Vice President of Stadium Operations
Matt Gifford is Vice President of Stadium Operations for the St. Louis Cardinals, where he is responsible for all day-to-day facility operations and game-day event management activities at Busch Stadium. In this role, Matt manages over 30 full-time front office staff and more than 1,000 part-time employees and contractors. The Stadium Operations Department is responsible for maintaining Busch Stadium as one of the premier sporting facilities in all of sports. This includes overseeing all of the Busch Stadium Systems, Security, Field Maintenance and Groundskeeping, Event Operations, Guest Services, Cleanliness, Medical Services and Parking at the ballpark.
Matt took over the Stadium Operations Department during the summer of 2017, after spending more than 13 years running the Springfield Cardinals, the team's Double-A affiliate in Springfield, Missouri. In 2004, after spending nine years in the Cardinals front office in St. Louis, Matt was promoted to Vice President/General Manager to lead the creation of the brand new franchise in Springfield.
During his tenure in Springfield, the Springfield Cardinals prospered and Matt became a leading executive in Minor League Baseball. With roughly 5 million fans visiting Hammons Field throughout his tenor and over 100 players making it to the Majors, Matt's promises of affordable family fun along with the ability to see the future of Cardinals Baseball certainly were met. In 2016, Matt was unanimously voted to be the Texas League Representative for the Minor League Baseball Board of Trustees, a 17-member board primarily responsible for crafting and guiding the vision and direction of Minor League Baseball as a whole. Matt also serves as a Board Member for the Baseball Internet Rights Company (BIRCO), responsible for managing the digital and interactive rights for Minor League Baseball clubs and leagues across the United States and Canada. A two-time Texas League Executive of the Year (2008 & 2016), Gifford served on the Texas League Executive Committee for seven of his 13 years in the league, while also chairing the special committee that created the Texas League's new logo prior to the 2016 season.
While at the helm of the Springfield Cardinals, Matt was very active in the Springfield community, serving as the Chairman of the Greater Springfield Area Sports Commission and Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau along with serving on various charity and civic boards throughout his thirteen year stay in the Ozarks.
Matt began his career with the Cardinals in January of 1996 as a season ticket sales representative. After spending three months in ticket sales, Matt moved into Community Relations to work with area groups to promote Cardinals baseball along with spearheading the Cardinals philanthropic endeavors. In 1998, Matt was promoted to the Marketing/Corporate Sales department where he served as an account executive. He specialized in signage and promotional activities as a member of the marketing department.
Matt is a 1995 graduate of Indiana University where he was a member of the Hoosiers baseball team and interned in the IU Athletic Department. During college, Matt served as an intern for the Continental Basketball Association League Office. He attended high school in St. Louis, MO (Parkway West High School). In 1991, Matt was the starting center on the class 4-A state champion basketball team. Matt is an Eagle Scout and an avid golfer.
Matt and his wife, Emily, both natives of Indiana, have a son, Maxwell and a daughter, Megan.