“Revolutionary Work” is a series that highlights the people who make the New England Revolution tick behind the scenes, from the equipment room to the boardroom.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Nathann Layton used to hate the Revolution. A West Virginia native and longtime D.C. United fan, he dreaded when they’d face New England – especially between 2019 and 2021, when Carles Gil and Gustavo Bou formed a deadly attacking pair.
Now, Layton doesn’t just root for the Revs, he’s an important part of the team.
Working as an equipment supervisor for the past three seasons – starting with Revolution II in 2023 before moving to the first team – Layton has become what he describes as a “soccer dad.” On a day-to-day basis, along with equipment manager Chris Maxwell and equipment coordinators Ethan Trusten and Mitchell Cyr, he makes sure the players all have clean laundry, they’re looking sharp, and that everything is ready for the team to take the pitch.
It’s a job that typically sees Layton arrive at the Revolution Training Center around 5:30 a.m., gathering everything teams across the organization will need for their day of training. He’s become a master of the trade, moving goals at record speed, learning to carry far too many agility poles at once, lining up cones with precision, and knowing when a ball reaches 13 psi simply by feel.
While most of his work happens along the sidelines, his job plays a crucial role in building success for the players on the pitch.
“It takes a lot to support a team. It takes a lot of planning. The equipment staff alone, we bring about 20 bags worth of stuff when we are travelling. That’s not even counting what the athletic trainers bring or the video team,” Layton explained. “People may just think we’re in charge of carrying things around, but it takes planning from everyone. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. If that’s something people don’t notice, that just means we are doing our jobs well.”
The equipment staff shoulders quite a bit – often literally – but the role comes with meaningful rewards. For Layton, the best part is watching the players he once cursed on screen reveal who they are off the pitch, seeing their lives behind the scenes and recognizing them as people, not just athletes.
“My favorite thing is probably interacting with the guys and just understanding the inner workings of a team,” said the West Virginia University alum. “I used to dislike some of these guys simply because they would score on D.C., but they are just dudes. I watch them eat breakfast, see them with their wives and kids, and they are all really cool.”
That human connection is one of the most interesting parts of the industry, realizing that the players seen on TV are just people like the rest of us. While they can perform near-superhuman feats on the pitch, it’s who they are away from the spotlight that often makes them truly special.
A club runs smoothly because of the steady rhythm of the people behind it, and Layton has become part of that flow. Traveling with the team for nearly every match and throughout a monthlong preseason, it’s the time spent with the squad that has formed a seamless connection. Prior to arriving in New England, Layton had never stepped foot on a plane. Now, he’s in the sky almost every other weekend and embraces the busy life that comes with being part of a professional club.
Working on the staff of a professional team can be demanding, but Layton intends to stay close to sports for a long time. Drawn to the field early, he earned a master’s degree in sports management, worked in equipment and team operations for WVU’s football and women’s soccer teams, and served as an equipment manager with U.S. Soccer, where he worked alongside New England’s new head coach Marko Mitrović. Although, it’s his time with the Revolution that has deepened Layton’s appreciation for the people and systems that make a club succeed.
The team he once disliked is now his own. He shares meals with them, sleeps in the same hotels, and moves through the season alongside them. While he may have never thought he’d be cheering for New England, he’s become part of the Revolution family.
“I think about one day in the future, if I ever go somewhere else and I have kids, are they going to be Revs fans in some other city?” he wondered with a smile. “Yes, I think they will.”
