Former Rockford GM joins Chicago Bandits

Chicago Bandits owner Bill Sokolis believes he has found the missing link.

Sokolis and the Bandits announced Wednesday that Aaron Moore, 28, has been hired as the team's first general manager. Moore began work in the team's Elgin office two weeks ago.

"It became obvious last year that I can't do both," said Sokolis, who also owns a construction company. "I needed someone to run things and Aaron is way more qualified than I am with his experience. There was a piece missing and Aaron is that piece. He'll do a fantastic job."

Moore comes to the Bandits from the Rockford Thunder, where he had been the GM the last four seasons, including last summer when the Thunder won the National Pro Fastpitch championship. With the Thunder up for sale, Moore said the lure of coming to a bigger market was something he couldn't pass up.

"Bill gave me an opportunity here," said Moore in an exclusive interview with the Daily Herald. "We had great success with Rockford this season and I felt it was time for a move and a new challenge. It's a big deal to me to come to a team with the name Chicago in front of it. There's a lot of credibility to that. We think we can do some great things with this team."

The Bandits have struggled at the gate since moving to Elgin's Judson University in 2007. But Moore and Sokolis both said Wednesday that at this point the team plans to play at Judson again in 2010.

"We know the importance of youth softball and youth softball players in this area and we know the market might not be there," said Moore, a native of Denver who holds a degree in mass communications from Colorado State-Pueblo. "Those people are traveling and playing their own games when we're playing. We want to make it something where it's not just a softball event but something where people can come out and get good entertainment as well.

"If a fan comes to a game and doesn't remember the score but has a great time, then we've done our job."

Although softball is no longer an Olympic sport, Moore believes the NPF, which moved its headquarters from Denver to Nashville, Tenn., can survive and thrive. The league has franchises in Akron, Philadelphia, Orlando and Rockford in addition to the Bandits.

"I feel confident about the league," said Moore. "We have some people who have the right concepts. Women's sports are tough, and definitely an unstable thing, but I'm confident the franchises in the league are strong and will continue to grow."

Moore also said he hopes Jennie Finch, one of the icons of the Bandits, returns to the team next summer.

"We're planning on having Jennie back," he said. "She's not just important to the Bandits but to the whole league."