ORLANDO, Fla. (December X, 2016) - Orlando City SC has promoted Niki Budalic to General Manager, Soccer Operations at Orlando City, Orlando Pride and Orlando City B, effective immediately, the Club announced today. Budalic previously served as assistant general manager working directly in unison with Club President and Founder Phil Rawlins.

“I want to congratulate Niki on this well-deserved promotion,” Rawlins said. “I’ve known Niki for many years, and I am confident in his work ethic, player scouting intelligence and negotiating experience, as he leads soccer operations during an important year for us in our new home stadium.”

“I am thankful for this opportunity to work even closer with our technical teams on player development and general team management,” Budalic added. “I’ve learned a lot from Phil this past year, and along with our coaches, I will continue working hard this offseason to prepare for a new campaign, a new stadium and a fresh start to 2017 for our three teams.”

Budalic joined Orlando City SC in January 2016 after serving as Director of Soccer Operations for Premier Development League side Kitchener-Waterloo United FC, which won the 2015 National Championship.

Prior to working with Kitchener-Waterloo, Budalic enjoyed a lengthy career as a professional soccer player in North America and Europe at clubs such as FK Haugesund in Norway and the Montreal Impact. The Ontario, Canada, native earned a Masters in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University and has an extensive soccer background as a scout, player representative and consultant for both men’s and women’s soccer.