Eau Claire, Wis. – The Eau Claire Express have announced the departure of Chris Thompson, the team’s Director of Food and Beverage, to pursue a position as Ticket Operations and Analytics Coordinator with the Minnesota United FC Major League Soccer team. Minnesota United is in the midst of their inaugural season as a Major League Soccer team and currently plays their games at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis until their new stadium is complete, projected for the 2019 season.

Thompson had been with the Express since the 2013 season, beginning with the team as a Stadium Operations Intern. He returned for a second internship the next season as Director of Stadium Operations Intern. After graduating college, Chris was hired full-time as Group Sales Manager, a role he held for one season. His final two seasons with the Express were as the Director of Food and Beverage, a role in which he continued his group sales efforts, took over the food and beverage operation, and directed the team’s 5-Game Pack sales.

“Chris was a big contributor to the team’s success off the field the past few seasons,” stated part-owner Andy Neborak. “He helped us build our 5-Game Pack to where it is now and brought a great deal of energy and passion to our concession operation. We will always consider he and his wife Amanda part of the Express family and we wish them both luck in the Twin Cities.”

Thompson’s role with Minnesota United is in the ticket operations department. There he will perform some of the same duties he did with the Express, including maintaining the CRM system, assisting with sales databases, assisting with box office management, and developing new leads to enter into the CRM system.

The Director of Food and Beverage position has been filled by the Express, with a replacement to be announced soon.

The Express recently finished their 13^th season of play in the Northwoods League with their fifth playoff appearance. Season tickets and 5-Game packs are available now for the 2018 season. The new 5-Game Pack option for 2018 includes an Express jersey, hat, mug, and an opportunity to take batting practice on the field along with 90 minutes of unlimited food and beverage all for only $70. It can be purchased online by clicking here or by contacting the Express office at 715-839-7788 or 102 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Eau Claire. Single-game tickets go on sale May 1.

The Eau Claire Express are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 180 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (LAD) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.eauclaireexpress.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Express as your favorite team.