With 30 years of experience in professional sports, Steve Livingstone leads Sporting JAX as the club’s President and CEO. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, but a resident of the First Coast since 2004, Livingstone has worked in all areas of the sports industry on both sides of the Atlantic contributing to an impressive career with some of the world’s leading sports teams and brands. Most notably, he spent 18 seasons in the NFL with NFL Europe and the Jacksonville Jaguars, before leading Jacksonville Armada FC in the NASL and strengthening Louisville City FC in the USL, helping direct Lou City’s ground-breaking 15,000 capacity soccer-specific stadium development and Championship-winning seasons in 2017 and 2018.

Tony Allegretti has been long involved in the cultural development of the River City, something that now carries over into his role as Sporting JAX’s chief community officer. Whether it’s launching a restaurant, teaching history classes or directing the Riverside Arts Market, he’s done a bit of everything in Jacksonville. At Sporting JAX, he has led the charge of building connections within the community through interactive marketing events, along with leading discussions with local leaders as the club sets out to achieve its goals of bringing top-level professional soccer to the area.

Mauricio Ruiz has a world of expertise in soccer. His love for the game can be traced back to his childhood in Brazil. After moving to the United States, he played collegiately for Stetson University and UCF, where he later served as an associate head coach of men’s soccer for six years. He then got the nod to become the head coach at Jacksonville University, a role he held for nine years. Ruiz joined Sporting JAX as a business development leader in 2023, transitioning into a role as the club’s technical director in 2024. Ruiz is more than qualified, boasting a master’s degree in sport management, a United States Soccer “A” coaching license and is a U.S. Youth National Team scout. Currently, he’s laying the foundations for how the club will approach hiring a coaching staff, building rosters and academy player development. In addition, he’s also linked back up with his former Jacksonville Armada FC broadcasting partner Cole Pepper on the weekly Sporting JAX Report, The Sporting Pod podcast and the Sporting JAX Soccer Hour on radio.

David Phillips joins Sporting JAX as marketing director, but his experience and expertise goes far beyond marketing. He previously held the same role with City of Jacksonville-managed venues, such as EverBank Stadium, Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena and more. A large part of his responsibilities included creating brand awareness for thousands of live events and enabling them to run smoothly. He’s driven by authenticity, data, community and cool, which translates well to his new position with the club as we build towards kickoff. A Jacksonville native, he loves the River City and can’t wait to bring top-level professional soccer.

If you’ve seen any kind of Sporting JAX graphic, photo or online post, then you’re familiar with Morgan Tencza’s work. As the club’s social media and content manager, she spearheads the club’s identity online. Tencza also knows her way around a camera, having over six years of experience as a freelance photographer. For just over a year now, she has also photographed a multitude of events for USA Today Sports. Creating visual elements for the beautiful game is a strong passion of hers and she looks forward to continuing this into the future with Sporting JAX.

Madison Holesko comes to Sporting JAX as the club’s director of ticket sales and service. He transitions from the other football, having previously served as group sales manager for the Houston Texans. Holesko also has experience with the hometown Jacksonville Jaguars and the nearby Orlando Magic. In addition to ticketing, he also oversees the club’s sales team. He represents another Jacksonville native who is looking forward to achieving excellence both on and off the pitch.

As the youngest at Sporting JAX, Riley Platt’s resume doesn’t stretch quite as long as some of his counterparts. However, his passion for the club and writing about sports is unmatched. A proud University of North Florida Osprey, he served three years as a reporter and sports editor for Spinnaker, UNF’s student-run news outlet. After nearly a year of freelancing and interning for Sporting JAX, he officially joined the club as a media specialist and team store manager in January 2024. 

Cole Pepper has been broadcasting sports in Jacksonville since 1996. Locals likely recognize him from his time at News4Jax, where he served as a sports anchor and reporter for 17 years. In addition, he also has experience within professional sports as the studio host of the Jaguars Radio Network and the former Director of Broadcasting for the Jacksonville Armada FC. He’s now the Director of Broadcasting and Digital Content for Sporting Club Jacksonville. Fans can still catch him on camera every week on the Sporting JAX Report, which airs on First Coast News Stations, as host of The Sporting Pod and on radio on the Sporting JAX Soccer hour on 1010 XL.