THE ORIGINS OF OMEGABALL
THE ORIGINS OF OMEGABALL
Anthony Dittmann
Founder
Anthony spawned the idea of OmegaBall after speaking with friends and former ESPN colleagues, Bob Funk and Jamie Hemann. The three were strategizing about a new American Football League when the conversation turned to traditional football or soccer. Anthony’s background in X Games and sports television led him to remove rules and rethink the linear nature of soccer. The addition of a third team to create even more action was natural and thus, OmegaBall was born!
Jeff Kretchmar
Co-Founder, CEO
For over 20 years Jeff has worked in various capacities to build and grow sport and entertainment properties. Nearly the past decade of that has been spent in professional soccer for the USL Championship team OKC Energy FC, most recently as their COO. Jeff is focused on creating growth by building culture, emphasizing fan experiences and designing pathways for athlete success at all stages of play.
Jamie Hemann
Co-Founder, Head of Business
Jamie is currently the CEO/COO of HUB Football, a professional football athlete development company conducting events for NFL team clients. After a 20-year career as a business, operations and legal executive with long stints at both the National Football League and ESPN, Hemann has spent the last four years expanding his own business consulting company co-founding and advising multiple entrepreneurial start-ups in sports, media, entertainment, and AR/VR tech industries.
Adam Cozens
Co-Founder, Head of Media & Marketing
Adam is a dynamic outdoor and sports industry veteran who has spent the past 18 years scaling modern media brands and overseeing award winning live event properties. Adam is the former Partner and Senior VP at Impact Real Life, a boutique live event agency developing experiential businesses for clients like Vans and Lionsgate Films. Prior to that he was Vice President and General Manager at The Enthusiast Network, a media group focused on serving enthusiasts in the emerging sports, outdoor, and automotive genres.
Bob Funk Jr
Co-Founder
Bob is the owner of Prodigal. In addition to co-owning and operating OKC Energy FC, Prodigal co-promotes PBR (Professional Bull Riders) events and represents the top 15 global rodeo athletes. He is also on the board at Express Employment Professionals and previously Chairman of the Greater Oklahoma Sports Consortium.
Ricky Lopez-Espin
Advisor
Ricky is a veteran star soccer player, who’s career began by being recruited to the USA Soccer boarding Academy at age 12, and was soon called up to Team USA on the U-23 Men’s National Team. Attended Creighton University on scholarship and was named team captain, Conference POY, and All-American. Drafted and signed by MLS Real Salt Lake in 2018. Played professionally for the next three years with the Los Angeles Football Club and Inter Miami and now is a rising booth analyst for USL and MLS matches on ESPN and Apple.
Paul Caligiuri
Advisor
Paul Caligiuri spent his 16-year professional soccer career playing for numerous teams in the US and Germany, as well as on the US National Team. He is best known for his game-winning “shot heard round the world” that lead to the qualification of the United States for the 1990 World Cup in Italy, the team’s first in 40 years. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He now serves as the National Director of the UPSL, and the Managing Director & Head Coach of Orange County FC.
Lauren Sesselmann
Advisor
Lauren Sesselmann spent her 4 years on Purdue University’s women’s soccer team breaking records before her 10-year professional career in the WPSL, NWSL and UPSL. During this time, she also represented Canada in the Pan American Games, the World Cup. and the Olympics, earning a Bronze medal in 2012. Lauren is also known for her career as a fitness influencer and inspirational speaker, where she uses her experiences to create healthy and motivational content for women.