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Falcons announce charitable foundation, lobby support

Date: 2/14/2013

By Chris Maza

chrism@thereminder.com

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Falcons owner Charlie Pompea announced the formation of the Springfield Falcons Charitable Foundation at a press conference prior to the team's Feb. 10 game, a move that reinforced his intention to keep the team where it is.

The mission statement foundation, which will be overseen by Pompea's daughter, Sarah, says that its goal is to "enrich the lives of children and families throughout Greater Springfield by promoting awareness of education, exercise and health," adding that its focus would be on improving the quality of life of area residents.

Pompea and Mayor Domenic Sarno, a Falcons season ticket holder, both lauded the franchise for its continued support of local charities and public service within the city and in the greater Springfield area.

Pompea cited the team's recently announced partnership with Link to Libraries, as well as their ability to collect more than 400 gifts through the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots campaign and substantial donations made to Friends of the Homeless.

Sarno told Reminder Publications that the creation of the charity foundation was just an extension of the great work the team has already done for the local community.

"I'm not at all surprised by the announcement of a charitable fund," he said. "The Falcons have always been great corporate citizens."

Pompea also used this announcement to reiterate his desire to keep the team in the City of Homes, but was frank with members of the media and the close to 100 fans in attendance that it remains difficult to do so.

"As the former owner of a very successful steel distribution company, I always jettisoned our losers and invested in our winners. Unfortunately, the Springfield Falcons have not been a financial winner for us yet," he said. "With that being said, we have recently been approached about selling the team. If we sold the team, it would be moved and all you fine folks would lose what you've supported very hard over the years. However, we're not ready to give up yet. "We believe in Springfield and we believe in the Falcons," he continued.

Pompea said that while he is not a native of Springfield, he has "fallen in love with the city and its people." His intention in buying the franchise was not to make money, but sustain a historic part of professional hockey and any profits the team would make would be re-invested.

"I even purchase my own tickets," Pompea said.

Falcons President and General Manager Bruce Landon explained that in order to break even, the Falcons would need to average between 300 and 400 more fans per game. While attendance figures are up this year along with the team's fortunes — they are in first place in the Eastern Conference, on pace for their best record in franchise history — the team remains one of the last in the league in drawing fans.

"The numbers are better, but frankly, we were so far down, there really wasn't anywhere else to go," Pompea said.

Pompea restated the importance that the Falcons have to the local community and the economy, detailing that Landon recently determined that the existence of the franchise generates roughly $6 million in revenue for local businesses in the downtown Main Street corridor.

Sarno indicated that keeping the Falcons in Springfield was important "for the city and its psyche."

"The Falcons have been a great partner and we're going to work hard to keep them here," he said. "The Springfield Falcons franchise is an important economic development engine for the city of Springfield, not only downtown, but throughout the city."

With that, Pompea called for more community support, not only from fans, but the media and local businesses as well.

The franchise owner criticized local television media outlets, stating that the networks, with the exception of CBS3 Springfield, have either forgotten about or made a conscious decision to ignore the organization.

He also stated that while some businesses have be good business partners for the Falcons, others have not been as welcoming. Pompea went on to explain that at the beginning of the season, he personally called 10 Western Massachusetts businesses and did not receive the courtesy of a return phone call.

When asked about a partnership with either Penn National Gaming or MGM, Pompea explained that while MGM has purchased advertising space at the MassMutual Center, the franchise would remain neutral on the subject until after the selection process.

Sarno said the addition of a casino to downtown Springfield could only strengthen the Falcons and the corridor as a whole.

"Whether it's Penn or MGM, I have made sure that they know how much the Falcons mean to the city of Springfield," he said. "I think [the existence of a casino] would help enhance the Falcons' chance of success by making Springfield a destination city. With a casino, professional hockey and professional basketball, the Basketball Hall of Fame and world-class museums, Springfield could become a place people come to not just for an evening, but for a weekend, or maybe a week."