2025 Prince Lecture: Bringing Pro Soccer to Buffalo with Peter Marlette, Jr. '06

Join us on Monday, March 3 at 6 p.m. for our Prince Lecture at Nichols School in the Class of 1961 Student Commons. The Prince Lecture series was established in the mid 1970’s by S. Warren Prince, Jr., a Nichols graduate of the class of 1947 and President of Prince Rubber & Plastics Co, in honor of his father, Sidney Warren Prince, Sr. Each year a person of national renown is invited to Buffalo to serve as speaker for this long-standing series.

This year we welcome Peter Marlette, Jr. ‘06, to speak on the formation of Buffalo Pro Soccer – the group that plans to bring USL Championship professional soccer and a new 10,000-capacity stadium and venue to Buffalo through an exclusive partnership with United Soccer League (USL).

As President of Buffalo Pro Soccer, Marlette, Jr. will speak about working alongside club ownership, elected officials, community leaders, business partners, strategic advisors, and the USL to bring the highest levels of USL professional soccer to Western New York. Over the past year, Marlette, Jr. has been actively meeting and engaging with local officials and sports leaders to gain insights that will shape the professional soccer club in Buffalo.

About Peter Marlette, Jr. ‘06:

Peter Marlette, Jr. was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. Marlette, Jr. played four years of varsity soccer at Nichols, where he won two state championships; earned All-Western New York and All-State honors; and medaled in three consecutive Empire State Games.

In college, Marlette was a 2009 All-American at Trinity College (Conn.). After completing his collegiate career, he spent a season with Woden Valley FC in Canberra, Australia, competing in the National Premier Leagues. During his time there, he was named to the league’s all-star team and set a record for goals scored in a single season.

Following his playing career, Marlette transitioned to the business side of sports. He worked for ADPRO Sports before earning a prestigious master’s degree in sports management from the A.I.S.T.S. program in Lausanne, Switzerland. Upon graduating in 2019, he returned to the U.S. to manage major corporate partnerships for FC Dallas of Major League Soccer.

In 2021, Marlette, Jr. became the youngest General Manager in American professional soccer when he was appointed to lead Union Omaha in USL League One. For three seasons, he oversaw the business and sporting operation of the start-up club in Nebraska. The four rosters he built in Omaha won three regular season championships and two playoff titles and became the only USL League One team to ever beat two MLS teams in one US Open Cup run in 2022, cementing their reputation as one of the most successful clubs in American professional soccer during that period.

Marlette achieved several milestones during his tenure, including twice breaking his league’s player transfer fee record and leading the league in attendance, ticket sales, and ticket revenue. He also helped create the first-ever USL Special Olympics Unified Soccer series, inspiring similar partnerships across the USL League One and the Championship league.

Following Union Omaha’s regular season championship in 2023, Marlette stepped down as General Manager to return home to Buffalo. He is focused on bringing professional soccer to his hometown through the establishment of Buffalo Pro Soccer.

Marlette, Jr. and his wife Sarah (also a Buffalo native) now live in the Elmwood Village with their young daughter, Margot and dog, Sydney—and are thrilled to be back in WNY.