaugural season, getting up to speed with the sport was one of the first things on her agenda.

“Not a ton,” Solomon said during the 2016 USL Winter Summit about her soccer knowledge prior to the season. “I’ve always been a big sports fan. I really knew less on the soccer side, but I’ve learned a lot. It’s been a lot of fun. I love it. It’s so fast-paced, and there’s always something going on, which makes it a lot of fun.”

While her knowledge of the sport may have been lacking at first, the experience she brought to the role with the new club more than made up for it. Having worked with FCC President Jeff Berding at the Cincinnati Bengals for six years, Solomon’s understanding of what made fans in the city connect proved invaluable as the club roared into the USL with record-breaking attendance figures.

Not bad for someone who wasn’t necessarily considering a career in sports business when she was at the University of Dayton.

“I didn’t really think about a career in sports until I was at a baseball game my sophomore or junior year of college, and then it just clicked for me that this could be a potential avenue,” said Solomon. “Once I realized that, I pursued it, but I was a marketing major, business degree. I certainly didn’t take the standard sports management route.”