Building a winning culture off the field
Most fans never glimpse the inner workings of an NFL franchise, but every team’s roster goes much deeper than players, coaches, and water boys. The Commanders’ staff numbers around 350, filling departments such as operations, marketing, finance, public affairs, groundskeeping, and ticket sales. Once you factor in part-time, seasonal, and game-day employees, that number creeps closer to 2,000.
“When many people think about football, they often times only picture players and coaches—but our organization also includes a number of staff who are critical to the success of the team. From our executive chef and nutritionists to our marching band, entertainment team, and gameday staff, it takes a full support system to deliver a winning team on the field, within the community, and across the front office,” says Andre Chambers, the Commanders’ chief people officer.
Chambers is tasked with leading the organization's people operations department, which includes working with Williams and MMA to create benefits packages that all Commanders employees will value.
“We’re intentional about staying close to what our people need—where the friction points are and what matters most. MMA’s insights have helped us stay a step ahead. What’s been great about the partnership with MMA is understanding some of the deep industry benchmarking and trends,” Chambers says.
With MMA’s help, the team was able to shift their funding strategy, allowing it to give employees several different health coverage options, in addition to dental, vision, mental wellness, reproductive health, pet insurance, and more—all with lower shared costs. To facilitate onboarding, MMA staff meets virtually with new hires roughly every other week.
“What we also try to do is make sure the benefits that we have feel real, not just like words in a pamphlet, but benefits that people can really engage with,” Chambers says. One of the most popular benefits the Commanders recently added is the chance to get an InBody scan. This tool analyzes muscle, fat, and water composition, yielding data to support individualized health and fitness plans.
More importantly, the sense of stability and security leads to stronger morale. To build on this, Chambers says the Commanders organization plans engagements that foster team spirit and camaraderie: “We have a number of different employee experiences that staff and family members can be involved with,” he says. “This includes things like off-season family day on the field at the stadium, wellness fairs, draft day celebrations, or intra-department flag football tournaments—things that will keep spirits up.”
“Consistency matters just as much as momentum,” he continues. “We’re building something that is sustainable—whether we’re winning the division or rebuilding from a tough season." But make no mistake: this franchise has a legacy of greatness, and we’re fully committed to reclaiming that standard.
Taking fan appreciation to another level
Indeed, the team enjoyed a dominant run in the 1980s and early ’90s. Under legendary coach Joe Gibbs, the team made four Super Bowl appearances and won three championships over a 10-year span.
Since then, the team has endured its share of ups and downs on and off the field, and sticking through that is a big ask for any fan base. When the new ownership group bought the team, Harris was asked what his main priorities were. He outlined three core pillars: First, to build a championship-caliber team. Second, to elevate the fan experience. And third, to make a positive impact in the community.
Ownership has since invested $100 million in facility improvements, which underscores their ongoing commitment to their fans, players, coaches, and staff to deliver the best experience possible at their venue. Stadium parking was restructured, and new magnetometers and improved security tools were introduced to improve stadium ingress and egress. Inside the stadium, sound and lighting systems were improved, seats were upgraded, spaces were refreshed, food and beverage offerings were enhanced, and grab-and-go mobile payment options were introduced so guests could buy snacks and drinks without waiting in line to pay. Once the season started, game days were revved up by live music acts and video productions in the runup to kickoff.
The efforts have paid off. In just one season, across several different metrics—fan satisfaction, season ticket sales, merchandise sales, and even player satisfaction—the Commanders went from ranking at the bottom of the league to the top third.
Williams—who made it to every Commanders home game in 2024 (and all but two of their away games)—describes each game as presenting “a new experience every single time,” and confirms that the MMA suite is an outstanding place to spend a Sunday with clients. “I had one client who was there for the Bears game [in October], when that miracle catch happened at the end of the game. And this person said, ‘I’ll never forget that as long as I live.’”
A win for the Commanders is a win for the community.
“Certainly, winning on the field helps a lot,” muses Jim Rushton. The veteran NFL executive joined the Commanders last March as chief partnerships officer, leading a team that strengthens and develops the Commanders’ wide-ranging business and community relationships. “The beer is colder, and the hot dogs are warmer whenever you’re winning.”
Winning can raise the spirits of the community, but these partnerships can create a lasting, positive impact. And Commanders leadership understands this. Rushton points out that most of the ownership group’s 17 partners are personally invested in the region. “These are folks who have a strong connection to the DMV. They deeply care for this area.”
To strengthen the ties within its longstanding partnerships and expanding network, the team has organized what it calls Washington Select, intended as a business networking opportunity for the broad mix of organizations in the Commanders’ orbit. “We believe that those who do business with us should do business together,” says Rushton.
“At the end of the day, we are a very small business that projects a very large image,” Rushton continues. “Our ownership sees the Commanders as a unifying organization to bring people together to do good deeds in the community.”
The team has been spearheading sponsorship and volunteer opportunities for its partners, including MMA. That might mean support for military personnel and first responders, as well as programs to teach financial literacy or expand health equity. It might be as simple as supporting youth sports leagues, from Pop Warner to girls’ flag football.
“Every day we’re involved in something,” Rushton says. “Everybody’s playing their part, and certainly MMA is playing theirs as well.”
Williams estimates that upwards of 45 staff members from his MMA Tysons Corner office took part in the Pack4Troops event hosted by the Commanders in April, in collaboration with MMA and the Mid-Atlantic USO. Volunteers from the three organizations assembled 2,000 care packages for American troops leaving the country on deployment.
Then in May, MMA committed to partnering with the Commanders for the team’s annual Harvest Feast, where volunteers, including current and former players, give out Thanksgiving meals to families in need.
