Silverbacks to take 2009 off, set sites for 2010
December 23, 2008 - Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Dayton Silverbacks News Release
With the current state of the economy, the management of the Miami Valley Silverbacks announced today they will sit out the 2009 season, but are setting their sites on a return in 2010.
"This is a tough decision," Silverbacks president Matt King said. "We understand everyone is hurting during the current economic crisis, and that is one of the things we took into consideration when making the decision.
"We had finally reached a point where we had strived to be as an organization. The voters in Troy had passed alcohol at Hobart Arena; we were able to structure our staff to where we had more resources than any other point in our history and were excited and energized about the upcoming season."
Sports are taking a strong hit in the economy.
The Arena Football League recently announced they were taking a season off after 22 consecutive years of operation and other professional football, baseball and hockey teams are facing similar decisions. The free agent market in baseball is also feeling the economic pinch with eligible players not drawing the bidders they have in the recent past.
"There are a lot of teams out there who are simply shutting their doors," King said. "We are not shutting the doors. We are taking the 2009 season to reanalyze our marketing scheme and further research our market and what options we have to come back stronger than what we believe we are now.
"Our owner is strongly committed to the game, and, most importantly, the fans. Jeff, however, recognizes that, especially in light of the current unprecedented economic climate, we need to take this time to re-evaluate ourselves so we can come back and continue to provide our unique brand of this affordable, fan-friendly sport."
The Silverbacks have played at Hobart Arena the past three seasons, making them the longest running professional indoor football team in the Miami Valley. The organization survived longer than the Skyhawks, Warbirds, Bulldogs and Marshals combined.
"I think the success we have had over three seasons shows that we are doing things the right way," Silverbacks owner Jeff Kolaczkowski said. "This was an extremely tough decision for me.
"We have prided ourselves on being thrifty and doing things the right way. I believe this decision, and the research we will do during the year off, will put us in a stronger position when we return in 2010. We remain grateful to the dedicated fans we have and their patience. It is with them in mind that we remain committed to resuming play as soon as it is feasible."
• Discuss this story on the Continental Indoor Football League message board...
Continental Indoor Football League Stories from December 23, 2008
- Raptors Announce Schedule - Rock River Raptors
- Silverbacks to take 2009 off, set sites for 2010 - Dayton Silverbacks
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
