On Tuesday morning, Quakes COO Jared Shawlee spoke on Zoom with a small group of reporters to talk about the club’s search for a new General Manager and detail two new infrastructure projects. It was the first official update from the business side of the Front Office in many months, and a good sign that they are moving forward after the departures of President Tom Fox and General Manager Jesse Fioranelli.
New Training Center at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
The club’s biggest project is their plan for a new long-term home and fully integrated training center for the first team and academy.
Said Shawlee: “We have been working with the Santa Clara County fairgrounds and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for going on two years now on a project at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. That project is moving forward to a vote with the Board of Supervisors on August 17th. It’s a project we are really excited about and it’s one we think will continue to grow and shape both our first team and our academy.”
Currently, the first team trains on a field adjacent to PayPal Park and the academy plays on a number of fields across the South Bay, which is logistically challenging. A new training center would allow them all to train under one roof and could help attract more talented players at all levels.
“The biggest constraint we have right now is field space,” said Shawlee.
“This complex calls for eight fields in total: two for the first team, three for our academy, and three for public use. That’s gonna allow us to do a lot more things and grow our reach in the youth soccer space.”
San Jose’s executives have wanted to build a new training center for years, but have struggled to find the right location for the project. However, Shawlee sounded optimistic that this plan would be the one to succeed.
“The vote on August 17th is a vote on the land-use terms,” he said. “The county of Santa Clara owns the Fairgrounds land, so the Board of Supervisors has ultimate decision-making power to grant us a long-term lease on the property. From there we’ll move into building and design and go for building permits. That can take a wide range of time depending on the permit process and outside influence that could come in and comment on the project. I don’t know the timeframe from there, but if we can get a land-use deal done on the 17th, I feel really good about where it’s heading.
“It’s a wonderful project that involves community fields, first-team fields, and academy fields all integrated into one complex, and I think it can really revitalize an area of San Jose and Santa Clara County that’s been sitting dormant now for quite some time. I think the board of supervisors has been very supportive of the project, the fairgrounds management company has been supportive of the project, so I am confident that we’ve got all the right people in place and that everyone sees this as a win-win for the community.”
If the project is completed as planned, Shawlee even left open the possibility that it would give them the resources to restart their Girls Academy program, which was shut down last year.
New Supporters Section at PayPal Park
According to Shawlee, “the next infrastructure project at the stadium is actually going to be a rebuild of the supporters’ section for the San Jose Ultras.”
For years, the club has had an ongoing dialogue with the Ultras about improving the standing section at PayPal Park. In 2018, they built a temporary installation in the standing section, and now they are looking to build a permanent installation for the Ultras.
“The goal of that project is to allow for a seamless connection from the top of the main bowl down to the field and close that gap that we currently have between the two sections,” said Shawlee.
He added that the club would tease design plans “soon” and that they hope to complete the project by the beginning of next season.
“We think it can really help out of the atmosphere and give the Ultras a section that they deserve.”
No Update on Front Office Leadership Hierarchy
All of these projects are being spearheaded by the club’s Board of Directors, Managing Partner John Fisher, and a team of C-Suite executives including Shawlee, Executive VP Jed Mettee, and VP of Strategy Ian Anderson.
The club has been without a president since the departure of Tom Fox last year, and Shawlee said he didn’t know whether Fisher and the Board of Directors have any plans to appoint one or whether they will continue to split those leadership responsibilities among the other executives.
“What I’ve seen through my fourteen seasons in the league is a really evolving structure of success at various clubs,” said Shawlee.
“We’ve had president roles, we’ve had roles like we currently have, which is where the business side is led by one person and the soccer side is led by another person, who are both reporting to the owner, so I think those roles will continue to evolve.”
