Carolina Core FC, a young and ambitious minor league soccer team, set out with a mission: to build a professional organization that rivaled major league operations. From the moment they were founded, they knew that sponsorships would be the a backbone of their success. But selling and managing partnerships—tracking assets, maximizing asset yield, ensuring contractual fulfillment, and maintaining seamless communication—was anything but simple.
Chris Baretta, Carolina Core’s Chief Revenue Officer & Head of Partnerships, had been in the industry long enough to know that managing sponsorships manually was a recipe for inefficiency. When he joined the club, he was determined to find a system that would elevate their operations and make Carolina Core FC stand out—not just as a minor league team, but as a professional organization ready to compete at the highest level. Before Trak, everything lived in spreadsheets, shared folders, and emails. It was time-consuming, chaotic, and prone to mistakes. There was no centralized source of truth.
Chris had used Trak Software before, and he knew from experience that it could be the key to Carolina Core FC’s success. Even before the club had played a single match, he was campaigning internally to bring Trak on board. He saw firsthand how other organizations struggled to keep track of contracts, assets, and activations using outdated systems like Excel and email threads.
For a growing team like Carolina Core FC—one that managed partnerships across multiple entities, including the pro team and the academy—a scalable solution was essential. The team needed a way to track deals, store contracts, manage activations, and keep their partners informed—all without adding more headcount or overhead.
"We wanted to operate like a major league team from day one. Trak made that possible."
Chris Baretta, Carolina Core FC
When Carolina Core FC officially implemented Trak, the impact was immediate. Reese McCormick, the club’s Partnership Fulfillment Manager, quickly became one of Trak’s most dedicated users. With a small team, Reese was responsible for ensuring every sponsorship asset was tracked and every sponsorship commitment was met, a task that required precision, organization, and constant tracking.
Every week during the season, Reese and her team would sift through hundreds of game-day photos, tagging and cataloging images of sponsor activations—whether it was a static field board, a jersey patch, or a video board advertisement.
Previously, these images would have been scattered across folders, requiring hours of manual searching when it was time to present a season recap to partners. Now, with Trak, everything was systematically organized, making it easier than ever to showcase exactly how sponsorship assets had been activated.
"At the end of the season, I meet with every single one of our partners. Without Trak, I would have to spend hours combing through photos, emails, and files. Instead, I can pull everything up in seconds."
Reese McCormick, Carolina Core FC
Beyond organization, Trak has saved Carolina Core FC an enormous amount of time—time that was previously spent on manual data entry, searching for documents, and chasing down information across different departments.
Chris estimates that Trak has saved them between 300-500 hours per year, particularly on sponsorship recaps and activation tracking. With a lean team, those time savings mean fewer late nights, fewer last-minute scrambles, and more time to focus on building relationships and growing revenue.
But Trak didn’t just improve efficiency—it also enabled continuous growth. Unlike other static platforms, Trak evolves with Carolina Core FC’s needs, constantly improving to provide better solutions as the team scales. This adaptability has been crucial as they expand their sponsorship efforts.
"We operate with multiple sponsorship entities, managing millions in revenue, and Trak gives us the structure to handle it all in one place. It’s not just a tool—it’s a competitive advantage."
Chris Baretta, Carolina Core FC
Today, Carolina Core FC operates like a major league team, even though they are still in the early years of their journey. They have built a 95% renewal rate, are expanding their sponsorship team, and continue to attract top-tier partners. With Trak, they have the flexibility to innovate and create new sponsorship assets, ensuring they stay ahead in a competitive industry.
Moreover, Trak has played a crucial role in ensuring fiduciary responsibility with ownership. With clear, auditable records and structured financial tracking, the club can confidently manage contracts, payments, and partner deliverables.
Looking ahead, Carolina Core FC is expanding its sponsorship department and setting even more ambitious goals. They started from scratch and are now targeting $2.5 million in sponsorship revenue next year. With Trak in place, they are confident they can scale without losing efficiency or quality—positioning themselves for the opening of their new stadium and long-term success.
"Our goal has always been to operate at the highest level. Trak has allowed us to build a structured, scalable system that makes us look and function like a top-tier club."
Chris Baretta, Carolina Core FC
Carolina Core FC’s story is one of ambition, efficiency, and the power of the right technology to transform operations. By implementing Trak, they have been able to replace spreadsheets with a centralized platform, save countless hours, and operate at a level that rivals major league teams.
And for Reese, Chris, and the entire Carolina Core FC team, Trak is more than just a software solution— it’s a partner in their success.
