CHICAGO (Nov. 12, 2024) – Chicago Fire FC today announced that the Club has hired Gregg Broughton as Sporting Director. Broughton joins the Fire’s sporting leadership team with more than 20 years of experience. He will report directly to Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter.
“Gregg brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from his time in Europe, and we’re excited to have him on board as our Sporting Director,” said Berhalter. “He is a passionate leader with a proven track record of developing talent and building competitive teams. As a key member of our leadership team, Gregg will help establish a high-performance culture to drive sustained success across all areas of the sporting department.”
As Sporting Director, Broughton will oversee talent development and assist in the recruitment, negotiation, and retention of players and staff. In addition, he will support Berhalter in implementing the technical strategy and maintaining alignment of the Club’s game model, principles of play, and positional profiles.
“I’m delighted to join Chicago Fire FC as Sporting Director and share Gregg Berhalter’s vision of making the Fire one of the top clubs in North America,” said Broughton. “I look forward to supporting Gregg across all areas of the sporting department to develop a culture of excellence and create a player trading model that supports both signing and retaining the talent needed to drive success.”
A native of Bedford, England, Broughton brings extensive experience working for clubs in Europe to the Fire. Most recently, Broughton served as the Director of Football for Blackburn Rovers in the English Football League (EFL) Championship from June 2022 to May 2024. During his time at Blackburn, the club achieved its highest finish in the league in 10 years and its deepest run in the EFL Cup and FA Cup in the last 15 years.
Broughton originally began his career with Wycombe Wanderers in 1999. Since then, he has held technical staff positions with AFC Rushden & Diamonds, Luton Town, Norwich City, and FK Bodø/Glimt in Norway.
With his hire, Broughton becomes the newest addition to Berhalter’s sporting leadership team, joining Michael Stephens, who was announced as Head of Recruitment on Nov. 8.
