http://www.bradenton.com/sports/story/242577.html
I'm very doubtful all 10 teams will finish the season. The APFL hasn't had one year where every game has been played and this bold expansion sure won't help in that respect. Reaching all the way to Florida for new teams seems a big reach as well. Good luck to them, they'll need it.PALMETTO --Manatee welcomes Florida Knights for 2008 campaign
The field was 40 yards long. It was supposed to be 50 yards - the standard for indoor football leagues.
They made it work.
The season was originally scheduled for 14 games, but the Florida Knights played only three. After the final game in May - a seven-point lost to Fort Myers - the National Indoor Football League folded, citing financial difficulties, and the Knights bolted Sarasota's Robarts Arena for a new venue and a new league.
Thirty miles north on the US 41 corridor and the newest member of the American Professional Football League, the Knights have found a home at the Manatee Convention and Civic Center.
"When we were in Sarasota, the fans showed us so much love just by word of mouth," Knights owner Alton Walker said.
"We want Sarasota/Bradenton to have its own team, and keep everything community based. We want to get turf from the community, the walls will come from the community, and all of the teams we will play will come from out of state, so that money is coming into the community."
The APFL is similar to the Arena2 League - the minor-league version of the Arena Football League - with the same rules and regulations. For the 2008 season, which begins in April, the APFL will feature 10 teams from Florida, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Louisiana, Illinois and Oklahoma, split into two divisions. The league was established in 2002, and the Kansas Koyotes have won the championship every year.
Walker said players get a base salary of $200 a game but can earn up to $500 a game with incentives.
The Knights will have a welcoming party today with a 6 p.m. news conference at the civic center, which is open to the public.
Football could be different, however. The semi-professional football Bradenton Gladiators have drawn 200-300 fans to each of their home games at Southeast High for the past three years.
"We've never had an indoor football team, and we just want to get some professional sports back in here," said Anne Van Wormer, the civic center business manager. "I think this is a football community - the (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) have helped with that - and many people can't get to a Bucs game, because it is too expensive or there aren't enough tickets. This is in their backyard, and in a nice cozy venue."
The Knights and the Manatee County Board of Commissioners will sign a contract today for the Knights to play a nine-game season - six regular games, two preseason games and a possible championship game - at the convention center through the 2008 season, and an extension will hinge on the Knights' performance at the turnstiles.
"We want to get them in here and see what type of attendance they'll bring, and see where we can go from there," Van Wormer said.
The county is in negotiations with the Knights over rental fees and ticket prices, but details for both should be finalized by today, Van Wormer said.
On Dec. 8, the Knights will hold football tryouts at Lincoln Middle School, and cheerleaders will audition two days later at the school. Both are open to the public.
In Bradenton, Walker said he sees a market that is ready to embrace a professional sports team.
