Saara Hassoun

Chief of Staff

Hassoun comes to Aurora after serving as the Chief of Staff at NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), including during the team’s run to winning the 2023 NWSL Championship. At Gotham FC, she managed soccer operations, oversaw staff and player well-being, and directed business operations on the sporting side of the club. 

Before Gotham FC, Hassoun co-founded HT Sports Consulting, a consulting firm with a mission to elevate athlete well-being through data-driven insights and athlete-first methodologies. She also served as the business strategy and project management lead for a group of soccer-specific investors and worked as a management consultant, growing her expertise in project management and organizational strategy.  After Aurora’s inaugural season, Hassoun and HT Sports Consulting offered their services to evaluate the players’ experience in Aurora’s first season. The research results helped lead Aurora to add a mental skills coach for the 2023 season, recognizing the importance of providing mental health support for players.

Additionally, Hassoun is a Global Sports Fellow at Harvard University, where she conducts research on structural approaches to player well-being in women’s soccer. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California and a master’s from the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.