Hitchcock Stripped of Player/Personnel Duties, May Lose GM Title
January 3rd, 2008 . 10:09 am . By: Buzz Carrick
Edit: Since originally posting this article, some sources (but not all) have softened their claim of the GM title being stripped at this time, calling it premature. Our sources remain clear Hitch is no longer involved in player personnel decisions, the search for a technical director is underway, and the other front office changes have taken place. It remains to be seen if, or when, Hitch may lose the GM title, likely based on a new FCD hire. Stay tuned as further information comes in. First tipped off by a cryptic internet post on the FC Dallas Blog, 3rd Degree did some snooping around and has confirmed with sources familiar with the situation that Michael Hitchcock has been removed from the player/personnel decision making process and may have his title of General Manger stripped. Having already lost the title of President last year to John Wagner, Hitchcock has had his duties shifted to concentrate full time on what originally made him a success, marketing and sales. In addition former Director of Finance & Administration Damon Boettcher has been elevated to Chief Financial Officer and will handle the stadium and facilities at Pizza Hut Park. In addition several VPs have had their titles changed to director in the reshuffle. Admittedly sales is Hitch’s strongest suit and an increase in focus on the ticket front should hopefully help FCD grow their season ticket base, overall attendance, and corporate sponsorships. Hopefully a deal for a jersey sponsor will not be far behind. HSG is surely looking for attendance numbers closer to what was originally promised when Hitch was hired; multiple sell outs and attendance averages among the highest in the league. With more and more MLS teams moving toward the professional model of other US pro franchises that include player/personnel directors and VPs of Team Administration, it was likely only a matter of time before the Hunts looked to bring in a team focused manager on some level. The focus of the entire franchise on the soccer program with a team focused General Manager will hopefully be a positive move that should translate into on field performance. 20 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
Wise move in my opinion. Do what you do best. I hope Hitch is OK.
Does this mean Jeff Busch is out…or is he one of the VP’s that is now a director….
I too think it’s a good move. Let Hitch get butts in seats and increasing the brand recognition. Hire a soccer guy to scout talent and deal with the player side of the house.
Excellent move!
Pretty shocking. Was this done to improve ticket sales, the team itself ot both? Any ideas on who takes over the GM role?
The move makes sense and aligns the team with other sports teams. Hitch is a great sales guy and will now be able to focus entirely on that while a soccer guy runs the soccer part.
Such a Swift departure!..
About time.
I know from the comments on this site when Hitch was originally hired was that he was sales/marketing guy and not necessarily a personnel guy.
Now get a soccer guy to take us to the next level.
Does this have anything to do with Shaka Hislop/Denilson/hurt Serioux/Goodson giveaway/etc etc sagas?
Buzz,
This is one of the most important times of the year for putting the team togehter. If Hitch is out, who is protecting FCD’s player interests during January? the draft, new contracts, trades, … I assume Morrow is working with someone to bring in new talent?!?
Hitch is a good ticket guy not a soccer guy. Good move and probably coming after he made or okayed the Denilson, Hislop and Goodson moves, yes it a great move by the Hunts.
This was a necesary move by the Hunts and obviously to recoup some of the loss they have sustained since naming Hitch the GM back in the day. As for me, since day 1 I felt naming Hitch GM was a bad move and just solidifies my preception that the Hunts just do not know what they are doing (the hiring and keeping of Morrow ranks up there too).
I’ve also noticed a LOT of the people in the sales/marketing dept. have moved on to “other” jobs outside of FCD.
“I’ve also noticed a LOT of the people in the sales/marketing dept. have moved on to “other” jobs outside of FCD.”
Yep, purge central at the end of last season.
For once, I disagree w/ Chamo. UNLESS…HSG is actually going to spend enough money for two top leaders at FCD. History shows that’s very debatable.
Hitch’s sales history & resume makes him one. So which top level personnel soccer genius will be the other?…and how many regular readers here are confident that HSG will pay enough money to make that happen??
And as Crazy Al pointed out, nice timing…wtf?!
Mark me down as skeptical. These are the guys that made the infamous Southlake Debacle decision, which cost us a third of our audience base and much of our passion…both of which are still very much missing. Yes, they built a great stadium. Out in the middle of nowhere (compared to the metro.) And then failed to spend enough marketing & advertising dollars to launch it properly.
Hitch will definitely sell the tickets, if (IF) given enough ammo. I’ll believe the other half of this equation when I see it.
hitch was out of his element dealing w/ player personel decisions. now, he’s back to where he’s at his best (from what i’ve read about him). more importantly, i’m very excited about getting soccer-knowledgable GM. w/ the talent that we have now, our future looks even brighter.
would this be a SEXY hire or one w/ past ties to the club (xmp: dave dir)?
I heard Kevin Lindstrom was taking over.
(and when I say “heard” I mean, of course “completely made it up”)
I certainly don’t see this as a knock on Hitch at all. I think what we’re seeing here is the teams of Major League Soccer gradually moving a little closer to the level of of the majors (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL). Those teams hire people to focus on every aspect of team operations, thus one person focussing on the one thing they do best. A “general manager” is merely a lower level team getting one person to do multiple full time jobs. Everyone (including Hitch) can only benefit from this – that is, provided HSG can afford to make this move work properly.
Buzz, the FCD website issued a statement just before noon that they were creating a new position that would oversee all operations regarding games and concerts, etc., at the stadium. There was also a redefinition of MH’s duties that still included player/personnel decisions. How is this statement related to your report (if at all)?
From the Blog:
“Hitch will continue to oversee team administrations and player personnel, the FC Dallas Foundation, and the ticket sales, marketing, sponsorship, communications, soccer business development, and community relations departments…”
Just a wild guess . . . perhaps they’ll announce another “newly created position” soon that further redefines Mr. Hitchcock’s duties . . . However they do it, you know that the announcement of any changes will have a positive spin on it (which is not a bad thing, given the source).
And until they find and hire a TD, why wouldn’t they leave Hitch overseeing all the team stuff anyway.