Veteran Sports Executive Comes From the Saint Paul Saints
Madison, Wis. – Forward Madison has hired Zane Heinselman to serve as the first Vice President and General Manager of the USL League One Club. Heinselman will work closely with Chief Operating Officer, Conor Caloia, and will oversee the day-to-day operations of the business including the corporate sales and ticketing functions of the business. He comes to Madison after spending the past nine years with the Saint Paul Saints, the AAA minor league baseball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. In his time with the Saints, Heinselman progressed his way through the company serving as the Vice President and Assistant General Manager in his last role.
“We are thrilled to welcome Zane and his family to Madison,” Caloia said. “We share a vision of where we want to take this Club and what Forward Madison can be. He has a proven track record of growing revenue and managing employees with one of the top Clubs in minor league baseball. Zane is a great fit for the Forward Madison front office and I look forward to him connecting with our corporate partners and fans.”
In his role with the Saints, Heinselman was responsible for all revenue functions including corporate partnerships, ticket sales and facility events. He started with the Club in 2014 as an intern and joined the team full-time as a Ticket Sales Account Executive when the Saints moved from Midway Stadium to CHS Field. Heinselman was a part of the staff that helped transition the Saints to the new $63 million CHS Field in 2015. After two seasons in a ticket sales role, Heinselman was promoted to Corporate Partnerships Manager. In this role, Heinselman guided the new partnership business and oversaw a period of rapid growth in the new facility. In 2018, he was promoted to the Director of Corporate Partnerships and Sales and took over responsibility for all sales functions for the Saints. Heinselman helped guide the Saints through the COVID-19 pandemic and also oversaw the Club’s digital strategy. Prior to the 2021 season, Saint Paul moved from the American Association to become the AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins and he was promoted to Vice President, Assistant General Manager. In this role, Heinselman continued the growth of the revenue side of the business and served as the primary contact for Major League Baseball on commercial topics. The Saints regularly ranked amongst the top teams in Minor League Baseball in attendance averaging 6,582 fans per game in 2022.
“My family and I are very excited to join the Madison community and the Big Top Sports and Entertainment team,” Heinselman said. “The Forward Madison tradition has been well established since its inception, and I am thrilled to be a continuing part of helping build it. I look forward to making Madison home and getting to know the community.”
Heinselman is a graduate of St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota where he was a four-year member of the soccer team including two years as team captain. He also studied sports management at Coventry University in Coventry, United Kingdom. Heinselman served as an assistant coach for the Macalester Men’s Soccer program from 2016 through 2018.
Heinselman will be introduced to corporate partners at an event on December 1 and has already begun his duties with Forward Madison FC. He can be reached at zane@forwardmadisonfc.com.
