Joe Cummings has been a pioneer of soccer in the United States for more than 30 years. His career has encompassed experiences on both the coaching and administrative sides, covering the youth, high school, college and professional game.
Cummings comes to the Boston Breakers from New England Soccer School and Amesbury Sports Park. As CEO and Executive Director, he was charged with developing the business plans for the soccer school, clinic and academy programs. He also oversaw all operational, financial, marketing and promotional aspects of the Amesbury Sports Park and Sports Turf International, a synthetic turf company.
Prior to that Cummings was the Venue Manager at Gillette Stadium for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, managing all aspects of the summer competition involving teams from Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba and the United States.
During the 2004 Major League Soccer season, Cummings served as the Technical Director for the New England Revolution, where he oversaw all aspects of the Revolution Academy, team administration, player personnel, pre-season/post-season/off-season scheduling, and contract negotiations. He also served as President of the National Soccer Coaches Association in 2004, managing the 15 member board of directors.
Cummings began his foray into soccer administration at the professional level as the Director of Operations for the 1996 Summer Olympics at the Birmingham, Alabama venue, where he was responsible for all logistics pertaining to soccer competition.
Following the Olympics, Cummings returned to his native New England to become the Director of Operations for the New England Revolution during the inaugural season of Major League Soccer. He spent three seasons with the team and was promoted to Assistant General Manager in 1998. During his tenure with the Revolution, Cummings played a key role in securing and managing large-scale international soccer matches at Foxboro Stadium, including several U.S. Women’s National Team events.
In 1999, Cummings was appointed the Director of Operations for the Women’s World Cup matches at Foxboro Stadium, where he oversaw some of the most spectacular and best-attended soccer matches ever held in New England. He left the Revolution in July of 1999, following the Women’s World Cup, to serve as the General Manager of Mass Pro Soccer. He held that post until May of 2000 when he took the helm of the Boston Breakers in the WUSA.
Cummings served as the President and General Manager of the Boston Breakers from May 2000 through the final year of play in 2003. During that time the Breakers received the Team Community Service Award, Fair Play Award, Coach of the Year Award for Pia Sundhage, MVP Award for Maren Meinert, and Cummings was twice selected Executive of the Year, the only league administrator to receive the award. The Breakers also led the WUSA in attendance for two of the three seasons and consistently ranked as the top sponsorship revenue generator.
Cummings’ remarkable career and interest in soccer began over thirty years ago when he coached at the youth level and founded the Northboro Youth Soccer Association program. He went on to coach the junior varsity and varsity boys’ soccer teams at Algonquin Regional High School in Northboro, Massachusetts in 1976. Cummings was inducted into the Algonquin Regional High School Hall of Fame in November 2001. After seven years of coaching at his alma mater, Cummings became the head coach of the men’s team at Holy Cross College, where he coached for two seasons.
Cummings is one of only two coaches in the history of the Central Mass Soccer Coaches Association to receive all four major awards: Coach of the Year, District Champions, Outstanding Contributor and the Sportsmanship Award. He was inducted into the New England Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000.
A 31 year resident of Upton, Massachusetts, Cummings and his wife Ann Marie have two sons, Joseph and Paul.
Contact Cummings at JCummings@BostonBreakers.com.
