Soul Receive Commissioner's Award As Organization Of The Year
Published on July 31, 2007 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Soul received the 2007 Commissioner's Award for most outstanding organization of the year. It was announced at the ArenaBall Award Ceremony in New Orleans by AFL Commissioner David Baker. They shared the award with the Chicago Rush.
The award is given out annually to the franchise that is the most outstanding throughout the year, based on performance on and off the field. This is the first time in franchise history the Soul have been honored with this achievement.
"I want to congratulate the organization that Craig (Spencer) and I are apart of for their contributions both on the field and in the community," Co-Majority Owner Jon Bon Jovi said. "We are very honored to receive this award and I would like to thank the Soul staff for their hard work."
Philadelphia saw an increase in more than 200 fans per game than last year. Entering their fifth season in the AFL, the Soul have sold out 93% of their venue in four seasons and have drawn a League best 514,226 fans combined. With an untraditional home schedule, the Soul had three Monday night games, two Thursday games, one Friday and one Saturday game. They worked through the tough draw of their schedule and got more creative in marketing the team in different avenues.
"This award means a lot to this organization and I am very proud of everyone that helped us achieve this great accomplishment," Co-Majority Owner Craig Spencer stated. "All the hard work that the front office has put in to making this such a great organization has finally paid off."
This year, Philadelphia was also selected as a 2007 Turnkey PRISM Award Honorable Mention in the Major League category for Fan Development. The Soul were honored on the basis of exemplary customer relationships. Industry experts on the judging panel also commended the Soul on their performance in the categories of Community Relations and Customer Service. The PRISM AWARDS (Professionalism Results and Innovation in Sport Management) are awarded annually to professional sport franchises that demonstrate industry-leading excellence and innovation in sport franchise management across five key business aspects.
"This is a tribute to Rich Lisk and the entire Soul front office and all of their hard work. Not only this year, but going back four years ago when we started as a franchise," Team President Ron Jaworski. "We are honored to receive this award because we hold our organization to such high standards. This award recognizes that and embodies everything our organization is about."
Under the guidance of General Manager Richard Lisk, the Soul staff who helped lead to being named as the organization of the year includes the Director of Sales Joe Krause and Group Sales Manager Mark Wasson, who guided their staff to reaching attendance highs despite a tough schedule that included a limited number of weekend games. Director of Corporate Partnerships Liam Weseloh and Client Services Manager Mark Evans ranked in the top two among corporate sponsorship sales in the League. Director of Operations Steve Shultz excelled in his first year, being invited by the League to assist in the production of ArenaBowl XXI while the Director of Communications Brian Sternberg and Director of Marketing/Community Relations Heather Poole both flourished in their first season heading their departments. Also, Team Accountant John Concordia and Office Manager Sara Peters played big roles in the team's extremely successful season.
"It's an honor to be acknowledged as one of the outstanding organizations in the League," said Lisk. "I would like to personally thank each member on our staff for stepping up this season and making this a great year. As a front office, we strive to be the best at what we do and this achievement represents that."
The Soul finished the regular season 8-8 and reached the playoffs for the second consecutive season under head coach Bret Munsey. They reached the National Conference Divisional Round before being knocked out by the Georgia Force.
Season tickets for the Soul's 2008 season are on sale now. Tickets start as low as $90 for a nine game plan. For more information call (888) PHIL-AFL or log on to www.philadelphiasoul.com.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from July 31, 2007
- Desperados COO Named AFL Executive Of The Year - Dallas Desperados
- Soul Receive Commissioner's Award As Organization Of The Year - Philadelphia Soul
- Dolezel Joins Dallas Cowboys - Dallas Desperados
- Blaze Sign Two Lineman From Austin - Utah Blaze
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