af2 poised for successful week in Louisiana
Published on August 22, 2005 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
SHREVEPORT, La. - Just as its parent league did in July, the arenafootball2 is doing this week. For the first time in af2 history, the league's championship game - ArenaCup - will be played at a neutral site.
The CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, La., will play host to ArenaCup6, where the American Conference champion Louisville Fire will battle the National Conference champion Memphis Xplorers at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27. The game will be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net.
Bossier-Shreveport operator Dan Newman brought the idea to af2 president Jerry Kurz about a year ago. After Newman got unanimous approval from the af2 board of directors, things were put into motion.
The plan to announce the neutral site game came after the deal was struck with Fox Sports Net on June 16. From there, Newman and his staff went to work to try and make ArenaCup6 the best yet.
For the first time in ArenaCup history, there will be a team welcome dinner. Rockin' Rodeo will welcome both teams, coaches and operators 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24.
The week also will include the annual ArenaCup awards banquet beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday with a cocktail reception. The event has already sold out.
Friday will bring a day full of new activities for ArenaCup week. The day kicks off at 7 a.m. with the Hal Sutton Foundation golf tournament at Olde Oaks Golf Course. The day concludes with the first ever ArenaCup Fan Fest & Skills Challenge, which begins at 6 p.m. at Festival Plaza.
Prior to Saturday's kickoff will be the President's Tailgate Party held inside the CenturyTel Center starting at 11 a.m. Immediately following the game and concluding the championship week will be the Post-Game Party at the Bossier City Boardwalk.
"It's going to be a championship week, not just a championship day," Newman said. "We have a lot of different events going on that it's going to be like an NCAA bowl game, only at a championship level."
Newman also is hoping to put on a good enough show to keep the ArenaCup in Bossier-Shreveport for years to come.
"This city knows how to put on a show and knows how to throw a party," Newman said. "We have been in the national spotlight for the past 30 years with the Independence Bowl, so we didn't have to recreate the wheel. The public, business leaders and the general population understands how this works because of the Independence Bowl, so it is an easy sell."
The easy sell has Battle Wings general manager Greg Little more than pleased as ticket sales are pushing 8,000 as of Tuesday.
"I am very pleased with how our community leaders have stepped up to buy blocks of tickets," Little said.
Those blocks of tickets were offered to the military and servicemen in the area and sold out in a short amount of time.
"The ticket sales have surpassed my expectations," Little said. "We are in line to have a great last week and could sell out." Kurz felt the move to have the championship game at a neutral site is positive for everyone involved.
"We wanted to make it a league-wide event, a league-wide game," Kurz said. "By having the ArenaCup at a neutral site, it brings in the best from all across the league.
"We wanted to make it an event that is no different than the ArenaBowl (Arena Football League championship game)." Kurz pointed out that Bossier-Shreveport received the first neutral ArenaCup site because of the involvement from the members who put on the Independence Bowl.
"They do an extremely good job for the Independence Bowl," Kurz said. "It is a community event, and they are looking at this like having another bowl game. The community receives the Independence Bowl well, and so far they have received ArenaCup well."
Kurz said that he would like to make the Bossier-Shreveport site permanent.
"It is a one-year contract. This will be judged on how the community responds and takes to the week," Kurz said. "It would be nice to have a home for this event, but it's totally going to depend on the community."
The Bossier City-Shreveport area is one of the fastest growing cities in the state of Louisiana and prides itself on its southern hospitality.
Five dockside riverboat casinos have helped the area become the most popular gaming destination in the region as well as the fastest growing tourist destination in Louisiana.
The area also is known for the different variety of sports is has to offer. Other than playing host to the Battle Wings during the af2 season, Bossier-Shreveport plays host to the Independence Bowl. The Independence Bowl matches teams from the Big 12 and Southeastern conferences in late December.
If horse racing is your thing, then the world class Louisiana Downs is the place for you. It is one of the nations largest thoroughbred racetracks. Bossier-Shreveport also has amusement parks, festivals, galleries, museums, gardens and historic places. The American Rose Center is North Americas largest park dedicated to the rose.
The Louisiana Boardwalk has something for everyone. Whether it's shopping, movies, theatre, bowling, eating, carousel and trolley rides, dancing fountains or walks by the Red River, the Louisiana Boardwalk is non-stop entertainment.
And who could forget the food. Louisiana is known for its French and Spanish influence, the spice of Cajun and southern cuisine.
arenafootball2 Stories from August 22, 2005
- af2 poised for successful week in Louisiana - af2
- Dahnel Singfield grabs ADT Defensive Player of the Year - af2
- Knights Give Back to the Community - Macon Knights
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.
