Toronto Rock

than two decades building sports properties, partnerships, and experiences that bring communities together.

Matt Afinec is the president and chief operating officer of the Toronto Rock, joining the organization at one of the most important moments in its history.

Fresh off an NLL championship, newly established at TD Coliseum in downtown Hamilton, and looking to build a much deeper connection with the region.

Before The Rock, Matt spent 17 years with Hamilton Sports Group, ultimately serving as president and COO.

He spent much of his career building sports in the community he calls home and is a husband and a father to two sons.

His career has been about building things that last.

Teams, venues, partnerships, fan communities, and now on to the next chapter of the Toronto Rock.

Today, we're talking about family, fatherhood, ambition, Hamilton, leadership, community, the business of sport, knowing when to leave something you helped build, starting again, and the lessons his dad taught him.

He is a forward.

5'10", 175, played for the Toronto Rock and the Ottawa Black Bears.

Ottawa, of course, one of the teams that disappeared along with Philly from this past offseason.

So we'll see what he can provide for us.

So all the outdoor ones would be there for field lacrosse and soccer, but indoor box lacrosse does not have a turf field in Burlington.

The Toronto Rock facility in Oakville has two turf fields, which are fantastic year-round.

But when we convert the hockey rinks to cement, they stay cement.

And I actually think cement is one of the reasons that kids don't get into lacrosse because parents view it as a very dangerous sport when in reality it's really not.

Yeah, it was... and we made a mistake, Jake Sanderson.

We said Josh Sanderson, who was a lacrosse player with the Toronto Rock.

Jake Sanderson was outstanding too.

That was kind of the big thing.