Dallas Burn Vice President of Marketing and Broadcasting Andy Swift has been named President and General Manager for the team. Swift takes over the position vacated by former General Manager Billy Hicks, who left the team late last month to become vice-president with the XFL. John Alper, previously Vice-President of Sales, was promoted to Senior Vice-President and Paul Mott, formerly Senior Vice-President of Operations and Administration and another candidate for Hicks’ job, will now be working at MLS. “While personally I am excited, the internal appointment is more a reflection on the hard work that the entire Burn staff has put forth since the team’s inception,” said Swift. “We have been among one of the best teams in the league in our grass-roots marketing efforts, and now I look forward to helping the team to the next level, both on the field and with our fans.” “Andy is a highly regarded executive in Dallas and throughout MLS,” said MLS COO Mark Abbott. “He has been an integral part of the management team that has established the Burn. I am extremely pleased that he will now be leading the team.” Swift, who has been with the team since February 1996, has spent the last two years as Vice President of Marketing and Broadcasting. In that role, he was responsible for managing the team’s entire advertising, media buying and planning, public relations, broadcasting, Hispanic market sales and community relations efforts. During that time, group ticket sales for the Burn have increased 15%, walk-up ticket sales have gone up 20%, while outlet ticket sales increased 40% from 1998 to 1999. Swift also negotiated broadcast agreements for television and radio which saw the Burn become the first professional sports team in Dallas to have regular-season games broadcast on television and radio in both English and Spanish. From 1997-98, Swift was Director of Hispanic Marketing for the Burn. In that capacity, he was responsible for managing the team’s sales, advertising, media buying and planning and public relations and community efforts for the Hispanic market. While serving in that role, Burn season ticket sales to the Hispanic market increased by more than 200% while total attendance increased by 15%. Swift also created and implemented the Dallas Burn Tienda Program, a ticket selling program consisting of more than 20 outlets in Hispanic neighborhoods. During the 1999 season, the Tienda Program accounted for 40% of the team’s outlet ticket sales. Swift also supervised the development and implementation of the Dallas Burn and Learn Program, the team’s highly successful community outreach program to DISD schools. In his initial year with the Burn from 1996-97, Swift served as the team’s Director of Community Relations and Hispanic Media. In that role, he served as international player liaison and was the team’s spokesperson for the Hispanic market. Prior to joining the Burn, Swift was an independent television producer specializing in the Hispanic and corporate video markets and landed accounts such as the Telemundo network, the NCAA, Heftel Communications and St. Paul Medical Center. He has also worked for the Dallas Telemundo affiliate, rising from news photographer to producer in 18 months. Swift, 32, is a 1989 graduate of Texas Christian University with majors in psychology and Spanish. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Swift is single and lives in Arlington.