St. Louis Trailblazer and Sports Entrepreneur Khalia Collier Joins St. Louis CITY SC

A community champion, Khalia Collier joins St. Louis CITY SC as the Vice President of Community Relations, a role that will be essential in helping the team deliver on its promise to be an exceptional club and neighbor. The St. Louis native comes to the team with years of sports management and community building experience from taking on the challenge of building the first sustainable women’s professional basketball team in St. Louis as owner and general manager of the St. Louis Surge since 2011.

For nearly a decade, Collier has transformed the culture around the St. Louis Surge beyond basketball, while building a bond between the community and the team. With Collier stepping into her new position with CITY and continuing on as the owner of The Surge, she plans to seize this unique opportunity to unite the St. Louis region through the power of sports while leading with intentional, inclusive and equitable actions for the community.

“The athletic world, often divided, has a unique but important connective tissue that truly binds people and communities together, both across and within societies. I know how much this region has to offer. I’ve seen it firsthand while working side by side with the community,” said Collier. “Now, joining the first majority female-owned club in MLS and the newest professional team in St. Louis, I cannot wait to see how this further pushes our community forward. I have a philosophy – Don’t Just Play the Game. Change It. – which I plan to practice by connecting our city and region through passion and purpose.”

Beyond the business of sports, Collier is drawn to the humanness of sports. She has proven that in her leadership at The Surge through her unique ability to care for the team beyond winning games. She will incorporate this unique leadership as she builds her new position with CITY. By channeling her passion of sports management and community development together, Collier will push the new Major League Soccer team forward and redefine winning through community impact and outreach.

“Khalia’s drive and passion to create transformative change in St. Louis is incredibly rare. She truly loves our City and that shines through when you see the way she motivates and empowers her Surge players to be leaders in the community, on and off the court,” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, Chief Executive Officer for St. Louis CITY SC. “A sense of community has been at the heart of everything our ownership group and team have done since day one, and I firmly believe there’s no one better than Khalia to take the reins and lead our community development.”

Collier’s hire builds on CITY’s impressive run of recent senior hires. The team continues to be committed to developing a best-in-class club, both on and off the pitch.

To stay up to date with St. Louis CITY SC, visit STLCITYSC.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Contact

Sam Cosner
sam@stlcitysc.com
314-339-7136

Related Resources

• Major League Soccer Stadium Project