Mark Zarthar was named President, Business Operations of Gotham FC in May 2026. In this role, he oversees all club business operations, including revenue, marketing, strategy, operations, finance, and HR functions, and is spearheading the team's landmark relocation to Etihad Park. He was also instrumental in one of the signature moments in club history: Gotham FC's sold-out Queen's Classic at Citi Field, where a crowd of 42,175 fans set the record for the largest women's sporting event in New York City history.
Prior to joining Gotham FC, Zarthar served as Chief Revenue Officer for the Florida Panthers, where he led ticketing, corporate partnerships, business strategy & analytics, innovation, broadcast, and communications for the Panthers, Amerant Bank Arena, Baptist Health IcePlex, and Ft. Lauderdale War Memorial, driving 115% growth in revenue and 263% growth in franchise valuation during his tenure.
Zarthar first joined the Panthers as Chief Strategy Officer, where he spearheaded the organization's broadcast partnership with Scripps Sports, making Panthers games available for free over-the-air for the first time in franchise history and resulting in a 150% increase in viewership in the first year.
Prior to his time with the Panthers, Zarthar held the role of Senior Vice President of Marketing for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, where he led brand strategy, creative, digital media, advertising, in-game entertainment, merchandise, community relations, and broadcasting for the Flyers and Wells Fargo Center. While with the Flyers, he launched On the Fly Productions, an in-house creative agency and 1,100-square-foot content studio, propelling an aggressive expansion of the organization's internal marketing capabilities.
Prior to his role in Philadelphia, Zarthar served as President of the Houston Astros' MiLB affiliate, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. With the Woodpeckers, Zarthar oversaw the design, construction, and naming rights sale of Segra Stadium, a $40.8 million sports and entertainment venue in Fayetteville's Historic Downtown. He led all operations of the Woodpeckers' inaugural season, including ballpark operations, marketing, tickets, corporate partnerships, and more. For his work launching the Woodpeckers, Business North Carolina recognized Zarthar as one of the state's 20 Most Influential Sports Executives, and Segra Stadium was named "Ballpark of the Decade" by Ballpark Digest. Prior to his time with the Astros, Zarthar held various positions in sports marketing and brand management for Anheuser-Busch InBev.