Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 9/14/20 – From Press Release
The HEADstrong Lacrosse Club is proud to announce the recent hire of Jessica Scannapieco (Wissahickon) as the General Manager of the Philly Girls Lacrosse Club.
Scannapieco graduated from Western New England University in 2015 where she studied communication and was a member of the women’s lacrosse and field hockey teams. The Lower Gwynedd native was eager to get back to the Philadelphia area and transition from coaching collegiately to younger athletes and saw the opening with HEADstrong as the perfect opportunity to do so.
Jessica brings a multitude of experiences with her to HEADstrong Lacrosse. For the last four years she has been the head coach of two collegiate lacrosse programs, Elms College and most recently Johnson and Wales University. During her time at JWU she was able to take the team to two GNAC championship titles.
Prior to her time coaching collegiate lacrosse, she served as the tournament director for Aloha Tournaments and the World Series of Youth Lacrosse. In addition to tournament director she has also coached for Ultimate Club Lacrosse, Lax Plus Lacrosse Club and Susquehannock High School teams.
For Scannapieco, looking for a new job during a pandemic was not easy, or a position she had planned to be in. However, the stars aligned as the opening for the HEADstrong position was posted on the same day she began exploring new opportunities.
“I’ve been coaching collegiate lacrosse for 4 years now, I was looking for another opportunity and I was more drawn to coaching High School and Youth programs–it’s more fun and less pressure than college,” said Jessica.
Scannapieco is no stranger to HEADstrong and the famous lime green laces. Hailing from the area, she knew of the organization for years, and her brothers actually played for HEADstrong Lacrosse during their club lacrosse years. “It’s been a dream of mine to run a club, so the opportunity to work with a great organization and learn is perfect,” she said.
Jessica has several goals for the Philly Girls Club and is eager to start getting to know her new team, and find ways to help them reach their goals. With her playing days in the not too distant past, Jess brings a fresh perspective to the club and can prepare the team for things off the field such as college recruiting and community service.
“I want to advance the competitiveness of the program, help get the girls recruited at good schools and most importantly help reach out and make an impact in the community to continue growing the love for the game,” she said.
“I’m really excited to be working there and really thankful for the opportunity, I have a lot of new ideas to bring to the table and I want to take the program to new heights.”
“We are excited to work with Jessica as the new leader of the Philly Girls Club. Jessica brings tremendous experience in team building as a head coach at the collegiate level. Her enthusiasm, love for the game and commitment to serving others make her the perfect fit for the core principles of HEADstrong, ” said Tom Sinnott, Director of Sports Operations for HEADstrong.
