Fayetteville Guard back for 2011

[NatePreds05]

The Fayetteville Guard went from being sold to an out-of-state buyer, to being grabbed up by a local group before winding up back in the hands of its original owner in a span of about eight hours Wednesday.

Richard King, who has owned the arena football franchise since its inception in 2005, reversed field late Wednesday afternoon and said he'll run the team again in the 2011 season. King declared at the end of the 2010 campaign his intentions to sell the franchise after struggling to find the time and finances to properly run the organization.

King had reached an agreement with a New York group to purchase the team for a price sources said was "about $275,000.'' But a whirlwind series of events worthy of a soap opera script Wednesday ended that scenario for now and put King back in the game.

"As of today I am going to run the team again next year,'' King said Wednesday afternoon. "I will re-sign the lease with the Crown (Coliseum) for the next three years. I have already sent a letter to the AIFA stating that I'm going to be back in the league.''

It may take some time for that letter to catch up to AIFA CEO and owner John Morris. Reached by telephone Wednesday afternoon, Morris said he was en route to Fayetteville to "button up'' a deal between himself and "new ownership locally'' to field an AIFA team at the Crown this season.

Gunnings in local group
Morris said he planned to own a stake in the team along with the local group, which The Fayetteville Observer has learned includes former Guard head coach Charles Gunnings.

Calls seeking comment from Gunnings were not returned Wednesday.

King said he was told Gunnings attended the AIFA owners' meeting Sept. 17-18 in Baltimore representing the Fayetteville franchise.

"I'm very excited about this group,'' Morris said. "I'll be down there tonight and part of tomorrow taking care of a few odds and ends.''

Morris probably wasn't expecting one of those loose ends to be King's return to the league.

The Guard's lease with the Crown Coliseum expired on July 1, but King owns the first right of refusal to renew the lease. According to Crown complex's chief executive, Karen Long, that first right of refusal is contingent upon King's team being affiliated with the AIFA.

King would lose that option if he decided to move the Guard to another league. Such a move would open the door for Morris' group to attempt to acquire the lease.

"We're hopeful Mr. King and the AIFA can reach an agreement on moving forward to next year,'' Long said. "I'm a very positive person by nature, so I hope we won't have a summer without football in Fayette-ville.''

For now, King is planning to make that happen.

"I am re-opening the Fayetteville Guard and will be a member of the AIFA as of right now,'' King said.

[Minor League Man]

Good to have 'em back, but IMHO, they should join the SIFL instead...

[Gusher]

Big surprise would have never thought the a team in Fayettville especialy the Guard with King at the wheel would be back this season.
But I agree the SIFL would have been a better fit if not this year maybe next.

[jerry101jlh]

Never know where they might end up for the 2011 season.

[Trish_lvs_Baltimore]

[quote=""Gusher""]But I agree the SIFL would have been a better fit if not this year maybe next.[/quote]Mileage-wise? A better fit? I don't think so. LOL

Stability-wise? A better fit? Maybe.

[BlackbeardsGhost]

[quote=""Trish_lvs_Baltimore""] Mileage-wise? A better fit? I don't think so. LOL

Stability-wise? A better fit? Maybe.[/quote]

Mileage wise the SIFL would be suicide for the Guard. The closest SIFL teams are in Albany & Columbus (both approximately a seven hour drive - one way). Next up is Mobile, AL; then Lafayette, LA; then Lake Charles, LA, then the Texas trio. Better to stay in the AIFA where Richmond is 3.5 hours away & Erie is their only real long haul.

Stability? I guess I'm just dense but I just dont see the SIFL as stable YET. They need to get through at least ONE season w/o playing non member semi-pro teams and counting those stats & victories towards their league results; as they have done for their first two seasons. It is really hard for an upper level pro scout to take an SIFL player's stats seriously when they are padded by '93-12' wins against the likes of the N. GA Bulldogs, the N. Texas Krunch & Florida Kings.

And if I were an agent, I sure wouldnt recommend my players play SIFL ball to gain experience or film. Their stats are skewed. Their championships are hollow; having been won with non pro games counted toward the final tally. I know some will passionately disagree. I'm not going to argue this further. This is simply my honest opinion. The SIFL needs to finish ONE pure season before claiming their superiority, supremacy or "stability".

And, YES, I know about the AIFA's Ogden & Wasilla situation. This is a very legitimate argument to make. And (as such) the AIFA has some real credibility fences of their own to mend in 2011 if they are to be taken seriously in the future. I agree! However, the failure of the AIFA West does not mean that the SIFL is suddenly the bastion of "stability"; especially given the crumbled foundations of the likes of the Florida Kings; Houma; Greenville; Houston; Augusta...

Bottom Line: Just let me see the SIFL make it all the way through 2011 with the eight teams that they have now ... NO travel teams or semi pro fillers... then I'll add my own cudos to the SIFL's stability and watch eagerly as they build around that eight team base. Fair enough?

[jerry101jlh]

Agreed the SIFL still has much to prove, but who can say with any certainty that Richmond, Erie and/or Fayetteville will even be in the AIFA come the 2011 season?

[BananaCat]

I agree. This third season of the SIFL will show us if they've improved as many think, or if they fall back to the same old things when the going gets tough. The IFL also had the Alaska situation and they decided to fold the team. Personally I hate folding too, but I detest semi-pro fill-ins more (as far as counting in a pro league's official standings and statistics). Play semi-pro teams all you want in exhibition games, but to count them in league standings makes a league look unprofessional.

[IndoorExpert]

I wonder how M&M will spin this one. You know they obviously want a new franchise fee. Getting rid of King would have allowed that to happen. However, King threw a curveball at them when he decided to keep things rolling. This soap opera is just beginning.

[BananaCat]

There's no doubt in my mind that when King heard about their plan he decided to come back, otherwise he'd be out some money overall. This way he has bargaining power again not only for his team assets but for the arena lease as well. He also knows the AIFA needs teams right now and that puts him in an even stronger position.