Sahlen’s Stadium has
been home turf for the Western New York Flash since 2011, even though the team
was based in the Erie County exurb of Elma. But no more: the women’s pro soccer
team recently moved its headquarters to University Avenue in Rochester’s
Neighborhood of the Arts.
Soccer is big in Rochester, and
women’s soccer in particular has a legacy here; Pittsford native Abby Wambach
is a product of that enthusiasm and has, in turn, fueled it. And that’s why the
Sahlen family, which owns the eponymous hot dog and deli meat
company as well as the Flash, decided to move the team’s headquarters
here, says Flash general manager Rich Randall.
“They felt Rochester would be a
great place for this,” Randall says.
The office’s location, which is next
door to the Bachelor Forum, was chosen because it’s an
extremely visible spot, Randall says, that gets a lot of traffic. And it’s a
tough spot to miss, due to the Flash logos in the windows.
The office handles team business, Randall
says, but also serves as a walk-in spot to buy tickets and merchandise. The
staff has already made a habit of connecting with and patronizing neighboring
businesses, he says.
NOTA neighborhood leaders wanted the
storefront to go to a tenant that would be a good fit with the community, and
while the Flash isn’t what they expected, people are excited about their
presence, says Evan Lowenstein, chair of the Neighborhood of the Arts
Neighborhood Association.
And having the team’s headquarters
in the neighborhood presents opportunities to work together on some
yet-to-be-envisioned projects, he says.
“It adds to our diversity,”
Lowenstein says, “and that’s a good thing.”
This article appears in Apr 20-26, 2016.
