The Reading Royals, proud ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, have made franchise history by naming Alyson Vecchia-Spooner, MS, LAT, ATC, as their new Athletic Trainer. She is the first female to hold the position in the team’s 24-season history.
Her services are provided through St. Luke’s University Health Network and take effect immediately.
“We’re excited to bring Alyson Vecchia-Spooner on as a member of the team’s hockey operations staff and the first female athletic trainer in our franchise’s history,” said David Farrar, Team President.
“It was imperative that we brought on an athletic trainer who holds the experience and skills necessary to properly manage the physical conditioning and medical treatment for our team. We have full confidence in Alyson’s ability to meet these measures and extend our sincere thanks to St. Luke’s University Health Network for being an important partner with our team.”
For Vecchia-Spooner, the appointment fulfills a lifelong goal.
“I want to thank the entire Reading Royals organization and the St. Luke’s Sports Medicine Relations department for giving me the opportunity to make my childhood dreams come true,” she shared. “I hope I can show all the little girls here in Reading and beyond that they, too, can be on the bench and build a career in men’s professional sports, to never let anyone get in the way of it.”
A graduate of Springfield College, Vecchia-Spooner has held athletic training roles with Springfield’s football, soccer, and volleyball programs, and interned with the Florida Everblades, among others.
She now joins a small but growing group of female Athletic Trainers in the ECHL. Read more here!