Jonathan Collura joins the Gulf Coast Premier League as newest board of director.
“I have enjoyed getting to know the Gulf Coast Premier League directors and am excited to be joining such a quality and expanding league.” said Collura. “I believe that it is the model of what expansion at this level will ultimately become. Regional based leagues with local management who are able to not only effectively manage the league itself, but also help enable the clubs to be successful.”
Mr. Collura joins the GCPL with a plethroa of experience owning and operating lower division clubs, which he currently is displaying with his Nebraska based Bugeaters FC and West Yorkshire outfit Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC of the National League North in England.
“Jonathan’s (Collura) experience and expertise in the lower divisions was something that appealed to us very much” said GCPL President Jeremy Poklemba. “After sitting down with him, and the rest of the GCPL board, we felt he was a perfect fit for expanding our model.”
Collura added “My skill set is on the business side of the game and being involved (in both the United States and England) I have been exposed to multiple systems and structures. Gulf Coast with my guidance will continue to expand but focus on quality vs quantity. I will also help clubs with the 101 of the business.”
Mr. Collura is a financial consultant with 20+ years of experience in banking and corporate finance. He has handled middle market transactions in commercial and industrial (C&I), oil & gas and commercial real estate (CRE). Mr. Collura has assisted with the placement of over $200 million in capital and handles complex financial structures at all levels of the capital stack.
“The success of his launch to Bugeaters FC last season was pretty impressive.” said GCPL Vice President Jonathan Rednour. “Getting to learn more about his approach and process to his success (with Bugeaters) was something, I personally feel, that needs to be shared with, not only GCPL clubs, but all the lower division clubs looking to create a club culture in their community.”
The GCPL enters it’s fourth season having seen an impressive increase in clubs from around the gulf coast region. Spanning from central Texas to the eastern Florida panhandle, the GCPL will feature 18 teams in the 2019 season.
“We intend to take this model and slowly and systematically expand it. The focus will be on the club side and helping them develop sound and fundable business models. Sadly many have found that it isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ business in the US. We are here to help guide them to success and helping the communities that they represent.” says Collura.
