Fort Wayne FC announced two key front-office additions with Justin Cohn as Director of Communications and Patrick Ventura as Director of Ticketing.
Cohn, who spent 27 years with the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette as a sports writer, will oversee Fort Wayne FC’s communications, public relations and social media beginning Jan. 20. Ventura, who had been Ticket Office Manager at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum since 2018, started his new role Jan. 2 managing Fort Wayne FC’s ticketing operations and customer interactions.
“We’re thrilled to be adding two people with Justin’s and Patrick’s qualifications and knowledge of the Fort Wayne marketplace. Their reputations precede them,” said Scott Sproat, Fort Wayne FC’s Chief Operations Officer. “They’ve worked with a diverse base of clientele from corporate, news and social media, and other organizations throughout the region. They’ve excelled in roles similar to the ones needed at our club and will be an asset as we transform the landscape of sports and entertainment in northeast Indiana.”
Cohn, 49, was named Sportswriter of the Year in 2020 by the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, and is known for his groundbreaking, multi-platformed work covering professional hockey, football, basketball and golf.
A native of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and an Emory University graduate, Cohn has been a member of the Indiana Institute of Technology’s adjunct faculty since 2019. He has taught courses in public relations, public speaking, journalism and history of mass media, and has had students go on to jobs with teams in the NFL, the NHL, MLB and in college sports.
“I’ve long believed Fort Wayne is an incredible soccer town and I’m ecstatic to be joining Fort Wayne FC,” Cohn said. “There are so many exciting things in store, and I look forward to helping spread the word about them to sports fans in northeast Indiana and beyond.”
Ventura, a 44-year-old native of Fort Wayne, graduated from Snider High School and Ball State University. He spent 16 years working in professional baseball, first as Ticket Sales Manager for the Nashville Sounds from 2002 to 2004 and then as Director of Ticketing for the Fort Wayne TinCaps from 2004 to 2018.
With a proven track record of client relations, helping the TinCaps set attendance records at Parkview Field and overseeing ticketing at Memorial Coliseum, Ventura is an ideal fit for Fort Wayne FC and its move into a new soccer-specific stadium, which will seat more than 7,500 fans. Fort Wayne FC’s new stadium will be a premier destination for matches, shows, festivals and other corporate and community events.
Fort Wayne FC’s 2025 schedule will be announced in March, with games beginning in May at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium on the University of Saint Francis campus.