Justin Papadakis is the Deputy CEO and Chief Real Estate Officer of the United Soccer League (USL), one of the fastest-growing soccer organizations in the U.S. He oversees stadium development, club expansion, and the league’s long-term strategy to reshape American soccer from the ground up.

Justin breaks down how the USL is using real estate to build thriving soccer communities across the country and what it means for the future of the sport.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro to Justin Papadakis

2:00 – The Papadakis family story: Soccer's impact

3:40 – Stadiums as real estate catalysts: Lessons from LA Live

5:05 – Breaking out of the "minor league" model

8:10 – Why the USL thrives in mid-sized cities like Albuquerque & Boise

10:00 – Antelope Valley success: Building hyper-local fan pride

12:40 - Real market drivers: Not population, but ownership & stadium quality

13:30 – Inside the USL’s in-house real estate team

14:50 – Working with cities: How stadium deals take 2–10 years

16:45 – Aligning community stakeholders for long-term impact

19:20 – Why the USL is building stadium districts

20:20 – Soccer fan behavior vs. NFL & MLB: What’s different

21:35 - TIF financing: How stadiums fund themselvs

23:50 – New Stadiums: Rhode Island, Louisville & next-gen builds

27:10 – How does the league make money?

28:45 - Taking a long term view on media

30:40 – Regional rivalries + the Jägermeister Cup

32:00 – USL team valuations top $100 million

33:40 - Soccer as an alternative investment

35:30 – Career advice for college athletes

37:20 - Front office job growth in the USL

38:20 – Where to find USL & how to get involved

Links:

USL Website

USL LinkedIn

USL Instagram

Justin Papadakis LinkedIn

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Email me: joe.poduslenko@gmail.com