Why Worcester: Chrissy Gaffney, the WooSox Team Store "Mom"

Chrissy Gaffney has been a member of the WooSox Team Store since the Worcester Red Sox' Inaugural Season in 2021.

Gaffney has been living in Worcester since she went to college in the area and later moved here permanently with her husband. Up until 2020, she had been working at Worcester State University. During the pandemic, she enjoyed spending her time helping with community food drives. On one such occasion, she met Smiley Ball and some of his friends also helping out. She heard about the virtual job fair the team was hosting that February, and the rest is history.

Chrissy was offered a position working in the Team Store at that first job fair. She played an integral role in setting up the store for its grand opening. For a while, she worked mostly with college and high school students, and as a result, in her first few seasons, she was lovingly nicknamed, “The Team Store Mom.”

“I love working with the college and high school kids," Gaffney said. "They keep me on my toes and also keep me up to date on the latest ‘tea.’ We really have a lot of fun working together.”

Her current role is her first time working with a sports organization, and she knows this is a perfect fit for her because she loves interacting with people, and she loves making people happy.

“I’ll never need to retire, I love this job,” Gaffney said. Despite battling health issues, Chrissy knows she is not alone. She describes the team store as a caring and supportive family.

At the park, one of her favorite duties includes creating custom jerseys. She takes pride in crafting each jersey and knows that each and every one is special. In her time with the WooSox, she has created jerseys for Opening Day, the Police vs. Fire charity baseball games (presented by Country Bank), wedding parties, mascots, and even for her dog, Miss Ellie.

Around the organization, Chrissy is known for her beautiful, hand-painted pumpkins. The tradition began in October of 2021 at the park’s inaugural trick-or-treat event for fans, which included a pumpkin painting contest. It had been a long time since Chrissy had picked up a paintbrush, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to dive back into one of her hobbies—especially when she caught wind that one of her coworkers was just as competitive as she was! That first year, she painted a Smiley Ball pumpkin. She won the contest, and she has been painting for many different events ever since. Her other works include pumpkins for Ryan Fitzgerald's merch line drop, logos for the Holy Cross football games, and WooSox Foundation logos.

Chrissy said that one of her favorite memories at Polar Park took place on a day that she was there as a fan watching the game with her husband and their friends. They were sitting at a table on the berm when her coworker, Kyle, came over to tell them he had a surprise for them. He took them to WooSox Chairman Larry Lucchino’s suite to watch the game!

“Larry wanted to thank the merch team for all their hard work and invited us to watch the game in his personal suite. The four of us were the first to arrive and we got a chance to talk with Larry and take pictures with him and the Red Sox World Series trophies.”

It was a memory she shared with her husband, her friends, and her entire merch family!

“Thank you, Larry, for making that night so special for all of us," Chrissy said.

When asked about what sets Worcester apart from other teams, “We’re awesome,” was Chrissy's immediate response.

“Our fans have shown great loyalty by breaking ticket sales records in just our first three seasons," she added. "Coming to games to sit in the rain or even staying for the whole game in hopes of a great comeback is what sets our fans apart. We’ve even had fans move to Worcester to be closer to the park. That’s amazing!”

Since moving to the Heart of the Commonwealth for college, Chrissy has been a proud Worcester resident. She has witnessed firsthand the rapid growth and development of the city. Chrissy says most people don’t recognize all the great things Worcester has to offer until they come to experience it for themselves.

“Worcester is growing into a beautiful city, and our park is turning Worcester into a destination.”

Chrissy said she looks forward to the club's future in Worcester. Every year brings new innovations to the park, new visitors to the park, and of course new merch! She enjoys meeting the fans before and after games to hear their feedback about the team and the ballpark experience; it’s one of her favorite parts of the job. We wish Chrissy well entering her fourth season, and we’re so happy to have her here!