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SPORTS TECHNOLOGY
Angie Eliason
DE Turf Sports Complex
In 2017, the $24 million DE Turf Sports Complex opened for business, and it’s been punching above its weight class since. Three years earlier, Angie Eliason was hired as the executive director
and chief marketer of the 12 turf field facility. Eliason has had a career in youth sports and served as the director of operations for the U.S. Youth Soccer before starting PRIME Professional Events. She was also recruited by Major League Soccer to organize their top tournaments, and with her contacts with tournament organizers, the hope is to draw in even bigger events and raise central Delaware’s profile in
turn. Her work has helped draw USA Lacrosse men’s and women’s national teams for exhibition games, bringing 30,000 to the site.
Q&A:
Larry Meli
Delaware Blue Coats
In 2013, the NBA G-League affiliate
for the Philadelphia 76ers arrived in Delaware and within a decade, the Delaware Blue Coats secured its first national championship. It also became one of two teams to arrive in the
finals for three seasons in a row. The Delaware Blue Coats plays at the Chase Fieldhouse built by Buccini/Pollin Group and have drawn thousands
of fans to the games. Delaware Blue Coats President Larry Meli has helped guide the strategy to draw high attendance numbers and sponsorships. In October, one of the latest moves Meli announced was a deal with CBS Philadelphia affiliate PHILLY57 to air 15 home games for the team.
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Q&A:
Chrissi Rawak
University of Delaware
University of Delaware has a NCAA Division I program with 21 sports and a $48 million budget, the largest in the Football Championship Subdivision, and the Athletic Director Chrissi Rawark is responsible for it all. In
the 2022-2023 year, UD claimed five CAA Championships among other accolades. Rawak oversaw the $65 million renovation of the Delaware Stadium and Whitney Athletic Center construction, and has been working toward funding for an $80 million indoor practice and office facility near its end zone. It remains unseen whether those facility upgrades are part of a larger plan to bring UD to the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, the top division of collegiate sports.
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Q&A:
Zakiyyah Ali
Tech Council of Delaware
In March 2023, the Tech Council of Delaware officially launched and Zakiyyah Ali was named its first leader. Its precursor was Tech Hire Delaware and the Delaware IT Council under the Rodel Foundation umbrella. Ali spent years as a workforce development consultant in Wilmington, and
before that, she served as a director
of Philadelphia’s city workforce development. The Tech Council
strives to draw more tech career professionals, businesses, education resources together to make Delaware a tech hub. Initiatives include an online membership platform, routine training programs, information panels, lobbying efforts, and collaboration between industry, education and government.
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