Rebellion trying to expand reach, brand
With only 15 of its 25-game home schedule at Consol Energy Park, the Pennsylvania Rebellion appear to be de-emphasizing the National Pro Fastpitch team’s presence in Washington.
But Steve Zavacky, general manager of the Rebellion, said the organization is not pulling away from the community but simply trying to expand the popularity of the team and the sport with 10 games at a neutral site.
“We are playing 15 of our 25 games here and we are committed to Consol Energy Park,” he said.
Zavacky said there has been strong interest from other cities to bring the Rebellion in for a series. The Rebellion open the season with two neutral site games against the Akron Racers in York May 31 and June 1, and two more against the Dallas Charge June 3-4. The first game at Consol is Sunday, June 5 against the Dallas Charge. The game begins at 8 p.m., following a Washington Wild Things baseball game against the Evansville Otters at 5 p.m.
“We’re committed to building the brand for the Rebellion and the NPF,” he said. “We took games on the road to York and Lancaster last year and they were very successful. We have a lot of interest from other sites this year. We thought taking the team along the East Coast will be good in the long run for building our brand, the NPF brand and that’s good for the sport.”
The other neutral site games include two in Lehigh Valley against the USSSA Pride June 23-24; two in Delmarva, Md., against the Akron Racers; July 13-14 and two in Myrtle Beach, S.C., against the Houston Scrap Yard Dawgs July 28-29.
“Those games draw large crowds,” Zavacky said. “Two years ago, we opened up in Delmarva and we had 4,000 fans. We were successful in York and Lancaster. It does draw a large crowd. We’re partnering up with them for their tournaments and it’s a natural draw. The exposure is huge.”
Zavacky said the television schedule for NPF games could be released by the end of the week.