Strategic Initiatives-Hartford Athletic

Dear Representatives of our great State of Connecticut, I write in this letter in support of HB-5145, an act concerning photographic and videographic special effects. Hartford Athletic, a true community-focused professional soccer club started by 3 sons of Hartford, CT, has seen incredible success in its infancy. What makes this club so incredibly special is just how focused it is on “Building our community through the beautiful game.” The beautiful game, referring to soccer, has deep roots throughout communities around the world. What makes the game so special, and almost a religion in hundreds of countries, are the supporter groups who not only cheer on the team through thick and thin, but have documented and quantitative impact on community service. The growth of US soccer in the past 10 years has been nothing short of remarkable, and it is because these supporter groups have taken to the mentality that this is much more than cheering for your sports team and going home. These folks work their tails off outside the stadium alongside our Club and partners to grow the community. Our supporters groups—Hartford The 19’s (Hartford), Mad Hat Massive (Danbury), Elm City Casuals (New Haven), East Side Rising (Lebanon), and more—share those values of community-service and inclusivity no matter what. A large part of supporter culture around the United States, let alone the globe, is the spectacle of smoke devices. Take a look at the picture below depicting the sheer beauty of the rainbow display. Does anything scream diversity and inclusion in sport more than this? I took this job with pride and an eagerness to help this region coming from the City of Detroit. There, I managed the business side of the professional soccer team playing in the 4th division, Detroit City FC. Though we were in the lowest tier of the sport, we had out-drawn the NBA and NHL team not only in attendance, but in the community as well. It may seem crazy, but what drew people to the stadium in the first place was the smoke, whether in pictures, video, on the broadcast, the news, or by word of mouth. Soon enough, we could not stay at our 3,500 seat stadium, and moved to selling out an 8,000 seat stadium. What that really brings is more supporters who are community activists willing to donate their time and money to our under- resourced fellow Nutmeggers. It also brings increased corporate partnerships by differentiation, which in turn lead to more funding for even more community service. I’ve seen it work in a city that had been down in the dumps, bankrupt, and negatively publicized to becoming the poster-child of economic and community resurrection for a municipality. The club, and the sheer optics of the smoke devices at kickoff and after goals was the visual representation of a successful civic renaissance, as we have here with the re-building of Dillon Stadium in our State Capital. In terms of safety, I had operated a team that has now used smoke for a decade. Not once was there a safety issue. All operators are required to wear gloves and a mask. The smoke itself is military grade, meaning it is inherently safer and non- pyrotechnic, and is known as “cold smoke.” 29 teams in our league alone allow smoke devices. These are not flares which you may see used in Eastern Europe, and I want to make that absolutely clear. There is no flame. These are truly safe devices, and will help add to the atmosphere at Hartford Athletic games in nothing but a positive way. I would be more than happy to answer any questions, and I look forward to welcoming you all to Dillon Stadium in 2021. Best, Jordan Charlupski Vice President, Revenue & Strategic Initiatives Hartford Athletic I USL Championship .

Load more