Dallas Jackals Name Veteran Sports Industry Leader Steve Violetta as Team President

The Dallas Jackals are excited to announce Steve Violetta has been named Team President. Violetta brings over three decades of executive level sports and entertainment industry experience to the Jackals. With the recent announcement of Santiago Sodini as General Manager, Violetta is the second in a series of offseason announcements for the club. 

Violetta has a successful history of leading organizations upward through their next levels of business evolution. Previously he led the front offices of five National Hockey League (NHL) teams: Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, and Edmonton Oilers. Violetta also spent time in the San Diego Padres organization as Senior Business Executive as well as the New York Yankees Staten Island Single-A development team. 

“I’m honored that Jackals ownership has entrusted me to lead the business side of this organization,” said Violetta. “I see plenty of upside for improvement off the pitch. Our immediate 2023 goal is to provide our fans the highest quality game experience and entertainment value. Long term we want to be an elite franchise not only in Major League Rugby, but in all professional sports.”

Combining a strategic planning mindset with sales leadership, Violetta focuses on maximizing assets like revenue, profit and brand development. He has a long history of industry innovation including as a social & digital marketing pioneer having developed the first database marketing and analytics department in sports, in 1996 with the Ottawa Senators.

“We are very excited to welcome Steve to the Jackals,” said Tom Vander Veen of Top Tier Rugby. “Steve brings years of world class sports industry experience and will be a huge asset in leading the team to success off the pitch. We are confident he can elevate the team and brand to the next level.” 

Violetta brings to the Jackals a proven track record of driving team revenue by consistently increasing ticket sales while closing over $400M of sponsorship and advertising deals over his career. That includes four naming rights agreements, highlighted by the Padres 22-year PETCO Park agreement.    

A native of Detroit, Violetta lettered in high school football, baseball and hockey. He is a proud graduate of Central Michigan University and remains an active alumnus.

Media Contacts:

Kelsey Armand

972.835.2434

karmand@dallasjackals.com

Lori Barber

214.906.6633

lorib@lux214.com

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About Dallas Jackals — 

The Dallas Jackals are a professional rugby team of Major League Rugby (MLR), the highest level of rugby  competition in North America. The Jackals were named as an expansion team in 2020 and in 2022 played their inaugural season at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington. The team’s central mission is to develop domestic  talent to a world-class level of play and professionalism while strengthening the high performance pathway  in DFW by supporting the local clubs. Through proactive Community Outreach, the Jackals will exemplify  and spread the passion of rugby by inspiring tradition, respect, family, and character on and off the pitch. 

About MLR — 

Major League Rugby is a professional sports league in its fifth season and represents the highest level of  rugby competition in North America. The League evolved from seven teams in 2018 to 13 teams in 2022,  featuring 12 from the United States and one from Canada. Matches are televised on Fox Sports 1 and Fox  Sports 2, among other national and local market platforms. Select matches are available to stream live in  North America on The Rugby Network, and all matches are available to stream live on The Rugby Network  for international fans. MLR prides itself in fostering intense and high-stakes competition, while bringing  together a passionate community built on the values of Respect, Inclusivity, and Tradition. For more  information about MLR, visit www.MajorLeague.Rugby.