Enid, Katy, Belton, Frisco, and/or Little Rock?

[Minor League Man]

What would you think of these ideas?

[preeths]

Frisco has the Texas Tornado of the NAHL, a junior league, and they do very well there. Not sure if the building would be receptive to a minor league team. As for Little Rock, I have to believe they'll have a team again. I think what hurt them the most the first time around was having two teams simultaneously, causing a split of season ticket holders and sponsors.

[rams80]

What would you think of these ideas?

Enid-God forbid (aka arena too small)

Katy-lets wait and see how indoor football does

Belton-ditto

Frisco-what preeths said

Little Rock-might've have been too severely damaged after last time.

[Pounder]

Arena? The Enid market is too small.

I did some market analysis some time back, pointing out that any market south of about the 40th parallel needed to have at least 300,000 residents in order to be viable for minor pro. Bell County TX had a touch south of 250K for the 2000 census, and these teams aren't exactly regional draws. I tend to think CenTex has its own size problem.

I might be with rams on Little Rock... though their bigger problem might be that the new arena is too large to sell season tickets, while the old arena is perceived by fans as too old to visit. Not a good combination.

[nksports]

There was a WPHL team in Waco and Central Texas. Both folded with underwhelming attendance support. Enid is a small town, way too small for CHL. The NIFL team there struggled since day 1 before moving. USBL basketball draws some fans, but has struggled to stay alive (a season split between Enid and Oklahoma City so the team could try and draw fans there with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as head coach nearly sunk the team and turned off the Enid fans). They have new owners this year.
Katy, I don't know what the story there is.
The CHL's current expansion strategy seems to be moving into buildings where it's parent company is the building manager or helped build it (Broomfield, Prescott Valley, Youngstown, Rio Rancho). Another Arizona team might be in the works as well.

[TXBugzFan]

Of those choices, Katy would be the best choice IMO. Katy would have fans from Houston, Pasadena, Beaumont, Galveston, all over. The closest current CHL team would be Corpus Christi. Katy is part of the Greater Houston area, kind of like the DFW Metro area. The closest hockey competition would be the AHL Houston Aeros. And they'd have to compete with Friday night HS football early in the season, but for the most part it would be a good choice I believe.

[ECHLfan]

Just a thought..
Wouldn't it be better for some of the leagues just to switch some teams.
Youngstown could go to the ECHL, wehre it would have teams close by such as TOLEDO, DAYTON, WHEELING, JOHNSTOWN, and READING. The closest team now I believe is Memphis.
The ECHL could send TEXAS (Beaumont), PHOENIX and the team in MISSISSIPPI to the CHL.

I heard the the old LOUISIANA franchise is looking to return, which would be another good team for the CHL. Maybe Birmingham, ALA could be another.

I wish the 3 AA Leagues, CHL, ECHL and UHL could all start and finish around the same time to have a AA Championship between the three league champs. Would be interesting.

[nksports]

Youngstown could go to the ECHL, wehre it would have teams close by such as TOLEDO, DAYTON, WHEELING, JOHNSTOWN, and READING. The closest team now I believe is Memphis.
It goes back to Youngstown's building management being the same company than runs the CHL. That company is trying to get a building built in Joplin, Mo., at the moment, but the locals are greeting them with torches and pitch forks. If there is a change of heart, that's where the next expansion team would probably go.

Otherwise, all of your moves would make sense. I think we need a minor league organziation like the National Association of Professional Baseball Clubs (which runs the affiliated minor leagues) to keep order to the empire (as Darth Vader might say). But hockey has no anti-trust exemption (and the NHL has to answer to two national governments).
Here would be the structure
AAA -- AHL
AA advanced -- ECHL
AA -- CHL and UHL
A -- SPHL
Rookie -- ???

[apeman33]

It goes back to Youngstown's building management being the same company than runs the CHL. That company is trying to get a building built in Joplin, Mo., at the moment, but the locals are greeting them with torches and pitch forks. If there is a change of heart, that's where the next expansion team would probably go.


People in Joplin can't seem to get it through their heads that they don't get a lot of events that it could easily get because they still think a building that was constructed in the 1930s that seats maybe 1,500 people is adequate for concerts and pro wrestling. They also seem to think that the new gym at MSSC should be good enough for these kind of things, too, but it's just a huge gym, not a true "arena."

And then, even if they *do* put in an arena...is there enough of a fan base to support it? Perhaps if you hit the region hard.

Even then, the CHL? I'd think a junior level team would be a better option.

Ape.