50 Yard Fan
11-30-2010, 09:40 AM
New indoor football team coming to Fayetteville
An ownership group, general manager and head coach are in place to lead Fayetteville's entry in the Southern Indoor Football League.
They'll run what Andrew Bondarowicz, head of the ownership group, called "a brand new franchise."
Bondarowicz is the founder of Fanteractive LLC, a New Jersey-based sports management firm. He introduced Dallas Parks as the general manager and Marquette Smith as the head coach during a news conference at the Crown Coliseum on Monday morning.
Bondarowicz said the team is independent of Richard King and the Fayetteville Guard, which competed last season in the American Indoor Football Association. The AIFA and SIFL were involved in a merger earlier this month.
"As part of the agreement with the AIFA and the SIFL, we needed this (market) to be in good standing with the league," Bondarowicz said. "We've brokered a deal with the old league and the new league in order to make that happen."
When reached by phone, King told The Observer he had no comment.
A lease agreement between the new team and the Crown Coliseum is still awaiting official approval. Bondarowicz said he's had discussions with King about purchasing Fayetteville Guard assets, such as the playing field, equipment and even the team name.
A Facebook page called "Fayetteville Indoor Football" has been created for fans to e-mail Fayette-villeIF@gmail.com or call the team office at 920-9200 with nickname suggestions. The deadline is Dec. 8, and the person responsible for the winning entry will receive two season tickets and other merchandise.
"We're going to do this the right way, the accountable way, and we're going to build a trust in this community at the highest level of a sports franchise," said Parks, a former major league umpire who has worked with the Fayette-ville SwampDogs and Fayetteville FireAntz. "In the minor leagues, that's a must.
"This is a very close-knit community, and word spreads fast. That's how you build that foundation: brick by brick. We started out with some good bricks this morning."
Parks said an open house is scheduled today from 8-10 a.m. at the team's headquarters in the Highland Executive Building on Raeford Road. The 12-game season, which includes six home games, will begin March 18 with a visit from the Carolina Speed.
Smith, who transferred from Florida State to Central Florida before being drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 1996, has enjoyed success as a running back and coach in arena football.
He has hired former Guard head coach Charles Gunnings as defensive coordinator, and the roster is taking shape.
AIFA defensive standout Armar Watson, Chuck Thompson, Clenton Cochran, Wilmont Perry, Walter Ford and Quincy Malloy are among the players already in the fold.
"I understand building business and understand building relationships," said Smith, who runs a private investigation company in Florida. "I think that's where my knack is, even more than in coaching. Almost every time I've coached I've been a part of a new franchise."
http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2010/11/30/1051554?sac=Sports
An ownership group, general manager and head coach are in place to lead Fayetteville's entry in the Southern Indoor Football League.
They'll run what Andrew Bondarowicz, head of the ownership group, called "a brand new franchise."
Bondarowicz is the founder of Fanteractive LLC, a New Jersey-based sports management firm. He introduced Dallas Parks as the general manager and Marquette Smith as the head coach during a news conference at the Crown Coliseum on Monday morning.
Bondarowicz said the team is independent of Richard King and the Fayetteville Guard, which competed last season in the American Indoor Football Association. The AIFA and SIFL were involved in a merger earlier this month.
"As part of the agreement with the AIFA and the SIFL, we needed this (market) to be in good standing with the league," Bondarowicz said. "We've brokered a deal with the old league and the new league in order to make that happen."
When reached by phone, King told The Observer he had no comment.
A lease agreement between the new team and the Crown Coliseum is still awaiting official approval. Bondarowicz said he's had discussions with King about purchasing Fayetteville Guard assets, such as the playing field, equipment and even the team name.
A Facebook page called "Fayetteville Indoor Football" has been created for fans to e-mail Fayette-villeIF@gmail.com or call the team office at 920-9200 with nickname suggestions. The deadline is Dec. 8, and the person responsible for the winning entry will receive two season tickets and other merchandise.
"We're going to do this the right way, the accountable way, and we're going to build a trust in this community at the highest level of a sports franchise," said Parks, a former major league umpire who has worked with the Fayette-ville SwampDogs and Fayetteville FireAntz. "In the minor leagues, that's a must.
"This is a very close-knit community, and word spreads fast. That's how you build that foundation: brick by brick. We started out with some good bricks this morning."
Parks said an open house is scheduled today from 8-10 a.m. at the team's headquarters in the Highland Executive Building on Raeford Road. The 12-game season, which includes six home games, will begin March 18 with a visit from the Carolina Speed.
Smith, who transferred from Florida State to Central Florida before being drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 1996, has enjoyed success as a running back and coach in arena football.
He has hired former Guard head coach Charles Gunnings as defensive coordinator, and the roster is taking shape.
AIFA defensive standout Armar Watson, Chuck Thompson, Clenton Cochran, Wilmont Perry, Walter Ford and Quincy Malloy are among the players already in the fold.
"I understand building business and understand building relationships," said Smith, who runs a private investigation company in Florida. "I think that's where my knack is, even more than in coaching. Almost every time I've coached I've been a part of a new franchise."
http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2010/11/30/1051554?sac=Sports