Chestnut Hill College shares Sorgenti Arena with Philadelphia Reign

Chestnut Hill College was visited by Senator Art Haywood and Representative Chris Rabb on March 15 to welcome the Philadelphia Reign—the city’s first professional women’s basketball team in over 20 years.

The Reign will be using the College’s Ann Rusnack-Sorgenti Arena for practice and home games beginning this May. The press conference held at the College was attended by Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, Ph.D., president of the College, Jesse Balcer, head athletic director, and representatives from the school’s women’s basketball team, along with members of the Reign’s organization.

“It is really exciting to know that there will be a professional women’s basketball franchise playing in our arena,” Balcer said. He is eager to work and collaborate with the Reign team.

Haywood said that the addition of this team in Philadelphia should be seen as a “tremendous event.”

“I can’t tell you how encouraged I am to hear about the mentoring of and working with young women done by this organization, this leadership. It’s something we desperately need in Philadelphia and, obviously, across this entire nation,” Haywood said in an article published by the College’s News Center.

Haywood believes that the addition of the Reign to the city will have a very positive impact on young people in the community, especially the young women.

“This is happening here, which means that it helps us,” Rabb said in the News Center article. “It helps the Chestnut Hill College community, it helps the Philly community, it helps those neighborhoods around here, it helps our economy, it helps everyone. And that’s a beautiful thing.” Rabb added that the addition of the team will “build community wealth” in the area.

The Philadelphia Reign is part of the Women’s Development Basketball Association and is owned by Playmakers Basketball Royalties, a woman-and-veteran-owned organization, who mentor and provide outreach for local communities.

Published March 2019 in The Griffin Student newspaper from Chestnut Hill College.