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USL Hartford Athletic

A Message from Chairman Bruce Mandell to Our Fans

August 8, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


Dear Fans,

As we pass the midway point of the 2022 season, I thought I would take a moment to thank all of our fans, supporters, and partners for your continued passion and support for our Club as well as to provide a "State of Hartford Athletic" update.

Tonight at 7pm I will also be joining the Nutmeg State Podcast to chat live and answer all of your questions. Tune in here: https://www.twitch.tv/nutmegstate

To start, it has been a disappointing 2022 campaign thus far on the field, and as Chairman, I am working with our new Technical Director Ray Reid and our ownership group to get this fixed and build a culture that competes for championships every year. Presently, we are working diligently to hire a new head coach and revamp our soccer operations and will have some exciting updates soon.

In the meantime, below are some reflections on what we have accomplished and where we still need to grow on this incredible journey:

Where have we succeeded:

The Stadium: Working with the City of Hartford, including Mayor Bronin and his staff, the City Council, the State delegation, CRDA, and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, we resurrected Dillon Stadium (now Trinity Health Stadium) and built a true soccer and community stadium that delivers an incredible experience for soccer matches and events and provides community access for all types of activities.

Matchday Atmosphere: Feedback on matchday from fans, players, opposing teams, the league, partners and visitors from around the world has been overwhelmingly positive. Our supporters drive this experience and there is truly nothing like it in Connecticut. Based on fan feedback, we've also made stadium improvements each season with the support of the City of Hartford including a new videoboard, Connecticut Craft Beer Garden, additional hospitality areas, upgrades to concessions buildings to cut down on lines, new food trucks, a kids zone, more $2 Beer/$2 Soda/$1 Hot Dog nights, and more. We'll continue to improve on the experience and if you have feedback or ideas please don't hesitate to reach out.

Corporate Partners: Our corporate partners and Business Alliance members have been incredible since day one, and we wouldn't be where we are today without their investment in our Club and our community. A special thank you to Founding Partners Trinity Health of New England, The Hartford, Stanley Black & Decker, Travelers, and Data-Mail for stepping up each season.

Fan Engagement: Our fans care so deeply about this Club, our players, and our community, and show up every week to tailgate, have fun, and bring so much enthusiasm. A heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you, with a special thank you to our Founding Members and Season Ticket Members - your unwavering support is the foundation of our future success.

Supporters: Our supporters are renowned around the league and drive the energy in our stadium. Every match we receive feedback on how special our atmosphere is, thanks to our supporters. For our coaches and players, our supporters absolutely make a difference on the field. Thank you for all that you do.

Front Office: Our Commercial Team and Front Office Staff work around the clock to create the best fan experience and deliver on our community goals. Led by our CEO Jim Burda, we have created over 30 growth-oriented jobs, weathered the storm from a tough COVID period and are growing the business rapidly.

Community Commitment: Hartford Athletic's commitment to the community has been strong and is core to our mission to make our community the best place to live, work, and play. We have invested in and supported many community initiatives and groups including major partnerships with the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford, Dignity Grows, and Connecticut Foodshare to name a few, as well as a commitment to get hundreds of underserved youth to every game through our Community Ticket Program. Our Players & Coaching Staff give it their all every day, and although the results on the field haven't been nearly good enough, their effort and commitment to our community has been outstanding. We are grateful for their continued hard work, community service, and professionalism.

Where we need to grow:

On the Pitch: We have not built a consistent winner. Bottom line this needs to get better, and we will not rest until we have accomplished this. Our ownership group and entire staff is committed to bringing championships to Hartford.

Attendance: We have amazing fans, and we need more of you. To provide us the strength to continue to reach our goals on the field and in the community, we are striving to sell out every match. Any help you can provide through word of mouth, bringing out groups from companies and organizations you are part of, and bringing friends and family to join you for a game goes a long way to achieving this goal. Our staff is ready to help! Email our new VP of Sports and Entertainment Sales David Hirx (dhirx@hartfordathletic.com), who oversees the Ticketing Department, with ideas, questions, and feedback.

What's next:

Build a Winner: We need to upgrade our soccer staff to build a consistent winning machine with the ultimate goal of bring championships to Hartford. We hired Ray Reid as our Technical Director for this very reason. This is a signal of our commitment to achieve this goal. Ray is a U.S. soccer legend with 4 collegiate national championships under his belt. He is a winner and has come to Hartford with a single-minded focus to win a USL Championship. We are so lucky to have him.

Hire an Impactful Coach: Ray is leading a search for our new coach. In his words, this hire is the most important decision he will make for this club. We have some amazing candidates that we are in discussions with and hope to make this key hire as soon as possible. This will allow this coach to push the team to finish strong this year and build the foundation for next year.

Youth Academy: We have launched our Academy with a U19 Boys team. We are adding a U14 and U12 Boys team. There is now a real pathway for CT-based boys to pursue their pro dreams and do so in Connecticut. Already four players from the Academy have seen playing time with the first team. Young players around our state are fired up to pursue their soccer dreams, and we're fired up to support them.

Women's Pro Soccer: The USL is building out a women's pro league (USL Super League) to compete at the highest level of women's pro soccer. Hartford Athletic plans to be a leader in bringing and creating more professional opportunities for women in sports through Connecticut's own pro soccer team. We also plan to build out a pathway to the professional level for young girls through our Academy.

Together, we are on an incredible journey to build a winning culture, win a Championship and create a community asset that will last for generations. So please continue to provide ideas, input and support.

If you have ideas, comments or just want to talk soccer, feel free to email me at brucem@hartfordathletic.com, or even better, catch me at any of our remaining home matches this season.

Tonight at 7pm I will also be joining the Nutmeg State Podcast to chat live and answer all of your questions. Tune in here: https://www.twitch.tv/nutmegstate

Sincerely,

Bruce Mandell

Chairman, Hartford Athletic

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