Fran
03-29-2007, 11:29 AM
Debut of new football league delayed a year
Thursday, March 29, 2007
JON SOLOMONNews staff writer
The All American Football League, which plans to have a team in Birmingham, has pushed back its debut until spring 2008.
The new pro league, announced last summer to tap into college fan bases, initially intended to start this April. Investors are meeting in New York this week with the intention of an April 2008 kickoff, a league spokeswoman said.
"We couldn't do it in the time frame we had hoped," said Joanne Berdeen, the league's operations manager. The league didn't have owners for a majority of the teams or enough time to get proper management staffs in place, Berdeen said.
She said the AAFL initially struggled when it focused on college alumni as team owners, but received a better response by expanding its reach. The league has considered owning the teams instead of having individual owners.
When the AAFL was announced, the league said potential owners would need to spend between $2 million and $3 million, and that fans and alumni would have the chance to purchase ownership shares.
Legion Field has a five-year agreement with the league, which also has stadium-lease contracts at Purdue, North Carolina State, Tennessee and Florida.
Players must be college graduates who used up all of their NCAA eligibility. Former NCAA President Cedric Dempsey is in charge of the league's board.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
JON SOLOMONNews staff writer
The All American Football League, which plans to have a team in Birmingham, has pushed back its debut until spring 2008.
The new pro league, announced last summer to tap into college fan bases, initially intended to start this April. Investors are meeting in New York this week with the intention of an April 2008 kickoff, a league spokeswoman said.
"We couldn't do it in the time frame we had hoped," said Joanne Berdeen, the league's operations manager. The league didn't have owners for a majority of the teams or enough time to get proper management staffs in place, Berdeen said.
She said the AAFL initially struggled when it focused on college alumni as team owners, but received a better response by expanding its reach. The league has considered owning the teams instead of having individual owners.
When the AAFL was announced, the league said potential owners would need to spend between $2 million and $3 million, and that fans and alumni would have the chance to purchase ownership shares.
Legion Field has a five-year agreement with the league, which also has stadium-lease contracts at Purdue, North Carolina State, Tennessee and Florida.
Players must be college graduates who used up all of their NCAA eligibility. Former NCAA President Cedric Dempsey is in charge of the league's board.