Bay FC promotes Gutmann to president after Johns exits for Sparks

Bay FC has promoted Bernard Gutmann to president and chief financial officer, placing him in charge of day-to-day operations after chief executive Stacy Johns departed to take the president role at the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.The change lands early in the NWSL club’s third season and extends a period of senior leadership churn that has become a material business issue for a young franchise balancing growth targets with private equity ownership expectations.Johns joined Bay FC in February and began her duties in March, but left less than three months after being named chief executive, according to local reporting. Bay FC said the move was tied to a new opportunity that prioritised being back with her family full-time in Los Angeles.Bay FC co-chair Alan Waxman said: “Bernard has been an integral part of Bay FC, helping to build the financial and operational foundation that has this club exceptionally well positioned for long-term success.”Gutmann said: “I’m honored to step into this role at such an important moment for Bay FC. In my time at Bay, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with an incredible group of people who are deeply committed to building something special both on and off the pitch.”Gutmann has been Bay FC’s chief financial officer for 18 months and will retain that remit alongside the presidency, with responsibility spanning finance, accounting, data and analytics, IT, and salary cap management and strategy.His background is primarily in technology and entertainment, including senior finance and strategy roles at Linktree and Amazon-owned Twitch, where he worked on sports strategy and partnerships.Commercially, the appointment signals a preference for continuity and internal control at a time when Bay FC is still building core infrastructure and recurring revenue drivers.The club plays most home matches at PayPal Park in San Jose under a lease arrangement with the San Jose Earthquakes, and has been developing a training facility on Treasure Island while maintaining ambitions to build a dedicated stadium in the Bay Area.The leadership switch also follows earlier changes in the sporting and technical structure, including a coaching change and senior staff turnover, reinforcing the importance of stable execution across sponsorship, ticketing, and facility delivery.The next steps are for Bay FC to set out how leadership responsibilities are allocated across the executive team under Gutmann, and how the club’s long-term venue and training plans progress alongside commercial growth priorities.