My name is mike and i am an aifl @#s noodle

[SHLBYSALEN]

I am one of the assnoodles that got kicked off the aifl board. actually they just started deleting all of my post.

They didnt like it when anyone from asheville mentioned that the odds of a team staying past one year would be nonexistant.

ashevilles minor league team history is filled with casulties.

also they didnt like it because we mentioned that the aifl was doing nothing in asheville to promote the team but give the same speeches that everyone else that had brought a team here had mentioned.

the first owner (head of the aifl) said were going to be different we want it to be an event. we will have a jazz band one night we will blah blah blah.

last night was the opening night for our first and probably final season. as you can read in the paper, half the field didnt get here till thursday. the QB was vacuming it 2 hours prior to the start.

The start of the game was 40 minutes late. we didnt have the opportunity to purchase a program. however close to halftime they came around with a roster so we would finally know who our players were.

there were no souveniers to be bought given away or anything. the website which doesnt get updated has the colors as green and black. our uniforms were blue and black (carolina panthers i get it) our uniforms fell apart. at least 3 players jerseys were ripped apart before it was over. the other team not one jersey ripped.

we had some seriously out of shape players, and our dance team was boring. they couldnt even line up correctly.

the sound system sounds worse than ever and if you sat behind the goal post you could not understand anything.

the styrofoam they put up on the hockey boards for protection was ductaped (as was the field) and kept falling off.

they had one contest (not sure where they came up with the entrants) that took 9 minues to set up and run and no one cared who won. dont even know what they won.

i did catch a ball. they said on their website they lose 25 a game we had four come into the stands not sure how many they lost down below but it wasnt 25. if you caught the red white and blue ball they made you give it back and they gave you a brown one. why not sure about that. we had 1800 fans show up for the fist night. paid attendence hasnt been annouced. they were advertising 1200 season tickets had been sold. that has to be a total lie.

most didnt even stay to the end. hey tatonka you may have stopped me from the boards but in the long run I WAS RIGHT.

[tony-o]

It sounds like the team is a disaster. You should go back to a game later this season if they are still around to see if they have gotten any better.

[cdmiller]

Me and two buddies drove up to Ashville from Spartanburg for the Riders game last night.The best way to describe what I saw last night is ... a football game played in a dumpster.
Everything that shlbysalen says is right on the money. It was S A D.

Please understand,I've been an indoor and/or arena football fan for about 15 years.I had season tickets for the RAGE in Charlotte and the RHINOS in Greenville.I have nothing but respect and admiration for the players who put their well being and bodies on the line to play in these smaller leagues,but it was horrible last night and even dangerous for these guys.

The "pads" on the walls were bits and pieces of styrafoam(?) about an inch thick.Not foam rubber or 3-4 inch padding.And yes,the Riders had a home field advantage - a time out was taken about two dozen times because the "pads" would come untaped and fall onto the field,duct tape that is.

The jerseys were pathetic.Three players finished the game wearing jerseys with no numbers on them because the "real" ones literaly fell apart.They would hold some together with athletic tape for a while.

The field was apparently just pieces of dirty green carpet that was taken out of old crack houses and taped,yes duct tape,together.There were no lines or numbers on the field.One end zone was about 3 yards deep with curved sides and the other end zone, well, you had to hit the boards to make a legitimate touchdown it was so shallow.

The whole ball in the stands thing kind of confused me as well,it looked like only the Spartans had real AIFL balls.If one went into the stands they would exchange it for the wal-mart specials that the Riders had.

I think on one side of the coin the excuse could be that the team and arena didn't have a lot of time to prepare,but the other side of the coin says this was a plain horrible way to show off a new sport to a new town.People around us were almost in tears from laughing at how horrible everything was.

All in all,I really don't see how the league can let this team continue to play in these conditions.The field and boards were a real danger for the players.

[Rocky]

All in all,I really don't see how the league can let this team continue to play in these conditions.

Because, in my humble opinion, Haines is a 1st-rate clown. Its too bad that he isn't alone in the league ownership role that matches that description.

[Sykotyk]

It's a lower budget league so your expectations have to ratcheted down a notch. Canton had an issue with a few of their uniforms last week. The explanation I got was that their jerseys for the season hadn't come in so they improvised with 'ironed on' numbers on what amounted to practice jerseys.

Steubenville, on the other end of the spectrum, had a great crowd, decent turf (old Dayton Warbirds turf, painted over), and had almost 4,000 at the game in a city that has 19,000 residents.

Being negative for the sake of being negative isn't good. Constructive criticism is much better. I've spoken to our owner and president several times and given ideas on how I think the team can improve itself. Being a fan, and a football person, I know how both operate.

Our arena is primarily all bleacher seating, and I suggested the team sell seat cushions. The president hadn't thought of that, but agreed it was a good idea and something better for the team.

You gave them a chance, and if you don't want to return, that's understandable, I probably wouldn't either. But keep in mind that the budget of these teams is around $250,000 to $300,000 for a season. Getting new turf the first year is not going to happen. The dasher boards are inexcusable and I can only hope that something as dangerous as that will be corrected before the next game.

The Stampede didn't get the dasherboard padding until just two weeks ago. Luckily our dashers are high density plastic and give a lot more than the traditional hockey boards, so the padding is not as urgently needs as in other cases.

Hope they improve.

Sykotyk

[SHLBYSALEN]

we had 1800 (not paid attendance total attendance) in a city that has 75000 residents not counting the surrounding communities. they have known this was going to be here since at least august of last year.

i wasnt expecting the superbowl, but our high schools put on a better show. they promoted that it wouldnt be just about the game. thats all it was about and it wasnt very good. with the constant timeouts for the padding. your players coming out of their uniforms. we didnt even have the right balls.

what we got is a team the owner of the league had so he could say the league had this many teams. he sold it to a guy in pittsburgh and no one did anything to make sure the fans had a quality show.

we have had minor league hockey twice minor league basketball minor league baseball. heck we even have a semi pro football team that plays outside. it does a better job.

if you couldnt get the act together in five months, how are you going to get it together in 1 week

[PIONEERSFAN101]

I've read your account on the AIFL boards and I've read the articles about the game... It's incredibly depressing and sad. I'm 99.9% sure that this team will not finish the entire season. And it's a shame, but Haines just wants quantity over quality apparently. I just read another article where he says the league could support 40-50 teams? Not possible.

I think no product in Asheville this year, would have been better than this.

[Rocky]

Haines doesn't promote his league as being a step down or low-budget. Quite the contrary.

What happened with Asheville started with horrible ownership, who screwed up multiple franchises in the NIFL before being allowed into the AIFL, by Haines. Lets not forget the IFL all-star game in Asheville....same guy. Yet he's a fit for the AIFL? I'd expect better.

The NIFL has a history of sloppy expansion, weak franchises and weak owners. The AIFL is going down the same path, sprinkling in the disasterous decision of having the league own teams.

My constructive criticism is for the AIFL to learn from the mistakes of the leagues spawned from the PIFL instead of repeating them.

[SHLBYSALEN]

whats confusing is why put it here. if it succeeds it still cant be here next year. they are serious about shutting it down. if they rennovate it they have to close it and if they build a new one they will shut it down.

they also have 2 dates that conicide with the tourists baseball games.

i hope it succeeds but well see

[FreezinRich]

That sounds like a pretty awful first game experience. I think it all boils down to the individual owners who are running the teams. From what I've seen and heard some of the new teams are off to a pretty good start this season. Canton's season last year was awful, mainly because of problems brought on by Haines, as owner, but they have really turned it around for this season.

All of the teams are essentially playing with temporary unis. I don't know how something like that happens, but it is what it is. Same thing with the footballs. From what I hear, both should be in soon.

I'm sure the Ghostriders will last the whole season. The league supported them and made them a road-only team rather than cancel their games last year, I'm sure they'll step in if it gets to that point.

One thing that's puzzling is why they put the team there in the first place. I've seen the list of failed minor league teams from Ashville and it's fairly obvious that there's not enough support there. It can't all be management of the teams. Is there a sentiment down there that if it's minor league it's not REALLY worth supporting? Would people rather watch a pro game from 100 miles away than go see a game because it's not as polished as the pros? Granted what you guys are describing for the Ghosties, goes way beyond "not as polished as the pros", I'm just trying to get a feel for the attitudes of the fans in that area.

Shlbysalen, about scheduling on the same days as baseball -- Here in Erie, there have been Freeze games and Seawolves (AA) games held on the same days, at the same time, with attendance being pretty good anyway. In Erie the baseball field and arena where the Freeze play are right next to eachother (The outdoor smoking section for the arena is actually a walkway above the left field wall that is also accessable from the baseball stadium) I think the people who see football and those that go to see baseball are different enough that both games should do OK.

[nksports]

The most important game for a franchise is the first. Like the old cliche goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. The football doesn't have to be perfect, the home team doesn't have to win (but they do have to work hard and compete) and you will always have some opening-night glitches, but (from a front office perspective) in minor-league sports, you have to bring it.
Sounds like this team may have some work to do quick.

[Tatonka]

Hey @ss-noodle, what makes you think I had anything to do with running you off the AIFL boards? I don't have the authority to boot you off the boards, but if I did, it would have been done sooner...

The reason why you were flamed outta there was that you came from nowhere, just spewing negativity, without giving the franchise a chance to succeed. That's all that we were asking... shut up and give 'em a chance. Now, first home game out of the way, we can all see what we probably all knew in the first place, that the "Haines Way" of setting up shop first, ask questions later does not work, and it's damn embarrassing to the rest of us. You seem to forget that the league can do whatever they want, it's their forum... if you rub someone the wrong way they have every right to delete you.

Oh, BTW, it gets better... I just heard the Ghsotriders hired none other than JIM TERRY to coach the team, good luck with that!

[rams80]

JT? Well I just put this team on my one and done list.

[SHLBYSALEN]

who or what is a jim terry, and the coach they just fired was he a little older grey hair guy looked like a fisherman

[SignGuyDino]

People accept it's the Asheville Civic Center.

People can even accept some difficulties starting out.

People can not and should not accept dangerous turf, and no padding. We're supposed to get the pads this week. This team was approved last October or November. Why did it take this long?

I was there, nothing said in the previous posts was wrong nor out of line.

I don't even care about the $$$ I spent for season tickets. I do care about the extra money for concessions for my kids, the outrageous $7 for parking, the extras I have to pay when I take my kids out.

Something has to be addressed or this team is going to greatly hurt our chances of getting a new arena. That's reality. Firing the coach and saying "we can't have it look like a circus like last week" like the team did yesterday doesn't change anything. He's only responsible for the quality of play, not game day production.

And I saw a circus at the Ag. Center that was produced far better than what I saw last week.

People would have overlooked a lot had the turf been decent, even if used.

It has to go...NOW!

[ChampionOfSteel]

I am one of the assnoodles that got kicked off the aifl board. actually they just started deleting all of my post.

They didnt like it when anyone from asheville mentioned that the odds of a team staying past one year would be nonexistant.

ashevilles minor league team history is filled with casulties.

also they didnt like it because we mentioned that the aifl was doing nothing in asheville to promote the team but give the same speeches that everyone else that had brought a team here had mentioned.

the first owner (head of the aifl) said were going to be different we want it to be an event. we will have a jazz band one night we will blah blah blah.

last night was the opening night for our first and probably final season. as you can read in the paper, half the field didnt get here till thursday. the QB was vacuming it 2 hours prior to the start.

The start of the game was 40 minutes late. we didnt have the opportunity to purchase a program. however close to halftime they came around with a roster so we would finally know who our players were.

there were no souveniers to be bought given away or anything. the website which doesnt get updated has the colors as green and black. our uniforms were blue and black (carolina panthers i get it) our uniforms fell apart. at least 3 players jerseys were ripped apart before it was over. the other team not one jersey ripped.

we had some seriously out of shape players, and our dance team was boring. they couldnt even line up correctly.

the sound system sounds worse than ever and if you sat behind the goal post you could not understand anything.

the styrofoam they put up on the hockey boards for protection was ductaped (as was the field) and kept falling off.

they had one contest (not sure where they came up with the entrants) that took 9 minues to set up and run and no one cared who won. dont even know what they won.

i did catch a ball. they said on their website they lose 25 a game we had four come into the stands not sure how many they lost down below but it wasnt 25. if you caught the red white and blue ball they made you give it back and they gave you a brown one. why not sure about that. we had 1800 fans show up for the fist night. paid attendence hasnt been annouced. they were advertising 1200 season tickets had been sold. that has to be a total lie.

most didnt even stay to the end. hey tatonka you may have stopped me from the boards but in the long run I WAS RIGHT.

Sounds like the Warbirds from last year.

I hated to hear the AIFL is as disorganized as the NIFL.

[ChampionOfSteel]

Hey @ss-noodle, what makes you think I had anything to do with running you off the AIFL boards? I don't have the authority to boot you off the boards, but if I did, it would have been done sooner...

The reason why you were flamed outta there was that you came from nowhere, just spewing negativity, without giving the franchise a chance to succeed. That's all that we were asking... shut up and give 'em a chance. Now, first home game out of the way, we can all see what we probably all knew in the first place, that the "Haines Way" of setting up shop first, ask questions later does not work, and it's damn embarrassing to the rest of us. You seem to forget that the league can do whatever they want, it's their forum... if you rub someone the wrong way they have every right to delete you.

Oh, BTW, it gets better... I just heard the Ghsotriders hired none other than JIM TERRY to coach the team, good luck with that!

EDITED: Not worth saying. No use trying to teach a rabbit to sing.

[ChampionOfSteel]

People accept it's the Asheville Civic Center.

People can even accept some difficulties starting out.

People can not and should not accept dangerous turf, and no padding. We're supposed to get the pads this week. This team was approved last October or November. Why did it take this long?

I was there, nothing said in the previous posts was wrong nor out of line.

I don't even care about the $$$ I spent for season tickets. I do care about the extra money for concessions for my kids, the outrageous $7 for parking, the extras I have to pay when I take my kids out.

Something has to be addressed or this team is going to greatly hurt our chances of getting a new arena. That's reality. Firing the coach and saying "we can't have it look like a circus like last week" like the team did yesterday doesn't change anything. He's only responsible for the quality of play, not game day production.

And I saw a circus at the Ag. Center that was produced far better than what I saw last week.

People would have overlooked a lot had the turf been decent, even if used.

It has to go...NOW!

Are we talking about the AIFL or bush league semi pro (outdoor) football?

I'm glad I know this information before I go to my first AIFL game where I live. I guess I won't be buying tickets beforehand for this league either.

My company is looking for project planners. Don't see any talent here for that.

[cdmiller]

Just some FYI to anyone who might go see the Ghostriders ...

I bought the $ 23.00 "front row" tickets thinking this meant "on the boards",it does not, I repeat, does not mean on the boards !!

The "on the boards seats" on the players side of the field are bought by companys apparently.The seats we got were on the front row of the other side of the field about 15 FEET away from the boards and only inches off the ground ! !You could not see well at all.

Save your $23.00,buy the cheaper seats up in the stands.

[SHLBYSALEN]

I bought 5.00 seats and sat behind the goal posts and to be honest could have sat next to you. they dont care there. my suggestion is always buy the cheap seats and move on up. if someone claims the seat all you do is move.

[NoBallinPDX]

By golly people, it's all a matter of perspective. Instead of bemoaning the grungy appearance of the team and deplorable field conditions, look at it this way; picture the Ghostriders as the bad boy poster chilren of the AIFL. Simply view them as the rag-tag prison misfits that Burt Reynolds QB-ed in "The Longest Yard" up against the well funded, pretty boy gaurds and there you have it! ENJOY the game! At least you people HAVE a team. Portland,OR. has squat except the Jail Blazers. (Okay we also have indoor LaCrosse...*yawn*).

[SignGuyDino]

OK, here's my perspective.

I spent $200+ on season tickets for my family. I have been working on trying to get a new arena built. I even lobbied to the City NOT to take away the dasher boards to give to the hockey community so the Ghostriders might play next year.

I'm not going to be a homer for anyone. Neither will anyone else here. We have every right to complain. This pathetic show puts any efforts for a new arena back 5 years. If THIS is the best indoor sports can do in Asheville production wise why should the City build an arena for us?

Seems like each team that goes through here follows the exact same formula and goes out quicker and quicker.

Where in the heck are the promised "bands" this team (and every team that played in the Civic Center has ever) promised? The mascots? OOPS.

Word got out last JUNE this team might be coming. They got approved last NOVEMBER. There is simply no excuse NOT to have turf, padding, balls, and uniforms. NONE.

Watching someone tear out his knee on the third play on dangerous turf is NOT entertainment for most. Watching people jam their shoulders on hockey dasher boards with NO PADDING is NOT entertainment for most.

Spare us the "at least you have a team" nonsense. Players can get hurt playing in those conditions well beyond was is reasonable for them to accept.

Fans deserved more for their money. I'm sick of the excuses, lack of contrition and lack of responsibility of these teams that played here.

THEY and THEY ALONE are to blame if they don't make it.

[50 Yard Fan]

Hey guys, have any of you seen the first Arena Bowl. There was no padding on the board, the field was loose, had some big wrinkles, and didn't go to all the way to the boards,(Mind you, there where sidelines). The home team sat in the stands on one side of the field with the coach sitting on the steps. Yikes.
I agree that Ashville sounded down right terrible and made the league look bad. Florence borrowed Raleighs(I think) turf for the Phantoms first game. Something like that should have been done here.
Has anyone made inquires to the team or the league as to what will be done to correct the situation for Fridays game?
SignGuyDino - will you be going to the game or have you given up already?

[ChampionOfSteel]

Hey guys, have any of you seen the first Arena Bowl. There was no padding on the board, the field was loose, had some big wrinkles, and didn't go to all the way to the boards,(Mind you, there where sidelines). The home team sat in the stands on one side of the field with the coach sitting on the steps. Yikes.
I agree that Ashville sounded down right terrible and made the league look bad. Florence borrowed Raleighs(I think) turf for the Phantoms first game. Something like that should have been done here.
Has anyone made inquires to the team or the league as to what will be done to correct the situation for Fridays game?
SignGuyDino - will you be going to the game or have you given up already?

Everyone should do their patriotic duty and refuse to support teams that play in leagues without minimum standards for their teams (winging-it)-- suitable turf in place, matching uniforms, etc.

I can go to any McDonald's restaurant and I get the same layout and service. There are no quality differences between store to store. It can be done and I've just given you one example of something that is more complicated than franchising sports teams in a given league.

[Jamie]

Hey guys, have any of you seen the first Arena Bowl. There was no padding on the board, the field was loose, had some big wrinkles, and didn't go to all the way to the boards...

What really does that have to do with anything?

In the dark ages, NFL players played with leather helmets...

That doesn't excuse a 21st century team playing in 19th century conditions.

[SignGuyDino]

I'll be there on Friday just to see what happens. I paid over $200+ for tickets so I might as well use them. I am quite disgusted they just cancelled the "VIP" service for ticket buyers in my area. They just took $15 a ticket OFF the value of mine. They claimed there was no contract signed with any vendor, but the ticket form expressly said there would be a "VIP" table (which there was last week) for the "VIP" season ticket holders. That is now gone.

Today we hear the GM was fired and all of the coaches quit.

Good for Phil and Deon Lytle. They're friends of mine and they deserved better treatment. I can see the GM being fired regrettably. Coach Smith was NOT the problem IMO. Now that all the coaches are gone so gone are all the local ties. (I wonder if all the Grizzlies fans will abandon this team because Lytle, who coaches the Grizzlies in the summer, left.)

This is what happens when you rush a product, especially without having all your equipment ready in advance.

I'm going to report what happens and anyone who knows me knows I don't give B.S. I'm not swayed by hyperbole. It'll be the truth, good and bad. I expect it'll be a better production but can't say in advance how much better.

[bmk]

Well, with Jim Terry running things-don't expect much.

[exit322]

Got that right, bmk

[ChampionOfSteel]

I'll be there on Friday just to see what happens. I paid over $200+ for tickets so I might as well use them. I am quite disgusted they just cancelled the "VIP" service for ticket buyers in my area. They just took $15 a ticket OFF the value of mine. They claimed there was no contract signed with any vendor, but the ticket form expressly said there would be a "VIP" table (which there was last week) for the "VIP" season ticket holders. That is now gone.

Today we hear the GM was fired and all of the coaches quit.

Good for Phil and Deon Lytle. They're friends of mine and they deserved better treatment. I can see the GM being fired regrettably. Coach Smith was NOT the problem IMO. Now that all the coaches are gone so gone are all the local ties. (I wonder if all the Grizzlies fans will abandon this team because Lytle, who coaches the Grizzlies in the summer, left.)

This is what happens when you rush a product, especially without having all your equipment ready in advance.

I'm going to report what happens and anyone who knows me knows I don't give B.S. I'm not swayed by hyperbole. It'll be the truth, good and bad. I expect it'll be a better production but can't say in advance how much better.

That's precisely why I didn't buy Warbirds tickets in advance last year, or Dayton Ice Bandit hockey tickets a long time ago.

Many minor league sports leagues aren't structured for success.

I bought the cheapest ticket 45 minutes before kickoff last year for the Warbirds and basically sat anywhere I wanted to.

[ChampionOfSteel]

By golly people, it's all a matter of perspective. Instead of bemoaning the grungy appearance of the team and deplorable field conditions, look at it this way; picture the Ghostriders as the bad boy poster chilren of the AIFL. Simply view them as the rag-tag prison misfits that Burt Reynolds QB-ed in "The Longest Yard" up against the well funded, pretty boy gaurds and there you have it! ENJOY the game! At least you people HAVE a team. Portland,OR. has squat except the Jail Blazers. (Okay we also have indoor LaCrosse...*yawn*).

I don't agree at all.

I want every team in the league to do it right, or don't do it (have a given team) at all.

[ChampionOfSteel]

I'll be there on Friday just to see what happens. I paid over $200+ for tickets so I might as well use them. I am quite disgusted they just cancelled the "VIP" service for ticket buyers in my area. They just took $15 a ticket OFF the value of mine. They claimed there was no contract signed with any vendor, but the ticket form expressly said there would be a "VIP" table (which there was last week) for the "VIP" season ticket holders. That is now gone.

Today we hear the GM was fired and all of the coaches quit.

Good for Phil and Deon Lytle. They're friends of mine and they deserved better treatment. I can see the GM being fired regrettably. Coach Smith was NOT the problem IMO. Now that all the coaches are gone so gone are all the local ties. (I wonder if all the Grizzlies fans will abandon this team because Lytle, who coaches the Grizzlies in the summer, left.)

This is what happens when you rush a product, especially without having all your equipment ready in advance.

I'm going to report what happens and anyone who knows me knows I don't give B.S. I'm not swayed by hyperbole. It'll be the truth, good and bad. I expect it'll be a better production but can't say in advance how much better.

Did you ask the person selling you season tickets whether the tickets are prorated if the team decides not to play an entire season? Is that in writing?

[SignGuyDino]

HA HA HA HA HA

Get my money back from a minor league sports team...lol

[exit322]

That is a good one. Can't blame the new owner for anything other than stupidity. Why can't people do their research?

[50 Yard Fan]

What really does that have to do with anything?

In the dark ages, NFL players played with leather helmets...

That doesn't excuse a 21st century team playing in 19th century conditions.


Jamie- what I was trying to point out was that things did get better in the AFL.
Of course now that I have read the story posted today about Ashville, where the owner is telling people "Here is the old coach's phone number, if you want your money phone him." I can't see it getting better here.

[tony-o]

You only have one chance to make a first impression. And with the kind of first impression Asheville made last week, I'll be surprised if they get any fans who aren't season ticket holders.

[AugustaGreenjackets]

Hey guys, have any of you seen the first Arena Bowl. There was no padding on the board, the field was loose, had some big wrinkles, and didn't go to all the way to the boards,(Mind you, there where sidelines). The home team sat in the stands on one side of the field with the coach sitting on the steps. Yikes.

I have the first ever televised AFL game (Pittsburgh @ Denver 6-20-87) and it was basically as you described.

I agree that Ashville sounded down right terrible and made the league look bad. Florence borrowed Raleighs(I think) turf for the Phantoms first game. Something like that should have been done here

The Augusta Spartans will be renting the field from the Raleigh Rebels & Dorton Arena for their Friday home opener. The field at Dorton Arena will be loaded up onto a truck immediately following tonights game and shipped to Augusta. Hopefully it will be ready in time for the scheduled kickoff. I don't get off work until 8pm Augusta time, but should be there by at least halftime. I have been attending Arena Football games since it first began in 1987 (I attended Chicago Bruiser games). This will be my first Indoor Football game. I am excited an can't wait! I will have my camera with me. Anyone interested in pictures, just see my profile and e-mail me. I have doubts about attendance figures. That really doesn't matter. Just as long as we kick some arse!!!