Richie Graham is Co-Founder and Senior Managing Partner of GSE Partners. Prior to forming GSE Partners (2024) to broaden his sports investing activities, Richie was the founder and CEO of private investment firm Striker Partners (1998), which now serves as his family office.
Through Striker Partners, Richie and his team made direct control investments and operating investment in multiple industry verticals, including sports, specifically soccer, as well as business services, education, logistics, and healthcare. Richie’s soccer industry activities have included lead operational roles in building a sports venue business and a tournament/league business (both recently exited), coupled with leading the Graham organization’s investment in Major League Soccer through the Philadelphia Union franchise. Richie has also built a successful brand and media consulting business in soccer and spearheaded Graham’s successful buyout investment in a leading national online retailer in soccer (recently exited).
With the Philadelphia Union, Richie has been actively involved day-to-day in building the Philadelphia Union’s highly regarded player development program, which is considered the number one youth development program in North America (producing over 70 professional soccer players in the past decade), and in establishing the club’s on-field competitive strategy and tactical system. The Union’s innovative tactical system has produced the highest cumulative points in MLS during the past five years, with the lowest player payroll in the league.
In conjunction with the launch of the Philadelphia Union’s player development program Richie also founded YSC Academy, an innovative and first-of-its-kind soccer-specific sports school, which provides high-caliber private school education for pre-professional and pre-collegiate soccer players from grades six through twelve, many of whom are from under-resourced communities and the vast majority of whom are supported via scholarships.
Richie has a broad array of charitable interests in education, sports, the arts and conservation, some of which he funds through Richie Graham Photography, a philanthropic initiative supporting nature and wildlife conservation.
Richie earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College, where he was a four-year varsity soccer player earning All-Ivy honors.
Please visit Richie’s website www.richiegraham.com