From Practicing Law to Soccer: Sports and Media Executive Ena Patel

by D’Miya Smith

In 2018, Ena Patel became the Director of Player Personnel for the Colorado Rapids Soccer Team. When she accepted the role, she became the highest-ranking female executive in Major League Soccer (MLS). Before her new role and title, she was a corporate lawyer who yearned to build a career in athletics.

Patel was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her family later moved to Nebraska, where she completed her primary years. Going from a LA public school to a town of 12,000 and being the only brown person in the entire school came with its challenges. To cope, Patel leaned on athletics, and she fell in love with soccer. This love would follow Patel into her adult life. After moving back to LA to attend the University of Southern California, Ena continued to play while she obtained a political science degree.

After undergrad, Patel went to law school. Even while she practiced corporate law during the following years, she knew deep down she had an itch of wanting to transition into sports. Patel loved how soccer, and athletics in general, is an incredible unifying industry—you never have to speak the same language as someone because sports are played the same everywhere you go. "People of all ages, backgrounds, and religions, it is amazing to see everyone come together when sports is the unifying factor."

Patel spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Colorado Rapids before moving back to LA. Once she returned home, she connected with a group of women who shared a goal to bring a women's professional soccer team to LA. Today, Ena is the Head of Soccer Operations for Angel City Football club. She attributes her success in chasing her dreams to her refusal to give up. She hopes her story and experience motivate others to find creative ways to pursue their passion and be persistent. "We each only have one life. Make the most of it so you can look back without any regrets and with the feeling you gave it your all."