For Centre alumnus, World Cup success means no one knows he’s there
Dave Schoonaert '89 has spent three decades making sure the world's biggest sporting events run without a hitch. When they do, almost no one knows his name.
That is exactly how he likes it.
As venue telecommunications manager for the Kansas City site of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Schoonaert is responsible for coordinating technology across roughly 30 areas, from broadcast operations to wireless communication systems. It is his eighth World Cup, a run that began when he took a support role at the 1994 World Cup media center in Chicago.
"I had no idea that this sort of career was even possible," Schoonaert said.
From there, his path moved fast. He helped rebuild the results-reporting software for the 1998 World Cup in France in under four months, a system he still counts among his proudest accomplishments.
In 2002, as the World Cup tried a new co-host model with matches in both Korea and Japan, Schoonaert shifted from writing code to systems integration across various departments and venues. He carried that expertise through the 2006 and 2010 tournaments and into a growing list of global events, such as Olympic games and more.
The rhythm of a World Cup has its own logic, he explained. The first match at any venue is the hardest, as new teams of staff and new systems come together for the first time. By the second and third matches, things click into place.
Heading into the knockout round, the stakes climb again as broadcasters and media outlets add new layers of coverage, and Schoonaert's team adds the infrastructure to match.
"Have you ever heard the phrase drinking from a fire hose?" he asked. "It's essentially like that for four to five weeks."
Schoonaert’s career has given him a front-row seat to many historic moments. He watched France upset Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 World Cup final alongside fellow Centre alumnus T. Alan Robinson '90 from behind the goal, where Zinedine Zidane scored twice. The two watched together again the following year as the U.S. beat China on penalty kicks at the 1999 Women's World Cup.
In 2010, Schoonaert was in Pretoria, South Africa, when Landon Donovan's goal against Algeria sent the U.S. through to the knockout stage in the tournament's final seconds. He has even shared a hallway with a legend: in 1998, Argentinian star Diego Maradona ducked into Schoonaert's technology workroom to dodge the media outside.
World Cups are only part of the picture. Since 2019, Schoonaert has taken his integration expertise on the road as an independent consultant, building technology solutions for the Tokyo Olympics and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in England.
Each event brings a new host city, a new set of local providers and a new regulatory environment, which means there is no copy-and-paste playbook. Instead, Schoonaert relies on best practices he carries from event to event, then rebuilds the details from scratch every time.
But when you ask Schoonaert what makes him most proud, he doesn’t mention the giant stadiums or high-profile matches. Instead, he talks about the 2024 WorldSkills competition in Lyon, France — a global contest for young people mastering skilled trades. Heading up the technology team there, with far fewer resources than a World Cup, gave him lessons he still brings to every event.
"Just seeing the impact it can have on people and the confidence instilled in people," he said, is what stays with him.
That belief, that the right technology gives people the ability to do their best work, threads through everything Schoonaert builds, whether the audience is a global TV broadcast or a teenager perfecting a trade at a competition bench. The scale changes. The mission does not.
It is a passion he hopes more Centre students will discover for themselves. With the Women's World Cup, the Rugby World Cup, and the 2028 Olympics all coming to the U.S. in the next several years, Schoonaert encourages students to volunteer if a major event lands anywhere near them.
"Don't let yourself be limited by what you think is possible, because so much more is available," he said.
His own career started with exactly that kind of leap and one support role at a Chicago stadium during the 1994 World Cup. Three decades and eight World Cups later, Schoonaert is still finding new stages, and still making sure the people on them can shine with the entire globe watching.
"At the very least, you'll have an interesting experience," he said. "And if you're lucky enough, you might be able to make a career out of it."
