I’m not a big sports fan. I’ll watch the Super Bowl – mostly for the ads and half-time show (though my family does accuse me of getting too caught up in the game in the fourth quarter if the score is close). And it isn’t summer unless I’ve watched one Red Sox game, preferably in person at Fenway.
I’m not the kind to be fanatic about a team – or a sport – but I do understand a dream.
That’s what drew me to Joe Calafiore’s story of bringing Hartford Athletic – the city’s new professional soccer team – to Hartford’s historic Dillon Stadium.
It was a tale of family connections, of hard work and hands-on research, and of a sports fan’s dream of sharing the kind of excitement he felt watching “his” team play when he was a child with sports-minded families in his hometown of Hartford.
The fact that his father, Joseph A. Calafiore, was just as committed to the idea only sweetened the story.
What’s better than a father and son duo sharing the dream of owning a pro team?
Beyond the ardent fan angle, this was also the story of a family’s deep connection with a sport, stretching back to the 1967 National Amateur Soccer Championships at Dillon Field, and Joe’ grandfather Giuseppe, who had managed the Italian-American Social Club’s winning team in that match.
“My grandfather is no longer with us, but I’m sure he is smiling down,” Joe told me when we chatted about the birth of Hartford Athletic. “We have a great photo of him and my dad at Dillon with the trophy after winning the National Amateur Cup.”
Like grandfather, like father, like grandson, it seems.
I hope you enjoy the story of how that dream became an ownership group – and a reality.
It’s another one of those stories of how one person’s idea can, sometimes, change things.
With apologies
My deepest apologies to the organizers of this year’s Glendi, which took place at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Springfield on Sept. 11. A research error resulted in the days and hours of this year’s festival being listed incorrectly in Prime’s September calendar. I hope the mistake did not cause too much confusion, or disappointment among festival patrons.
As always, thanks for reading,
Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
