Islanders Club President Tiago Lopes Leaving Harrisburg
December 1, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
Harrisburg City Islanders Club President Tiago Lopes
(Penn FC)
Harrisburg, PA - Tiago Lopes came to Harrisburg in 2012 after completing a project with Manchester United and executing a program with the United Soccer League as Associate Director of International Relations. After developing business relations with the Philadelphia Union, serving directly with Nick Sakiewicz, Chief Executive Officer & Operating Partner, he became acting President of the Harrisburg City Islanders.
"We were very fortunate to have a guy of Tiago's quality to raise the bar for our club and organization," said Harrisburg City Islanders CEO Eric Pettis. "Much like a player we love to see our colleagues and friends move on to chase their dreams and we are happy we could help him achieve that. We wish him the best and look forward to working with him in the future."
Under Tiago Lopes the Islanders saw tremendous growth during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Including a growth in youth partnerships, sponsorships, marketing efforts and most notably single game franchise record attendance and a 41% increase in total attendance for the 2015 season.
Islanders Head Coach Bill Becher added, "I enjoyed my time with Tiago. He was undoubtedly a big part of our run to the USL Championship in 2014. It is sad to see him go, but we wish him the best in all that he does."
On his time in Harrisburg Lopes said, "Frankly it is not easy for me to finalize the decision of leaving. The relationships I have made during my time with this organization have been truly memorable. I have enjoyed every single moment of my last two seasons and I will forever cherish the memories and friendships I have made here."
He added, "It has been an incredible privilege and personally gratifying for me to have led the Harrisburg City Islanders for the past two seasons. I've been surrounded by an incredible staff and team and I'm confident that the future will be even brighter for them. Significant franchise growth, new stadium hopefully soon in the works, one championship final, player development with numerous players that have moved to MLS and abroad: those are just a few of the ingredients and solid fundamentals in place today, and this team is on the right path to sustain its success."
Finally, Lopes stated ''I would like to thank all the players and coaching staff that served Harrisburg with whom I had incredible moments and learned great lessons of professionalism, hard work and team spirit. To our partners and fans, one last word: Thank you for your passion and support making this club one of the most unique and respected in the USL and throughout the United States.''
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 Harrisburg City Islanders Club President Tiago Lopes |
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