SAN DIEGO – The National Lacrosse League (NLL) expansion team awarded to the city of San Diego earlier on Tuesday has announced its first hires. Sports executives Steve Govett and Josh Gross will assume the roles of president and vice president, business operations, respectively.
Govett is one of the longest-tenured members of the NLL, with service dating back to his rookie season as a player in 1994. He won three championships in five years before transitioning to a front-office position. The Burnaby, British Columbia native spent the last 15 years as president and general manager of the Colorado Mammoth, a division of Denver-based Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE). For the past five years, Govett was also vice president, new business development for KSE.
A former NLL Executive of the Year award recipient, Govett has been transformative in the economic vitality and sustainability of League franchises, and has played a significant role in the evolution of the League office. He has twice served as Chairman of the Board of Governors, and will be governor of the San Diego NLL team as he represents the interests of ownership.
Govett has extensive experience in international competition, having twice served as general manager of the U.S. world indoor lacrosse team. He served on the staff of the 2006 Team Canada world champion outdoor team, and helped assemble the roster that won the world title in the 2014 FIL World Lacrosse Championships. In the 1990s, Govett was a medal-winning player for his native Canadian squad.
Last year, the 50-year-old was inducted into his hometown Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame, and was later enshrined in his college athletics hall of fame.
Gross will enter his 16th season of professional lacrosse. A proven sports industry executive, Gross has experience overseeing ticket sales, sponsorship, public relations, fan development and marketing across multiple sports properties. The 37-year-old spent the past 13 seasons with Govett in Colorado. A member of the NLL’s Marketing Committee, Gross will serve as San Diego NLL’s alternate governor.
The New Jersey native spent a decade on television and radio in Denver, primarily as a play-by-play commentator. Gross graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a degree in broadcast journalism. In San Diego, he will oversee the team’s daily business operations and community outreach.