Albany FireWolves Name Chris Porreca Team President
November 3, 2022 – National Lacrosse League (NLL) – Albany FireWolves News Release
ALBANY, NY – The Albany FireWolves of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced that effective December 1, 2022, Vice President of Corporate Sales and Business Operations, Chris Porreca, will be promoted to the position of Team President and will assume day-to-day operations. The move follows the FireWolves’ President George Manias’ recent decision to step down from his current role to pursue new career opportunities.
Manias helped to successfully launch the team in Albany, establish the FireWolves Foundation, develop strong partnerships, and has set a high bar for our in-game experiences. “Over the last eighteen months, George’s energy has helped anchor our position in Albany, on the lacrosse floor and in our community,” said Oliver Marti, Owner and CEO of the FireWolves. “We sincerely thank him for his time with the Pack and have no doubt George will continue to be successful in his future endeavors.”
“I am thankful to have had this opportunity to launch and develop another professional sports franchise in the Capital Region,” said Manias. “I wish the ownership group, coaches, players, and staff nothing but success moving forward.”
Porreca led the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League for the past eight years. The Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania and serve as the primary development team for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League. While with the Phantoms, Porreca lead the business operations for the organization and helped bring the 2017 AHL All-Star event to Allentown. The Phantoms consistently ranked among the top in AHL attendance out of 32 teams, with nightly attendances averaging close to 8,000 and ranking in the top 10 in attendance per game the past seven years, all while Porreca led team operations and developed their success with a community-first approach.
“We are pleased to have Chris transition to the role of FireWolves Team President”, Marti said. “As the team looks to year number two in Albany, we know Chris will continue on our initial success.”
Porreca is no stranger to the Capital Region, nor to putting community first. In addition to working with the Adirondack Phantoms in Glenn Falls, he was the Director of Competition for the Special Olympics in Schenectady, which, under his direction, took athletes to the 2006 inaugural USA Games in Ames, Iowa and the 2007 World Games in Shanghai, China. Porreca also volunteered his time with Habitat for Humanity in Lehigh Valley for 6 years, serving as the Vice Chairman and Board Chair for the organization.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to lead the FireWolves.” said Porreca. “I also want to thank George for bringing me on board and providing me with the opportunity here in Albany. I am excited to continue to build on the FireWolves’ successes and pack the house with the best lacrosse fans in the league.”
Season tickets for the 2022-23 Albany FireWolves season are also available now! Reserve your season tickets in the Wolves den today for just $25! For more information, visit www.AlbanyFireWolves.com or call/text the FireWolves front office at 518-362-4900.
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