Casa Grande to be UFL incubator

[Fran]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?news ... 8561&rfi=6

New pro football league to build 3-team summer training camp near Francisco Grande
By RANDY HUGGLER, Staff Writer November 26, 2008

"Casa Grande has a rich history with professional sports. It's a perfect venue, and it's a perfect fit for what we were looking for in terms of a training facility."

The fledgling United Football League, which is to begin play with six franchises in August, has chosen ground adjacent to the Francisco Grande Hotel & Golf Resort as the site for a $20 million training facility for three of the league's six original teams.

Eight playing fields, four field houses, locker rooms, a training and rehabilitation center, office space and other amenities are planned for the site. And while the facility is being built primarily for use by the new professional league, there will be benefits to the citizens of Casa Grande and Pinal County.

Groundbreaking for the project is expected in January and would be completed in time for the beginning of training camp in the summer.

"I am very excited for our community, especially our youth, who will have the opportunity to attend and participate in sports clinics with world-class athletes from the UFL," Casa Grande Mayor Bob Jackson said. "The city of Casa Grande extends a warm welcome to the UFL and all of its teams."

The facility could also be put to future use by area athletic teams and other interests while not in full use by the UFL.

Casa Grande and Francisco Grande began an association with professional sports in 1959 when Horace Stoneham developed the hotel as a spring training site for the San Francisco Giants. Future Hall of Famers like Willie Mays, Juan Marichal and Willie McCovey practiced there. After the Giants moved, the California Angels used the facility from 1982 to 1984. Then the old USFL's Arizona Wranglers and the Denver Gold used the facility for two years.

"Casa Grande has a rich history with professional sports. It's a perfect venue, and it's a perfect fit for what we were looking for in terms of a training facility," said Michael Huyghue, the UFL's commissioner. "To us, it made sense to have multiple teams at one training site. They'll be able to scrimmage and practice against each other, and this way it gives the fans a closer perspective to what professional football is all about."

Six teams are to participate in the inaugural 2009 season, with games planned for Thursday and Friday nights during the fall. The three teams created in the Western part of the United States are to train at the Casa Grande complex. The three teams from the Eastern part of the country will train at a similar facility to be built at a site yet to be named.

The UFL plans a news conference on Dec. 1 to announce franchise locations and other pertinent details about the league.

Huyghue, as well as some of the league's other top executives, has an extensive background in the National Football League. He has been senior vice president for football operations of the Jacksonville Jaguars, helping the team through its infancy and to build it into one of the NFL's top franchises in this decade. He's seen some other football leagues - the World Football League, United States Football League and X Football League come and go. He's confident that the UFL will be a venture that stands the test of time.

"The most important thing will be to put a quality product on the field, and I think we're going to be able to do that," he said. "Teams in the NFL have to commit so much of their money to their top players. And with the salary cap the NFL has, there's no chance for teams to develop their younger players. And there's a lot of good football players today that would be fringe players in the NFL. We're going to have six teams, so that's 300 players. If we can come up with the 300 best football players that are not on NFL rosters, then we're going to have some good ones to choose from."

Huyghue also knows it will be a learning process, one that comes with some growing pains.

"For one thing, we've learned from the mistakes that others have made," he said. "While we're still finalizing a lot of the details, we do have a financial plan to make it through the tough times early on. We understand going into this that we're probably going to lose money in the first three to five years. But we're confident that once football fans see what kind of product that we have, wwe'll be successful."

Teams will be stocked by a draft, to be held in April, shortly after the NFL draft, and free agent signings. Coaches, franchises, playing sites, nicknames and a television package will be announced by the league next week.

The UFL was founded by Bill Hambrecht, chairman and co-CEO of WR Hambrecht + Co. He, along with Tim Armstrong, vice president of Google Inc., are the primary investors in the UFL.

[SignGuyDino]

Finally some news...let's hope it's a go for real....

[Fez]

I saw that story in today's Arizona Republic. Interesting idea. Build on the USFL and grapefruit league history. Casa Grande is South of Phoenix, about 1/3 of the way to Tucson. Could this be an indication that Tucson is getting a team? I doubt it, but I can dream can't I?

I will certainly be attending training camps when this all gets rolling.