Everton have teamed up with a Florida company to support their growth and development strategy in the United States.
Pulse Sports and Entertainment, which is led by Jurgen Mainka, is helping the club to engage further with its US fanbase.
Mr Mainka has held senior positions at four Major League Soccer clubs - having worked in the game for more than 25 years.
His experience also includes a six-year spell working in high-level positions at Concacaf (deputy general secretary and chief commercial officer), the football governing body for North, Central America and the Caribbean.
Mr Mainka played a key role in the organisation of the Copa America 100th anniversary tournament, held in the United States in 2016.
Before establishing his Pulse agency, Mr Mainka was chief business officer at Inter Miami, the MLS’s newest club which is part-owned by England great David Beckham.
He was a central figure in building the club’s overall business structure, including commercial and marketing, as well as in the team’s stadium and training facility development projects.
"We are truly honoured to have Everton FC as the first client at Pulse Sports and Entertainment", Mr Mainka said.
"When we learned about the club’s values and their grassroots approach to the marketplace, which always lead with the fan as the main point of consideration, we knew we had the knowledge and the people to assist them in this unique journey."
Richard Kenyon, director of marketing, communications and international at Everton, added: "We have invested significant time and effort over the last two years researching and devising a long-term international strategy and, despite the ongoing challenges brought about by the pandemic, it has been great to get this underway and to take these steps forward over the last few months.
"North America is one of our key target territories and we are pleased to have reached an agreement to work with Jurgen Mainka who – along with other colleagues working in Miami – will be working with us to secure strategic partnerships and develop associated opportunities.
"At the same time, we are continuing to build our International Club Affiliate network after a successful pilot period and will be launching soccer camps in the North East and Mid-West for this summer which will see thousands of young soccer fans attending our programmes.
"These important steps are part of a long-term plan for the club which has North America as a priority region – but other opportunities in other parts of the world have also developed by our International Team and further exciting announcements will be made soon."
