Brad Hauter & Michael Schetzel Bring Ample Experience to New Marketing/Club Growth & Ticket Sales/Services Positions
Indy Eleven today announced a pair of new Vice President-level hires that will continue the club’s mission to serve as the preeminent franchise in the USL Championship. Indy Eleven is proud to welcome Brad Hauter as the club’s Vice President, Marketing & Club Growth, and Michael Schetzel, Vice President of Ticket Sales & Services, to Indiana’s Team for positions that will begin in October.
“Building a best-in-class staff that can meet high expectations has always been vital to grow the vision of Indy Eleven, and the addition of these new roles marks a huge step forward as we continue to mature,” said Indy Eleven President and CEO, Greg Stremlaw. “Bringing Brad Hauter and Michael Schetzel on board gives our front office unprecedented experience and professional knowledge unlike ever before. We look forward to their contributions and leadership in a very important time for the club as we build towards an exciting future at Eleven Park in the coming years.”
Hauter is a well-known presence to both the Indy Eleven and the Indiana soccer community after serving as the color analyst on WISH-TV broadcasts of Indy Eleven matches since the club’s Inaugural Season in 2014 and the head men’s soccer coach at his alma mater of DePauw University since 2008. Hauter parlayed a standout four years in Greencastle as a goalkeeper during the late-1980’s into a decade long professional career before turning his attention to sidelines. Over a 25-season head coaching career, Hauter has led his teams to an impressive 332-179-52 combined record at St. Mary’s (Minn.) University (men), Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (men & women), and DePauw (men).
In addition to his soccer bona fides, Hauter has achieved concurrent success in a variety of roles across the marketing, PR, and media fields. In 2014, the entrepreneur launched Faded Jeans Productions, where he has led sales, marketing, communications, and sponsorship efforts as President for the company that owns and has produced eight seasons of the popular Coop Dreams television program. Hauter has developed relationships with local and national brands and charities through that endeavor in addition to previous roles as national spokesperson for Keep America Beautiful, a producer for the SPEED Network, and the PR lead for numerous satellite media tours for companies such as Home Depot and Pepsi.
“I have had the great fortune to live two lives simultaneously – one deeply engaged in the sport of soccer and the other in the marketing world,” said Hauter. “This opportunity with Indy Eleven allows me to bring those two worlds together to help grow the game and cement Indy Eleven as the premier professional club in the United States.”
“Our team is still very new when compared to other professional sport franchises in Indianapolis, and so these next few years will be fundamental as we go to another level in preparation for Eleven Park,” said Stremlaw. “Indy Eleven’s brand awareness and marketing promotion will be paramount not only as the club continues to expand our visibility within the community, but also as the presence of soccer grows exponentially in North America in the build up to the World Cup’s arrival in 2026.”
Schetzel is no stranger to soccer either, as he comes to the Circle City from fellow USL Championship side FC Tulsa, where he oversaw ticket sales and other revenue-generating departments as Chief Business Officer since 2019. Schetzel helped Nashville SC transition from the USL Championship to Major League Soccer as their Vice President of Ticket Sales and Corporate Partnerships from 2017-19, and also served as VP of Ticket Sales from 2009-13 for MLS’ Real Salt Lake, which he helped create a Ticketing Service and Retention Department for in addition to building and managing the Ticket Operations Department for the club’s then-new home of Rio Tinto Stadium.
Schetzel’s more than 25 years of sales experience in sports also includes stints with Madison Square Garden and Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, where he served as Director, Ticket Sales and Ticket Services for six years. The graduate of Brigham Young University and Georgia Southern University also brings fluent Spanish-speaking skills with him in tow, thanks in part to time spent in study and residency in South America.
“I am thrilled to be joining Indy Eleven at this time. With the plans for Eleven Park on the horizon, it is an exciting time for professional soccer in Indianapolis and I am happy to be a part of it,” Schetzel said. “I look forward to working with the team to welcome sellout crowds to Carroll Stadium.”
“We want Eleven Park to be a great success story, and our club has much work to do to lead by example for that to come to fruition,” explained Stremlaw. “Part of the foundation for that success has to be laid by ticket sales growth while we remain at Carroll Stadium. Michael’s leadership will be a key aspect to an approach that can lead to sold-out games regularly and build our fan base meaningfully over the next two seasons.”
Indiana’s Team returns home tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 10, when its gauntlet against Eastern Conference playoff-positioned squads continues against Birmingham Legion FC at 7:00 p.m. ET. Details on Indy Eleven’s annual Pride Night celebration that evening can be found at indyeleven.com/promotions, and tickets can be purchased at indyeleven.com/tickets, starting for $15. Fans who can’t make it to “The Mike” can follow the action on MyINDY-TV 23, ESPN+, Exitos Radio 94.3 / exitos943.com, and the @IndyElevenLive Twitter Feed, presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers.