SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Springfield Thunderbirds have announced a hire and multiple promotions to their business staff heading into the new season. Sophia Mackin has been hired as Coordinator of Digital & Social Media, Frank Grimaldi has been promoted to Director of Ticket Operations & Retention, and Steve Brousseau has been promoted to Senior Account Executive.

Mackin joins the Thunderbirds after serving as a social & digital media intern with the team for the previous two seasons. A native of East Longmeadow, Mass., Mackin graduated from UMass-Amherst in May of 2025.

Grimaldi, a Springfield native, is an original staff member of the Thunderbirds front office, having been with the club since the team's inception in 2016. He served as an Account Executive from 2016 to 2018 before transitioning to his ticket operations & retention role before the 2018-19 season. He is an alumnus of Western New England University.

Brousseau joined the Thunderbirds front office full-time during the 2021-22 season after spending two seasons as a game-day intern with the team. A native of Freeport, Maine, Brousseau has been recognized for his excellence, having been named a finalist for the Howdy Award this past April for outstanding customer service in the hospitality industry. He is an alumnus of Springfield College.

In addition, the Thunderbirds have also brought in Andrew "Guam" McCormic as Retail Office Coordinator and Ethan Vattaso as Gameday Operations Assistant. 

McCormic served as the Gameday Operations Assistant last season before transitioning into this role, where he will assist in gameday merchandise and retail sales. He is a 2025 graduate of Springfield College and will be entering his fourth season with the T-Birds organization.

Vattaso, a current undergraduate at Springfield College, is entering his third season as part of the Thunderbirds' gameday staff. He will manage the staff and oversee live entertainment elements throughout home game nights at the MassMutual Center this season.

Single-game tickets and ticket memberships for the Thunderbirds' 2025-26 season are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).