Rain at an outdoor sports event is never ideal. Not for the players, not for the fans. But soccer is a sport that can and will be played in rain, depending on how much is falling and whether lightning is involved. 

If you are Hartford Athletic Chief Operating Officer Michele Roux and others working for the United Soccer League team, checking the weather is part of the daily routine. The Athletic play outdoors at Trinity Health Field, formerly Dillon Stadium, in Hartford.  

On Thursday, April 10, Ms. Roux; Liana Hinds ’12, who works in the corporate partnership side of the operation; and Rashad Hyacenth, director of business development, came to Loomis Chaffee to hear presentations from the 13 students in this year’s Innovation Trimester (I-Tri) class, which will be involved in four projects this spring. I-Tri students step away from their regular classes and daily schedules in their final term to tackle real-world challenges and offer innovative solutions to problems faced by local businesses and nonprofit organizations.  

The real-world challenge for the Athletic: getting more fans in the seats when there is rain or a threat of rain. The real-world challenge for the I-Tri students: enhance that rainy game-day experience and change the culture when it comes to rain.  

It’s not as simple as that Tony Bennett song that starts with, “Gray skies are going to clear up. Put on a happy face.” Still, that is exactly what the Athletic want and what the students were trying to provide: keep the fans smiling even if the sun is not. 

The students first met with Athletic staff on March 27. Some also went to the team’s home opener on March 29, and then they gathered again with members of the Athletic at their offices in Windsor on April 4 to ask questions that would help them prepare for the April 10 presentation.  

As they say, when it rains it pours, and ideas were flowing on Thursday. Four groups presented. The first group talked about exclusive rainy-day merchandise available for purchase, ranging from waterproof seat cushions to special hats and a crewneck. Fans also could win a special rainy-day game jersey and the ultimate prize, VIP suite seats. The group’s cost analysis netted a profit.    

A second group recommended rewarding fans who stay for the whole game through whatever rain there might be. If they do, they get a special scratch-off ticket. The students showed an example of the ticket on the big screen in Gilchrist Auditorium. Match three symbols — such as jerseys, logos, hats, or scarves — and you’re a winner. Fans can redeem winning tickets for merchandise at a future game, which also gets these fans back in the seats. If you don’t match three symbols, you’re still a winner: a 10 percent discount for a future game ticket. The group’s presentation used the Athletic colors — blue and green. Those colors, also used by the Hartford Yard Goats minor league baseball team, have been a symbol of Hartford pro sports for a while as they harken back to and honor the Hartford Whalers, the NHL team that left the city in 1997. 

A third I-Tri group played off the Athletic’s commitment to the community. For instance, according to the team’s website, “the Hartford Athletic Community Ticket Program presented by Travelers and Liberty Bank provides tickets to those who might otherwise not have a chance to attend a match. In 2023, this program provided 15,000+ tickets to over 20 programs.” 

“Helping Hartford Athletic means helping Hartford” was this group’s message. Their solution to changing the rainy-day culture was to have a Rainy Day Festival for the first predicted rainy game of the season that would incorporate music, dance, food. There would need to be planning and notice ahead of time. A large portion of the Athletic fan base comes from surrounding towns in Hartford County but not from the city itself. Hartford has a large Caribbean population, and the festival’s music and food-truck choices would be geared toward Caribbean culture to draw in new fans. The festival also would send a signal that rain can't stop the fun.  

The final group talked about embracing the weather with a slogan of “Play in the Rain” and a theme that conjures the pure delight of a child playing in the rain. The students suggested such things as inflatables and bubble soccer for children before the game even starts since a large part of the fan base is families. The group also provided the cost of renting such equipment versus owning it, where the Athletic might get the equipment, and insurance costs. 

This year's I-Tri class includes Elijah Darity, Syd Denson, Niamh Foley, Henry Glover, Kyle Gyimah-Padmore, Shak Jones, Cindy Lin, George Martin, Ava McCann, Shaylee Moreno, Harry Salters, Will Stillman, and Christine Wu.

“I was so incredibly impressed by fact these students had less than two hours of organizational info made available to them, and for them to come up with such thoughtful, innovative and, I think, winning solutions is so impressive,” Ms. Roux said in an interview after the presentations. 

The Athletic play the Indy Eleven on Saturday, April 12, at 2 p.m. at Trinity Health Stadium. The forecast: rain.