Bill Manning (born June 23, 1965) is a sports executive. He has worked in the front office of the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

and the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

of the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...

, and the

Tampa Bay Mutiny The Tampa Bay Mutiny were an American professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The Mutiny were a charter member of MLS, playing from 1996 to 2001. Th ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

and the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

. He previously was a professional soccer player. Born in the United States, he represented the Puerto Rico national team.

Early life and education

Manning is a native of

Massapequa, New York Massapequa (, ) is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Oyster Bay (town), New York, Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island, in Ne ...

. As a child, he played soccer for Massapequa Soccer Club as well as the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Select Team. After high school, he was recruited by Adelphi,

Hofstra Hofstra University is a private research university in Hempstead, New York, United States. It originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University and became an independent college in 1939. Comprising ten schools, including the Zucker Scho ...

, Harwick,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, but ultimately decided to attend the

University of Bridgeport The University of Bridgeport (UB or UBPT) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin Unive ...

in Connecticut, who offered him a full-ride scholarship. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree as well as a Masters in Business Administration. While at Bridgeport, he was a member of the

Bridgeport Purple Knights The Bridgeport Purple Knights are the athletic teams that represent the University of Bridgeport, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Purple Knights compete as members of the Central Atlantic Colle ...

men's soccer team and helped lead the team to the 1986 NCAA Division II Final Four. He was named to the school's Hall of Fame in 2006 and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. He was selected to play in the 1986 Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America East-West All-Star Game.

Professional career

After college, he became a professional soccer player joining the

Brooklyn Italians Brooklyn Italians SC is an American soccer team based in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1949, the team has won 2 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (1979, 1991), making it the last team from New York to have won the tournamen ...

with whom he advanced to the final of the

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...

twice, winning the title in 1991 U.S. Open Cup, where he received a red card in the finals in the 23rd minute. He then joined the Penn-Jersey Spirit in 1991 of the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. ...

, a precursor to the

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

. In 1993, he joined the

Valley Golden Eagles A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over a ve ...

. In 1994 and 1995, he played for the New York Fever. He played with the Puerto Rico national team during the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament.

Management career

In 1993, Manning began his career in sports management, joining the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice ...

in a front office role for their inaugural season. The following year, he joined the New York Fever where he served as the Director of Marketing and Operations in addition to being a player. In 1996, he was hired as vice president and General Manager of the

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games at Mit ...

of the

, where he and the club received the Marketing Excellent Award twice for best overall marketing in the USL. After the 1997 USL season, he joined the

Minnesota Thunder Minnesota Thunder was an American professional association football, soccer team based in Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1990, the team played in the USL First Division (USL-1), the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009. T ...

as president and General Manager, where they advanced to the 1998 USL A-League championship match. In 1999, Minnesota won the league championship and Manning was named USL Executive of the Year, in part due to the championship and developing the second-highest revenue base in the league. In 2000, he joined

club

as president and General Manager. He was named 2000 MLS Executive of the Year. He remained with the team until the team was contracted prior to the

2002 MLS season The 2002 Major League Soccer season was the seventh season of Major League Soccer. It was also the 90th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 24th with a national first-division league. According to FC Dallas presiden ...

. After his contract with MLS expired in 2003, he moved to the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, joining the

as Director of Corporate Partnerships In 2004, he moved to the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

with the

serving as Vice President of Sales and Service, overseeing a 50% increase in corporate sponsorship from 2004 to 2007. In 2008, he returned to soccer and MLS, being named the President of

as well as the President of

Rio Tinto Stadium America First Field (formerly Rio Tinto Stadium and referred to as The RioT) is a soccer-specific stadium in Sandy, Utah, United States. It is the home of Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Utah Royals of the National Women' ...

. In 2009, RSL won the

MLS Cup MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...

, which was the first major professional sports championship in Utah in 40 years, and finished as runner-ups in 2013. He was named MLS Executive of the Year in 2012, and won the award again in 2014 for the second time in three years, and his third time overall. He and the club parted in 2015. In 2015, he was named as President of

, winning the MLS cup in 2017, and finishing as runner-ups in 2016 and 2019. In 2018, after the

of the

were acquired by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, the owners of Toronto FC, Manning was named President of the Argos, in addition to his role as president of TFC. In March 2021, he signed a five-year extension to remain president of both teams. In July 2024, he parted ways with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, departing both roles by mutual agreement.

Personal

Manning earned a U.S. Soccer National "A" Coaching License in 2001. He is married to Jennifer, with whom he has two sons, John and Will.

References

External links

Toronto Argonauts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Bill Living people People from Massapequa, New York Puerto Rican men's footballers Puerto Rico men's international footballers American men's soccer players American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent American expatriates in Canada Expatriate businesspeople in Canada Association football executives College men's soccer players in the United States Major League Soccer executives New York Fever players Penn-Jersey Spirit players Toronto Argonauts team presidents Bridgeport Purple Knights men's soccer players Soccer players from New York (state) Sportspeople from Nassau County, New York Toronto FC non-playing staff Houston Rockets executives Philadelphia Eagles executives Real Salt Lake non-playing staff Brooklyn Italians players Men's association football defenders 1965 births 20th-century American sportsmen