af2 "revolt?"

The arenafootball2 (af2) forum
Panthers14
Site Admin
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 6:01 am

SaberCats not ready to commit to new league just yet

Post by Panthers14 » Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:43 pm

SaberCats not ready to commit to new league just yet
By Elliott Almond
ealmond@mercurynews.com
Posted: 09/25/2009 11:27:58 AM PDT
Updated: 09/25/2009 10:34:02 PM PDT

Are the SaberCats coming back? A club official Friday wouldn't say whether San Jose is committed to a new indoor football league that is expected to launch next spring. Adding to the intrigue is that a group of former Arena Football League owners are still trying to revive their old league for 2011. Although San Jose is being mentioned as one of the Arena Football League teams ready to join the revamped group, club vice president Hank Stern said, "We're just not ready to say whether we're in or out. We're not committed to anything. We're just not." Officials on Monday plan to announce the formation of Arena Football 1 with teams from the former AFL and arenafootball2 leagues.

Chief executive Shy Anderson of the Dallas Desperados said San Jose, Arizona and perhaps Orlando are expected to join the new venture. The AFL canceled its 2009 season before folding in August after 22 years. The af2, considered indoor's minor league, played last year but ended the season with a questionable future. Anderson said Friday that most of the AFL owners are working on an alternate plan to form an indoor league in 2011 that would closer resemble their old league in quality. Several AFL owners in recent days have dismissed the af1 model as inferior. "They're trying to come to a common ground with a model that would work," Anderson said of the AFL owners group's effort.

Stern hopes to have an announcement about the SaberCats' future in a week to 10 days. "There are things out of our control that need to be addressed," he said. SaberCats line coach Dave Witthun sounded hopeful. "Our owners got on a plane to meet the other owners," he said Friday. "They are meeting about something, so I take that as a positive. But "until they sign a dotted line and it is actually going to happen, then you don't believe everything." Stern said even if the team commits to the new union, many questions remain about the operation.
"You're never sure what is going to be around the next corner," he said of new ventures.

Anderson said the SaberCats' organization has a great reputation in indoor football. "Whatever happens they will add a ton of credibility to whatever league they play in," he said. Witthun is one of three coaches the SaberCats retained while the AFL has tried to regroup. The staff has been scouting players, but the coach said a new team wouldn't look like the ones that went to four Arena- Bowl championship games in recent years. "I think they will start from scratch, and we'll have a bunch of young players," Witthun said. "We'll all have to build it up again." The club's star quarterback, Mark Grieb, said he has discussed the SaberCats' return with a coach this week. "He said it looked like it is going to work out," Grieb said. Grieb, who attended Oak Grove High, isn't sure he would return even if San Jose joined the new league. He has relocated to Orange County where he is in the third week of teaching and coaching at Irvine's Beckman High. "I won't say I'm done until I find out more," Grieb said.

Panthers14
Site Admin
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 6:01 am

Indoor Football Returns: Orem team moves to West Valley for offshoot of AFL

Post by Panthers14 » Mon Sep 28, 2009 10:55 pm

Indoor football returns
AF1 » Orem team moves to West Valley for offshoot of AFL.

By Martin Renzhofer
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 09/25/2009 10:35:13 PM MDT

The Utah Valley Thunder of Orem are pulling up stakes and moving north to become part of a revamped indoor football league called Arena Football 1. "It kind of fell into our laps," said Thunder owner Dave Affleck. "They want us to be in the AF1 because they feel Salt Lake City is a major league market." A news conference is Monday in Tulsa, Okla., to announce the formation of a two-tiered league, the AF1 and af2. The league will comprise former Arena Football League teams and successful af2 teams. The original af2 was part of the Arena Football League, which went dark following the 2008 season.

John Garff, owner of the Utah Blaze, said the Blaze will not be part of the new league. Garff expects the AFL to return in 2011. "We took some pretty big steps the last seven days," Garff said. "I can't elaborate, but we're a couple weeks away from making an announcement. I wish the new group good luck." The Thunder spent one season in the American Indoor Football Association, a league below the af2 in pecking order. Utah Valley will be the third team to leave the league this year.

Affleck, CEO of Vucci Technology Solutions in Orem, will most likely move the team to the E Center in West Valley City. The Thunder had already planned to explore moving to the af2 -- which has 25 teams -- in Spokane, Wash., Boise, Idaho, or Stockton, Calif. "We were contacted by the af2 before the bankruptcy of the AFL," said Affleck, who plans to be in Tulsa on Monday. "The af2 has more teams on the West Coast, which will help us financially.

Panthers14
Site Admin
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 6:01 am

The Lowdown per OSC...still the best service for us sports nuts

Post by Panthers14 » Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:08 pm

Arena Football 1 Launched
September 28, 2009 - Arena Football 1 (AF1)

Tulsa, OK: Arena Football 1 was officially introduced this afternoon at a press conference held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With this announcement, it is assured, the game Jim Foster invented will be competitive and above all fan friendly. Long serving arena football executive Jerry Kurz was introduced as Commissioner of the newly created league that will unite former AFL, af2 and other indoor football teams under the Arena Football 1 banner. Commissioner Kurz will serve a key leadership role with the new organization, noting "I am extremely pleased and honored to have been asked to help lead Arena Football 1, which is designed by ownership and highly dedicated to delivering the best arena football has to offer while serving as active, valued and integral members of their respective communities."

Arena Football 1 will be headquartered in Tulsa and will feature a minimum of 16 member teams participating in the 2010 season of play. To date a total of 24 teams have submitted applications for membership, although additional locations and markets will receive consideration for inclusion through Friday, October 9th, 2009. A final roster of markets/teams and alignment for the inaugural season will be announced in mid October. Additional structural and organizational details involving league scheduling, rules and regulations will be determined in the weeks ahead, with specifics made available once finalized.

The initial sixteen teams and their respective markets are: Arizona, Arkansas, Bossier-Shreveport, Central Valley (Fresno, California), Chicago, Iowa, Jacksonville, Kentucky, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Spokane, Tennessee Valley (Alabama), Tri-Cities Washington, Tulsa, Utah (Salt Lake City). Additional teams will be announced by October 9th.

"Having been involved in the launch of both the Arena Football League and the arenafootball2, our new structure will utilize the best aspects of both leagues," said Kurz. "The time, effort and thought process expended to create and launch Arena Football 1 has been impressive, and we expect arena football fans both across the country and internationally to be extremely pleased with our new product."

Minor League Man
Site Admin
Posts: 2314
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 6:22 am
Location: Racine, Wisconsin
Contact:

Post by Minor League Man » Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:19 pm

[quote=""Panthers14""]Update: Albany Firebirds are one of eight teams being considered for AF1 applications; AF1 giving Firebirds until October 9 to have financing in place to join; what has happened to South Georgia, Kentucky, Amarillo, and Tennessee Valley? The Dusters are supposed to make a decision tomorrow as to join the AF1 or the IFL. The Boise Burn ceased operations today when one of the three major investors pulled out when they were not listed among the new AF1; unless another can be found soon, then their future is kaput.[/quote]

Still no final word on South Georgia yet. However, the Wildcats will likely join AF1 if that crazy lease issue is worked out.

The Kentucky Horsemen are one of the charter AF1 teams, as are the Tennessee Valley Vipers.

Amarillo has a tough decision ahead...Do they maintain their rivalries with the Oklahoma teams, or do they join a rapidly-growing Lone Star division that's picked up Austin and might get Rio Grande Valley for next year?

(side note: I didn't hear any news about Green Bay, Quad City, or the proposed Toledo Bullfrogs af2 franchise. I'm asking plenty of questions just like you)
Proud to be a veteran of these boards for the last 5 years...

indoor fan
Site Admin
Posts: 781
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2003 9:31 pm

Post by indoor fan » Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:20 pm

[quote=""Panthers14""]Arena Football 1 Launched
September 28, 2009 - Arena Football 1 (AF1)

Tulsa, OK: Arena Football 1 was officially introduced this afternoon at a press conference held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With this announcement, it is assured, the game Jim Foster invented will be competitive and above all fan friendly. Long serving arena football executive Jerry Kurz was introduced as Commissioner of the newly created league that will unite former AFL, af2 and other indoor football teams under the Arena Football 1 banner. Commissioner Kurz will serve a key leadership role with the new organization, noting "I am extremely pleased and honored to have been asked to help lead Arena Football 1, which is designed by ownership and highly dedicated to delivering the best arena football has to offer while serving as active, valued and integral members of their respective communities."

Arena Football 1 will be headquartered in Tulsa and will feature a minimum of 16 member teams participating in the 2010 season of play. To date a total of 24 teams have submitted applications for membership, although additional locations and markets will receive consideration for inclusion through Friday, October 9th, 2009. A final roster of markets/teams and alignment for the inaugural season will be announced in mid October. Additional structural and organizational details involving league scheduling, rules and regulations will be determined in the weeks ahead, with specifics made available once finalized.

The initial sixteen teams and their respective markets are: Arizona, Arkansas, Bossier-Shreveport, Central Valley (Fresno, California), Chicago, Iowa, Jacksonville, Kentucky, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Spokane, Tennessee Valley (Alabama), Tri-Cities Washington, Tulsa, Utah (Salt Lake City). Additional teams will be announced by October 9th.

"Having been involved in the launch of both the Arena Football League and the arenafootball2, our new structure will utilize the best aspects of both leagues," said Kurz. "The time, effort and thought process expended to create and launch Arena Football 1 has been impressive, and we expect arena football fans both across the country and internationally to be extremely pleased with our new product."[/quote]

This is how it should be. The AFL got too big, too fast to survive. Arena football should be a minor league sport in minor league (non NFL) cities. I think the AF1 and AF2 format will be successful.

Panthers14
Site Admin
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 6:01 am

Chicago among teams in new arena football league

Post by Panthers14 » Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:02 am

Chicago among teams in new arena football league
By MURRAY EVANS Associated Press Writer | Posted: Monday, September 28, 2009 4:35 pm


TULSA, Okla. - Arena football isn't dead yet. Officials from what will be known as Arena Football 1 said Monday they will have 16 teams ready to play in 2010, including three in former Arena Football League markets: Chicago, Phoenix and Orlando, Fla. The Arizona Rattlers and Orlando Predators played in the old AFL, but the Chicago team will be new to Arena Football 1.

The league will also have teams from the AFL spinoff, arenafootball2, as well as at least one team from another indoor league. Commissioner Jerry Kurz said it would be a "brand-new league'' not connected with the AFL or af2. "There has been arena football before,'' said Kurz, a former af2 commissioner. "It's been done well but not as good as it's going to be done this time.''

Kurz said more details of the league's business structure will be announced by Oct. 9. He said the league would use a schedule similar to that used by the AFL and af2, with games starting in late March or early April and running through the summer. The new league says its markets include Bossier-Shreveport, La., Arkansas, Fresno, Calif.; Des Moines, Iowa, Jacksonville, Fla.; Lexington, Ky.; Milwaukee; Oklahoma City; Spokane, Wash.; Huntsville, Ala.; Kennewick, Wash., Tulsa, Okla., and Salt Lake City. The new league said eight more teams have submitted membership applications. Dan Newman, the owner of the Bossier-Shreveport franchise, said the league is negotiating with seven other former AFL franchises,
including those in Tampa and San Jose.

The old AFL canceled its 2009 season and folded in August, ending a 22-year run for the high-scoring indoor brand of football that helped launch the career of Super Bowl winner Kurt Warner. Play in af2 was never disrupted, but teams ended the season unsure of what would happen next. The new league will be based in Tulsa.

SignGuyDino
Site Admin
Posts: 1421
Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2003 3:33 am
Location: Fletcher, NC
Contact:

Post by SignGuyDino » Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:25 pm

Is there going to be an af1 board and listing here?

Is there an actual website for af1?
Never make anyone a priority that makes you an option.

User avatar
50 Yard Fan
Site Admin
Posts: 541
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:31 pm
Location: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

AF2 Teams

Post by 50 Yard Fan » Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:02 am

Are the AF2 teams going to have to change their names because the AFL owns the team names :confused:

I have noticed in most of the articles I have read they only mention the Predators and the Rattlers. They only mention the AF2 cities.

Panthers14
Site Admin
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2008 6:01 am

New Chicago AF1 Team

Post by Panthers14 » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:45 am

I have read that the new Chicago AF1 Franchise will not be a reincarnation of the Rush, or any other franchise, but will be new. They have offered several former Rush Players a contract and will try to bring in as many as possible, but this will be a new franchise. The Chicago Slaughter of the CIFL are saying that they were not invited in, but would have joined the AF1 since they already have a fan base...my question is, "Why did the AF1 not invite them in since they brought in Utah Valley out of Orem and the AIFA and are moving the team to the Suburbs of Salt Lake City to replace the former Utah Blaze who are trying to make a comeback in 2011 with an AFL Reboot?" As far as other teams making the jump to the AF1 for the 2010 Season, per the Battlewings Owner, seven other former AFL Franchises such as the Tampa Bay Storm and San Jose SaberCats are in negotiations now to come aboard...Lets hope so, I sure miss these great teams. Besides, joining the AF1 does not mean that these teams and the remainder of the former AFL franchises who will not compete in 2010 can not reform in 2011, it only helps to reestablish their footprint now. In fact, it would make more sense to play in 2010 since the last games were 2008. Too much time will add to an already dwindling fan base...as far as hard core fans, they do not have to worry. So my last question once again will be, "What will the Chicago team be known as?" If it is true that Mike Ditka will be part owner then I hope it is also true that he is negotiating with creditors of the former AFL Rush to regain that name and history. I believe that the Predators and Rattlers have done that and so too, will any other former AFL Franchise. :redface:
Last edited by Panthers14 on Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

Caballo Diablo
Site Admin
Posts: 2159
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:43 pm

Post by Caballo Diablo » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:03 pm

[quote=""50 Yard Fan""]Are the AF2 teams going to have to change their names because the AFL owns the team names :confused:

I have noticed in most of the articles I have read they only mention the Predators and the Rattlers. They only mention the AF2 cities.[/quote]
Does the AFL or Gridiron Enterprises own the logo's and trademarks?

_____________________________________



Originally posted by: gadzilla
Gridiron does not own those trademarks. AFL, LLC does
.......................................


Is that really true. This article says gridIron purchased them in the 80's

Excerpt from Original Article by John Hahn

link: [url]http://www.oursportscentral.co...s/releases/?id=3883941[/url]

by John Hahn
August 11, 2009 - Arena Football League (AFL)

Like many of us who worked in the Arena Football League, myself for 11 years, the question has been nagging: What really brought the AFL to its knees?
With numerous friends and sources in the league, I have been able to piece together the answer to that burning question.

It all started December 19 of last year when the AFL Board of Directors voted to suspend the 2009 season. The stated purpose was to create a new economic plan called the Centralized Business Model (CBM).

In all, there are many reasons but the one that continued to resonate throughout my recent discussion with AFL board members and their associates is this: There was a group of "Black Hats" who continually wanted to stop the teams which wanted to play and would not step up to the plate, pay the freight, and move on, either by playing or stepping aside so the "White Hats" could.

"I think we (all of the owners) share some of the blame because we could not reach consensus on anything, It seemed to me, the people with the most money and power influenced the others sitting on the fence," said William Niro, a Chicago attorney, who along with Jerry Kurz and the game's founder Jim Foster make up Gridiron Enterprises. "There was a lack of trust amongst the owners and we couldn't come to compromise.

"Foster, Niro, Kurz and another friend, who together saved the league from going under, founded Gridiron in the late 1980's. After the ‘Barnstorming tour' season in 1989, we put Jim's patent on the Arena Football game system and all the team and league trademarks into the company and started the league anew in 1990. Later with Jim's leadership, we crated the small-market af2 League in 2000."

"It wasn't the game or the league, it was the team owners who didn't want to make it happen," added Niro. The main problem arose when a small group of owners sought to organize under a CBM. The mantra "the economic model does not work" drove the owners to develop a plan in secrecy. "It is extremely difficult to build consensus when only a small group of interested parties participate in developing the plan." The problem arose when the group had to sell the plan to other owners. "That's where things broke down," said Niro.
____________________________________________________


GridIron also filed a suit against the AFL for money owed which forced the AFL towards Bankruptcy.

GridIron files suit: Bankruptcy Article

The Arena Football League has discontinued operations indefinitely, but one minority owner officially wants to bury the league with a forced Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.

On Aug. 7, Gridiron Enterprises, represented by William Niro, filed an involuntary petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy against the AFL. Gridiron owns 10 percent of the AFL.

Chapter 7 is a liquidation bankruptcy where a trustee is named to liquidate assets and distribute the proceeds to creditors.

The move seeks to force the AFL to file for Chapter 7 and collect $272,727 owed to Gridiron for its share of past-due expansion fees. Also joining the petition, filed in the Northern District of Illinois U.S. Bankruptcy Court, is the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel with a claim for $12,517 for an undisclosed fee and the law firm of Johnson & Bell for $11,000 in past legal work.

According to Niro, the AFL owes between $12 million and $14 million to creditors. The largest creditor is Fifth Third Bank. The bank has not yet decided whether to join the involuntary bankruptcy filing, said Richard Lauter, an attorney for Chicago-based law firm Freeborn & Peters, which is representing Gridiron Enterprises in the bankruptcy filing. An attorney for Fifth Third Bank did not return calls for comment.

“The bottom line is that it is over, but some of the owners didn’t have the guts to pull the trigger,” Niro said. “The league deserves a clean end, and that’s why we did it. If the owners couldn’t get consensus now, they will never get it going forward ”

The AFL decided to suspend operations in late July after eight months of an unsuccessful relaunch effort.

“The majority of the league’s owners were committed to a solution, and Chapter 7 was not one of them,” said Jim Renacci, owner of the Columbus Destroyers, who was leading the reorganizing effort. “The reason the majority of the owners did not agree was that they were hoping a plan could still be resurrected. The filing was a shock, and there is a question of validity of the Gridiron claim.”

The AFL has 20 days to respond to the petition. Once the AFL responds, the court will make a decision whether to dismiss the petition or to continue with involuntary bankruptcy proceedings. Should that occur, the court could eventually appoint a trustee to sell the league’s assets.

“It’s time to move on, otherwise [the AFL] will just hang around,” Niro said.
.....................................

It looks like GridIron has been positioning itself for decades to step up and save the sport of ArenaBall when/If the league ever went under.

Post Reply

Return to “af2”