Game Day Ready: How Lloyd Richards Jr. Built a Career on Team-First Mentality

“I mean, you do all the work during the week, all the hard practicing and the stuff you don’t really feel like doing,” he explains. “Then on game day, when you see the fans, and you see all the people and see the athletes, that’s what it’s all about.”

Today, following the explosive growth of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), Richards embodies the same game-day mentality behind the scenes of the All-Star Cup stretch—orchestrating the complex logistics that transform the league’s concept into reality.

Jamaica to Chicago

Richards’ team-first philosophy was forged in an unlikely place. Born in Chicago but raised in Jamaica until age nine, he returned to the United States alone, staying with his aunt.

His sports-oriented extended family introduced him to organized athletics. His uncle, a former soccer player in Jamaica, had built a household where sports mattered. When Richards arrived in Chicago, he dove into Little League baseball alongside his cousins.

“My little cousin, more so, was the sports fanatic, and I think he was probably the motivator,” Richards recalled. “But I just got caught up in that whirlwind of, hey, you guys are going to play sports now.”

Those early experiences taught him something fundamental: “I guess for me, it’s always just been about putting in the work and then having the result.”

He excelled at baseball as a young lefty slugger, then transitioned to football in high school. He wasn’t the most naturally gifted on the squad, but he was willing to outwork everyone else.

“I wasn’t the strongest, fastest, biggest, or any of that, but I put in the work and then I got the results,” he said. 

That philosophy carried him to Illinois, where he walked on to the football team and eventually earned a scholarship in his fifth year.

“I think I had average smarts, but I was a really good, hard-working student, and so I put the work in and I would get the results.”

The Pivot Point

Fresh out of Illinois with degrees in speech communication and organizational communication, Richards had his sights set on consulting. He took a job in commercial insurance as a property underwriter, following what seemed like a logical path.

“Well, funny enough,” he recounted, “I did not have an interest in pursuing a career in sports coming out of college, and I really didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

But when a football operations and recruiting graduate assistant position became available at his alma mater, Richards faced a decision that would change everything.

“I was working in commercial insurance as a property underwriter, so not exactly the most exciting field in the world. But then I thought, ‘You know, if I do this, this potentially leads to an opportunity in sports.’”

That graduate assistant role proved to be his eureka moment.

“That’s when I actually learned that there were these non-coaching careers in sports. So really, that was it from that point on.”

From there, Richards built a diverse resume, including NFL scouting with Tampa Bay and Washington, football operations roles at Illinois and Houston, and major event management, including multiple Super Bowls. Each role contributed to the skill set he brings to AU.

Discovering Athletes Unlimited

In 2022, while at USA Lacrosse, Richards first encountered Athletes Unlimited during its lacrosse season. As the venue representative, he oversaw day-to-day operations and immediately connected with AU’s vision.

“I really enjoyed the concept and the idea of being in all these different cities and having multiple sports. It all just resonated with me.”

What captivated him was AU’s groundbreaking model, where individual players can become champions of team sports, with rosters reshuffling weekly.

When AU looked to fill an operations role, Richards saw an opportunity that would appeal to every aspect of his background.

“It really has tapped into every single background experience that I’ve ever had,” Richards said of his AU role. “It’s a combination of team sports, there’s travel, there’s venue management, and then there’s multiple cities and dealing with all the things there.”

Building a Team

Now overseeing venue selection, equipment operations, medical services, and athlete logistics across basketball, softball, and volleyball, Richards has helped AU’s operations team grow significantly in just two years.

“When I started, there were three of us, and now there’s 12,” he explained. “So the rapid growth can make your head spin a little bit.”

But Richards thrives in this environment because it mirrors what he learned as an athlete: success comes from preparation, teamwork, and performing under pressure.

His leadership philosophy remains rooted in those early athletic lessons.

“One of the things that I talk about all the time with our group is that, regardless of your role, we’ll always be there for each other, to help each other out…When we’re loading in, it’s all hands on deck. You know, we don’t just put it off on the equipment people to get things set up. We all pitch in.”

It’s the same mentality that got him from walk-on to scholarship player—everyone contributes, everyone matters, and success comes through collective effort.

Richards emphasizes cultural fit in hiring: “I’m very protective of this team because we’ve got such a great culture. It’s not just about what we see on the resumes, it’s going to be about the temperament, personalities… are you the right fit for our team?”

Game-Day Philosophy

As the AUSL prepares for continued expansion with city-based teams in 2026, Richards maintains his focus on what matters most: “My expectation for our team is to continue to deliver what the heads of sports are looking for. That’s ultimately our goal.”

The man who once put in extra work to earn a scholarship still approaches each challenge with the same intensity.

“Everything that we do as a group–we’re all doing it to get to game day, and then obviously, from there, it should be fun.”

From that nine-year-old boy adjusting to life in the States to the executive helping revolutionize women’s professional sports, Richards has never lost sight of the fundamental truth he learned on those first Little League fields.

“If I can control my effort, my attitude, if I just push myself, then I can get the results that I want,” he said. “And at least have a chance of achieving them.”

And when game day arrives, Richards still gets that same rush he felt as a player because, in the end, all the preparation comes down to those moments when athletes take the field and magic happens.

“I love game day. That’s everything.”

Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.