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Macon Knights won't play in 2007
By Sarah Meinecke

The Macon Knights won't be around for the 2007 season.

A news conference was held at SportsTowne Tuesday afternoon announcing the arena football team's decision to shut down operations.

Knights coach Derek Stingley and assistant coach Randy Leindecker flew home to Louisiana from Puerto Rico this past weekend after attending the arenafootball2 coaches meeting and made plans for next season.

There was excitement between the pair as the entire coaching staff, which also included offensive coordinator Rickey Foggie, was going to be returning, as was a solid core of their current players.

That enthusiasm turned to shock late Monday afternoon, however, when Stingley was told by Knights president Ed Olson that any plans would be for naught. After six years of operating an organization that lost more money than it made, owner Beverly Olson, decided to close the doors on the af2 team.

"I didn't make any phone calls until this morning, because I was in a state of shock," said Stingley from his home in Baton Rouge. "I couldn't speak to anyone."

Stingley was joined in that sentiment by the Knights' front office employees, who were informed of Beverly Olson's decision early Tuesday morning. The coaching and front office staff learned of the news more than a week after Beverly Olson decided not to go forward with planning for the 2007 season. Only Ed Olson was aware of her decision until it was made public yesterday.

"The Olson's asked me to be in on the conference call (during the staff meeting)," vice president of operations Ron Armour said from the Miami airport on his way back to Macon from Puerto Rico. "I'm upset. I've been with the team for five years. I'll miss (working for the Knights)."

While Ed Olson did not release any financial statistics or reports at Tuesday's news conference, he pointed to the combination of low ticket sales and lack of corporate sponsorship as reasons for the decision.

The Knights finished the 2006 season 8-8 and narrowly missed the playoffs of the American Conference of arenafootball2 league.

The team, which played in Macon for six seasons, lost in the league's championship game in 2003.

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City approves $1 deal for storage of field
A new football field would cost about $175,000, a city official says.

By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — The city's board of control approved a $1 lease agreement to store the Mahoning Valley Thunder's football field in an industrial building the day the field arrived in Youngstown.

The lease, approved Thursday, runs through April 1, 2007, about the time that the AF2 [Arena Football 2] season starts. The lease is with Trumbull Industrial Manufacturing Inc. for the use of the second floor of an industrial building the company owns on Andrews Avenue. The field arrived Thursday.

Trumbull Industrial had the empty space and was kind enough to lease it for $1 to support the city and the team, said Kyle L. Miasek, the city's deputy finance director.

The Thunder will play its home games in the city-owned Chevrolet Centre. The city bought the field, about five years old, for $83,000 from Georgia Sports Enterprises LLC, the parent company of the former Macon Knights AF2 team, which folded this year, said Kyle L. Miasek, the city's deputy finance director.

A new AF2 field — which is 50 yards with two eight-yard end zones — would cost about $175,000, he said.

The field is in "very good shape," Miasek said. It was last used Aug. 26 during the ArenaCup championship game in Puerto Rico. The Spokane Shock defeated the Green Bay Blizzard 57-34 in the AF2 title game.

Michael Hold, the Thunder's head coach and the Knights' former head coach, speaks highly of the field, Miasek said.

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af2 franchise might be in Peoria's future
Rivermen officials could revive indoor football in couple of years

BY DAVE EMINIAN

PEORIA - The Peoria Rough Riders officially became history Friday when the franchise folded.

But will indoor football in Peoria be a thing of the past, too?

"I feel really bad this happened to (Rough Riders owner) Pat Ward," said Bruce Saurs, co-owner of the AHL's Peoria Rivermen, and potentially the next person to try indoor football here. "Would I be interested in doing football?

"If our hockey operation improves, if we can get our attendance to 6,000 per game, sure. We have our hands full running hockey right now.

"We would not do football half-heartedly. And we would only consider putting Peoria in the af2. It's the only credible product."

Said Rivermen president Bart Rogers: "It has to be dark for a couple of years now, but I believe we could package football and hockey and be successful."

It is a growing trend. The af2 has franchises in Boise, Idaho; Stockton, Calif., Hidalgo, Texas, and Huntsville, Ala., that are under common ownership with minor-league hockey teams.

The af2 will add Cincinnati and several Texas teams next year, and projects a 28-team circuit for 2007. The league would like to add hockey/football joint operations in Toledo and Peoria for 2008.

"We covet the Peoria market and would make a deal," af2 commissioner Jerry Kurz said. "It's critical for us.

"When we talked to Bruce Saurs last year, he wanted to make sure he wasn't stepping on anyone's toes in his market, and he wanted some time separation between the end of the UIF franchise and the start of something new.

"We're anxious to speak to him again now."

The Peoria franchise was 61-59 in eight regular seasons and 11-2 in playoff games. Operating as the Pirates in the Indoor Football League and af2 and as the Rough Riders in the UIF, the franchise reached championship games four times. Peoria won titles in the IFL in 2000 and the af2 in 2002.

But in their final season, they went 0-15, almost as many losses as the franchise's first four years combined (17).

The team burned through three leagues, three ownerships, 11 general managers and had unpaid bills piling up in 2006.

"I remember this team taking Peoria by storm in 1999, but it was a downhill ride from the business standpoint and doing things that needed to be done to sustain a long-term franchise," longtime Peoria assistant coach Tony Johnson said. "In the end, it blew apart like a hurricane. Watching it last year was just sick."

Said Mike Nelson, who operates Bloomington's UIF team: "The writing was on the wall for Peoria.

"The sport wasn't (operated) well enough there. I've worked for ownerships with the Peoria Chiefs and Peoria Rivermen that demanded the best from their people, approached things as a year-round business.

"The Peoria team never did that. The ownerships, the front office, weren't there, and it catches up to you."

Walter Church saw both sides of it. He was quarterback in front of huge crowds when Peoria won an af2 title in 2002, then played in the UIF in 2005 for a losing team that drew hand-countable crowds.

"I'm sad to hear it's over," Church said. "The city and the organization, all the guys who played there, had so much tradition and pride.

"There was a time when we were all proud to be part of it. But I could see where things were going."

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AF2 visit looks promising for American Bank Center

Sep 19, 2006 11:06 PM

CORPUS CHRISTI - After visiting the Sparkling City, the Arena Football 2 folks are sold on bringing a new team to Corpus Christi. The AF2 Brass wants Corpus Christi to be part of a new division comprised of Texas teams.

The first game here could be just six and a half months away. SMG General Manager showed off the American Bank Center to Jerry Kurz, the president of AF2, and Doug MacGregor, the president of the Austin Wranglers of the AFL.

The local team would be affiliated with the Wranglers. Corpus Christi fans are used to seeing the Hammerheads. That begs the question, how much better is Arena 2 ball.

"I think the basic answer to that question is that the AFL started the AF2 to be a feeder system," Kurz said. "One third of all the players from the AFL come from the AF2, not from any of the other leagues."

MacGregor said AF2 is considered a developmental league.

"We play the same rules," he said. "A large number of players from the AFL originally played in the AF2."

AF2 officials said they would be content if they could draw a crowd of about 5,200 in the American Bank Center. They want to come to Corpus Christi, and really, the ball is in Marc Solis' court.

They're good people, and the league is a strong league," Solis said. "More importantly, they love the building, they love the city. I think we're just going to have to roll up our sleeves and work through something here in the next few weeks and see what happens, but I like where we're going."

"We surely hope that after meeting with the people here today, and working with them in the next couple of days and weeks, that we'll be chosen to bring our product here," MacGregor said.

AF-2 officials plan on adding four new teams from Texas to form a new Southwest division. With attendance picking up, they want to cash in on the momentum. They averaged just over 6,000 fans per game last year.

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Arena football is put on hold for another year

By VAN WILLIAMS, Anchorage Daily News

Turns out Anchorage fans will have to wait for a second professional sports team.

Nearly five months after announcing an arena football team was coming to town in April of 2007, team owner David Weatherholt on Tuesday said he has pushed those plans back to 2008.

Weatherholt, president of the newly formed Alaska Professional Sports Inc., cited a lack of money and time for failing to get the franchise off the ground.

“Capitalization was the main thing,” he said. “There wasn’t much in the investment area.”

Part of the problem, Weatherholt said, was that his plan to launch a football team in the spring was too ambitious. He didn’t have enough time to properly educate investors to financially support the team — which is named the Alaska Wild.

Generating money was a must to help launch the team because, as Weatherholt told the Daily News in May, “I am not independently wealthy.”

Another problem was that he wanted the Alaska team to play in one of the most recognizable arena leagues — the Arena Football2 League, the minor leagues for the Arena League.

An AF2 franchise fee costs $1 million, Weatherholt said. The league cut that number in half, he said, yet Weatherholt couldn’t come up with the money by the end of September, his deadline. Weatherholt, 57, was apologetic for not bring arena football to Anchorage this spring.

“I’m sorry that we weren’t able to put it together,” he said. “If you want somebody to blame, the buck stops here.”

The Alaska Wild would have given the city two pro sports teams, joining the reigning ECHL champion Alaska Aces.

Like the Aces, the Wild planned to call Sullivan Arena home. Weatherholt said he met with Sullivan Arena general manager Joe Wooden on Monday to talk about playing there in 2008.

A three-year agreement in principal was made in May, and Weatherholt said the same deal is still in place — starting a year later.

“I’m convinced this will be a well-attended event,” he said. “Pushing back our timeline will ultimately give fans a better product.” Weatherholt is certain arena football has a home in Anchorage — despite the postponement — perhaps in a different indoor league. Weatherholt may explore joining the 26-team National Indoor Football League or the 16-team United Indoor Football League — instead of the AF2.

“I’m thinking the AF2 wouldn’t be the best fit,” he said. “Maybe a little less-expensive league. The quality of football is still going to be the same.

“We haven’t given up. We need to step back and evaluate each league and then make the best business decision,” he said.

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Freedom near deal with new owner and league
But UIF says it has ’07 contract with team

By Stacy Clardie, The Journal Gazette

Fort Wayne Freedom owner Rich Coffey is in talks to sell the franchise and have it converted to the arenafootball2 league, but it may not happen without a fight from United Indoor Football.

Coffey met with a potential buyer for the second consecutive day Thursday, and Memorial Coliseum general manager Randy Brown said he had an hour-long meeting with the same person. A sale could be finalized as soon as today and a conversion to arenafootball2 likely would follow.

“There are some potential issues that the ownership group will have to work out,” Brown said. “I have been assured those items are workable.

“Is it a prudent business decision if all the details can be worked out? I think it is. But there are a few more steps to take along the way.”

One crucial part of the agreement is Coffey staying on as a part-owner of the team. Coffey was adamant about being part of a deal earlier in the week, but it appears that stipulation also would help in securing a change in the lease with the Coliseum.

The Coliseum has a three-year lease with the Indiana Indoor Football LLC, the team’s corporate business name, and Coffey. That lease stipulates a UIF team will play in the venue, but Brown said the lease wouldn’t have to be voided to accommodate an af2 franchise. He said the only change that would be necessary is an agreement changing UIF to af2 in the lease because, technically, the ownership could be staying the same if Coffey is involved.

UIF Commissioner Dakota Crow doesn’t seem so certain that af2 will be playing in Fort Wayne in 2007.

Crow said Coffey has signed a participation agreement for this year and established a letter of credit. That paperwork means Coffey is legally committed to play in the UIF next year, Crow said.

“We’re moving forward,” Crow said. “We know nothing other than what we have on paper. What we have on paper is Fort Wayne and Coffey are ready to play in our league next year. He has a letter of credit and a contract to that effect that secures us certain rights.”

Crow declined to expound on his statements. But when asked about a new owner and a conversion to af2, he seemed to stand firm.

“The UIF has every intention of playing in Fort Wayne in 2007,” Crow said.

Fort Wayne already has been home to two indoor football leagues in the past four years.

The Freedom was established in 2003 and played its first two seasons in the National Indoor Football League. But after conflicts with league President Carolyn Shiver, Coffey jumped ship and formed a new league with other former NIFL members. After two seasons in the UIF, what Coffey called personal issues have now forced him to look closer into selling.

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Freedom sale almost Golden
Florida entrepreneur says he’s buying club, expects to play in af2 in ’07

By Stacy Clardie
The Journal Gazette

Jeremy Golden wouldn’t spill many details but did confirm he is close to finalizing a purchase of Indiana Indoor Football LLC and the Fort Wayne Freedom.

Golden, a 30-year-old entrepreneur who lives in Florida, said a contract has been signed to buy the franchise from Rich Coffey. Golden is returning to Fort Wayne on Wednesday to finalize details and expects to hold a news conference Thursday for an official announcement.

Golden already has filed paperwork for the franchise to join arenafootball2, which is affiliated with the Arena Football League.

Coffey has owned the Freedom for four years, and he will remain involved with the team in an unspecified role after the sale is complete. The team has played in two leagues in that span, the first two years in the National Indoor Football League and the last two in United Indoor Football.

UIF commissioner Dakota Crow said last week that Coffey’s signed participation agreement and letter of credit meant Coffey is legally committed to play in the UIF in 2007. Crow was adamant about Fort Wayne’s having a UIF franchise.

Golden and af2 president Jerry Kurz, though, are certain the af2 will be playing in Fort Wayne.

“We received a properly filed application for the owner of a team in the Fort Wayne market that does not belong to any league currently to join our league,” Kurz said. “We would not do anything to interfere with a relationship with a team in any league, whether it was a lower level than ours or the NFL, a higher level, with an owner and we have not done that. Prior to this time, the Fort Wayne market was not available for us because there was an indoor league there.

“Jeremy represents to us that he has the rights to the market to bring a football product there and has asked to be in the af2.”

Kurz expects his league to approve Golden’s application. Kurz said he is recommending Fort Wayne’s addition to the league’s executive committee and expansion committee – he doesn’t have a vote – and then to the board. He expects Fort Wayne to be approved at a meeting next week.

Kurz said Golden already has demonstrated he has a letter of credit, which is $200,000 in af2. Crow said last week that Coffey had established a $25,000 letter of credit for UIF.

Golden has been trying to get an af2 franchise in Fort Wayne for the last two years. Last year, Kurz said Golden had an ownership ready to go. But Coffey decided to stay in the UIF and play in Fort Wayne. This time, Golden bought the team from Coffey and then approached af2.

“I’ve never been secretive about not wanting to play in any other league than af2,” said Golden, whose Golden Light Entertainment will have the franchise rights.

The deal has been in the works since last week when Golden came to town and met with Coffey for three days. Golden also met with Memorial Coliseum general manager Randy Brown.

The franchise would play in the Coliseum, but a change would have to be made to the lease, which currently stipulates a UIF franchise will play in the arena. Brown didn’t anticipate problems tweaking the lease, and the Coliseum’s board of trustees is expected to make a decision by this week.

Coffey, who did not return repeated messages seeking comment, has entertained offers in the past but went seeking someone to buy the franchise now in an effort to repair relations with his wife, Joan, who owned a stake in the team.

“That would be the only reason I’m even thinking about it,” Coffey said last week about why he was selling the franchise. “Whether or not the relationship even comes back again, which I don’t think it’s going to, I have a financial obligation that I feel that I need to take care of. Selling the team would allow me to do that. Then maybe we could work something out, maybe we can’t, but then it’s not a cloud that’s hanging over everything. So that’s the only reason. If we’re happily married, the reason wouldn’t think about it.”

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Boise af2 team fired up about new 'Burn' moniker

Tom Fox
Idaho Statesman

Boise's new arenafootball2 franchise finally has a name — the Boise Burn.

Boise landed the arena football team four months ago. The team begins its inaugural season next spring at Qwest Arena.

The name was confirmed Tuesday by team officials, and first reported Tuesday night at IdahoStatesman.com.

"We wanted to honor firefighters," said Lee Leslie, coach and general manager of the Burn.

"I have a couple of uncles that are retired fire chiefs. I grew up with them, and I've always had respect for them and firefighters before I decided to coach."

The team held a name-the-team contest through the Idaho Statesman, and team officials decided on three names — Burn, Wild Fire and Fire Storm.

The team submitted the three names to the af2 office in Chicago and found any name containing the word fire had been copyrighted, making the choice easy. Two af2 teams have fire in their names — the Louisville Fire and the Florida Firecats.

"(Burn) wasn't our third choice or first choice," Leslie said. "It was one of the three that we were heavily looking at."

Wild Fire was the most commonly submitted name in the contest, according to Glenn Stanford, president of the Boise-based Block22 group, which owns one-third of the franchise. Nampa resident J.D. Wimmer received two season tickets, a team jersey, a hat and a helmet for submitting the winning name.

"We thought from the grassroot marketing prospect, Wild Fire was one that we would be able to market and promote with fire safety," Stanford said. "And we felt that we would be able to do that with Boise Burn."

A team logo, uniforms and some free-agent player signings are expected to be announced in the next 10 to 14 days, Leslie said.

"I think everybody is going to like (the name) and the logo when they see it," Leslie said. "Once you get your colors and your logo up there, that's going to help people decide if they want to follow us."

Also, Leslie has hired the first of his three assistant coaches, he said.

Billy Stone, an Eagle High assistant coach, is the defensive coordinator. Stone is a former AFL Iron Man of the Year with the Chicago Bruisers.

"Billy is a big-time guy for me, and I'm really excited for him to be on the staff," Leslie said.

Leslie, who will coordinate the team's offense, said he is close to hiring a line coach and a defensive backs coach.

Leslie also would like to add an area high school coach to his staff as an intern.

The team will hold a tryout for players from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the Caven-Williams Sports Complex, Boise State's indoor practice facility. The tryout fee is $40 for players with an Idaho driver's license and $50 for those without. Early registration is available at www.boiseburn.com, or starting at 8 a.m. on Oct. 28.

The Burn will have eight home games starting in late March or early April. The league schedule will be announced in December.

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Xplorers Achieve Mission, Taking Time Out
Wednesday October 11, 2006

Maddox Football, Inc, which owns and operates the Memphis Xplorers af2 arena football team, announced today that the Xplorers would not field a team for the 2007 season, which is scheduled to begin next April.

"We have achieved what we set out to do four years ago, and that is to lessen the burden on Desoto County by supporting the Desoto Civic Center in a way that benefits the long-term economic development of the community," said Robin G. Costa, President of Maddox Football, Inc.
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The Xplorers, along with the RiverKings hockey team, were the anchor tenants for the Civic Center when it was originally constructed. When the teams were to be closed or moved in 2002, the Maddox Foundation stepped in to make program-related investments to purchase and operate the teams.

The RiverKings will begin their 15th season as scheduled.

The Maddox Sports Advisory Council, a group of local leaders who advise the franchises on issues of policy and marketing, reviewed all available information and made the recommendation not to operate the Xplorers next year. The Council has over a dozen members, including several key community leaders. "This is not a decision that we made without community input, and it affects only the operations of the Xplorers," Costa said. "We are looking forward to the 15th anniversary season of the RiverKings."

Chuck Roberts, Board President for the Desoto County Convention and Visitors Bureau, which operates the Desoto Civic Center, noted that over the last four years, revenues to the Civic Center from the County’s tourism tax have increased at a steady pace. "When the Maddox Foundation became involved with the purchase and operations of the sports teams, revenues to the DeSoto Civic Center from their games were a significant portion of our total arena rental revenue," Roberts said. "Due in part to the visibility of the sports teams, the Civic Center has also greatly expanded the number of events held annually in the facility."

A member of the Desoto County Board of Supervisors, Tommy Lewis, said "When the Desoto Civic Center absolutely had to have these teams to make ends meet, Robin Costa and the Maddox Foundation stepped up and made the investments that kept the teams in the arena. Now that revenues from the football team are no longer a significant part of our budget, it’s time to thank them for their work and move on."

Bill Austin, who served as county attorney during the development and construction of the Civic Center, noted that the investments by the Maddox Foundation in the sports teams have made a difference in the county. "We knew when we built the DeSoto Civic Center that having sports teams anchor the facility was critical to its initial success," Austin said. "But we also knew that, in time, the Civic Center would achieve a level of success that would make the teams a less important part of the facility’s budget."

Maddox Football, Inc. operated the Xplorers for four seasons, and despite three straight playoff seasons under Coach Danton Barto and an Arena Cup Championship last year, community support for the team did not appear to be growing. "While we have a very loyal fan base, it is not large enough to attract additional community sponsors," Costa said. "We want to thank those loyal fans and sponsors who have supported the Xplorers and particularly thank Danton Barto for his leadership and all the players for their hard work over the past several years."

Coach Barto has accepted the position of head coach with the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League. "While much of our success here is due to the hard work of our players and the support of our fans and sponsors, I also want to point out that it has been the unwavering support of Robin Costa and the Maddox Foundation that has allowed us to build this team into a championship franchise," Barto said.

Costa is also President of Maddox Foundation, a private foundation located in Hernando, Miss., that made program-related investments in 2002 to establish Maddox Football, Inc and Maddox Hockey, Inc., which owns and operates the Memphis RiverKings hockey team. Maddox Foundation has continued to invest in the operations of both teams over the past four years.