Biggar and better for Phoenix

Thursday, 4th June 2009

Dave Biggar, the marketing brains behind the opening of the Sheffield Arena and launch of Sheffield Steelers Ice Hockey; the Manchester Evening News Arena being crowned Pollstar International Venue of the Year; and the inception and meteoric rise of Manchester Storm Ice Hockey, has returned to the North-West after nine years in North America, and the Manchester Phoenix is his next project.

The creative force behind the organisation that took the Manchester Storm to the very top of British Ice Hockey in the late 1990's before realising his ambition of plying his skills 'across the pond' with Madison Square Garden (owners and operators of "The World's Most Famous Arena", Radio City Music Hall, NHL New York Rangers, NBA New York Knicks, WNBA New York Liberty and AHL Hartford Wolf Pack), Biggar was in the epicentre of the hundred miles per hour multi-billion dollar world of US sports.

After six years concentrating his energies and expertise on realising commercial opportunities for MSG's Connecticut based sports and entertainment entities including the XL Center, Rentschler Field Stadium and the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL New York Rangers), whilst also engaging in regular visits to the company's midtown Manhattan headquarters, Biggar was subsequently employed by international sports and entertainment giant AEG before making a career move in 2008 by joining the newly launched WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) Atlanta Dream.

After the Dream's inaugural season and with the stars now aligned, Biggar finally made the move he'd been contemplating for some time and returned home to the North-West.

The talents of the amiable, but nevertheless sometimes abrasively blunt forty-plus Scouser were certainly in demand as evidenced by a couple of the Elite Ice Hockey League clubs trying to lure him to their camps, but Biggar's ice hockey heart and soul firmly belong to Manchester, and the Phoenix is where he's landed.

"Although it’s obviously been a while since I've lived and worked in the UK, and admittedly the economic climate is much worse than it was when I left in 2000, I've been extremely impressed with the commitment, enthusiasm and determination shown by the Phoenix ownership, organisation and fans to keep ice hockey part of the Greater Manchester sports portfolio.

Hopefully I'll be able to apply the combination of my previous UK experiences and successes with some Trans-Atlantic knowledge and concepts to the already great work that been done, and help the Phoenix.

I'm really looking forward to again being part of something that really connects with the fans, community and businesses, and also getting a decent cup of tea!"