Alaska Professional Sports announces Anchorage-based af2 team
June 24, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Alaska Wild News Release
Anchorage, AK - Alaska Professional Sports, Inc.® (APS) announced its arenafootball2 (af2) team name will be the Alaska Wild during a press conference held today at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel.
Mayor Mark Begich joined APS President, David Weatherholt, and Chris Newans, V.P. of Operations, as the Alaska Wild logo and team colors were unveiled. The Alaska Wild logo, which is red, silver and black, features the profile of an eagle's head atop the team's name. Weatherholt also presented Mayor Begich with a team jersey. "It is our pleasure to induct Mayor Begich as the first official fan of Alaska's af2 team, the Alaska Wild," said Weatherholt.
The Alaska Wild team name was selected as part of a Name the Team contest hosted by APS. Over 1,500 names were submitted online by football fans across the United States and Canada. United States Air Force TSgt Deryl Morse submitted the winning team name. Morse was on hand to accept a family four-pack season pass to all Alaska Wild home games during the 2007 season.
"We believe the name Alaska Wild embodies the true spirit of Alaska," said Weatherholt.
"The game of arena football is also wild where the action is fast and the scores are high. We selected the eagle as the team's mascot because they are fierce, quick, agile and determined to win."
The Alaska Wild will play a 16-game season beginning in April of 2007, including eight home games at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska. An exhibition game is also scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 24, 2007 at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, Alaska. Tickets to the Alaska Wild home games are expected to go on sale in September of 2007.
In the midst of its seventh season of play, af2 is currently comprised of 23 teams.
Alaska will likely join the af2's West Division, which includes three California teams (Bakersfield Blitz, Central Valley Coyotes, Stockton Lightning) and two Washington teams (Spokane Shock and Everett Hawks).
One expansion team, the Mahoning Valley Thunder, based in Youngstown, OH, was recently accepted into the league for the 2007 season.
The league operates under the same Mission Statement and Fans' Bill of Rights as the Arena Football League, which is currently in its 20th season.
For additional information about Alaska's af2 team, visit www.akprosports.com or contact Denise Brown Robinson at 907-360-1832, denise@akprosports.com. For more information on af2 visit the league's Web site at www.af2.com.
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