Cleveland Gary says NIFL will be stronger in 2008

June 7, 2007 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL) News Release


by Cleveland Gary

America was not built in a day which means there were stumbling blocks along the way and I can not imagine the amount of negative publicity this country received during its growing pains from the naysayer's. America had to deal with the British people who did not believe in what is to this day the constitution. And on top of adopting new policy and procedures, I'm sure there were errors that were made that resulted in the British rebelling even more by exuding a pessimistic attitude and behavior.

We can not redo the past. The league made the decision to select an ownership group to operate the sixteen expansion teams. Unfortunately the ownership group and management could not see eye to eye on a few issues that were critical in obtaining the funding needed to successfully operate all sixteen expansion teams.

The league's responsibility is to govern the member team's operational methods and practices, period. The league is not responsible for other team's expenses. But after a breakdown in talks between the league and the ownership groups, the league was still actively pursuing it expansion plans.

The expansion teams can't fold because the league has certain legal right controlling each team until their sold. Several of the expansion teams have already sold to new owners that the league approved and feel confident in as owners for 2008.

I believe the NIFL is in a better position going forward than it would have been had it operated with the potential owners it attracted in the past. The league would be receiving right now to this very day negative press in the manner of teams folding. Either way we would be facing adversity according to where we are.

The NIFL sixteen expansion teams are underway to have sixteen solid owners for the 2008 season. I assure the naysayer's that these owners are well aware of the negative publicity the league has received from a couple news sources. I'm excited because these new owners are for real. They realize that in order for the league (NIFL) to be strong and provide the high level of quality football it has provided in the past is predicated upon strong ownership.

The league has recently hired a strong management team for 2008 that will assist the new owners in all there endeavors.

TV / RADIO

The league intends to play national televised games in 2008 as well as airing games on radio. New management will be responsible for carrying out the plans for consummating these deals. It's important that the league beyond expansion continue its plans for playing one national televise game per week on the NIFL Network in 2008 in addition to airing its games on radio.

THE NIFL TAKES AN INNOVATIVE NEW DIRECTION FOR 2008

The NIFL will continue to play indoors but is leaning towards playing outdoors as well in 2008.

The league has decided that playing outdoors will be beneficial for players and owners while giving us our own identity. Our goal is not to compete against other indoor leagues but to be the trend setter in what we are doing. We believe this innovative move will set us apart from other indoor leagues.

For players, playing on a combination of turf and grass cuts down on potential injuries occurring and it changes the way the game is played to a larger degree. As an NFL player I loved playing on grass because I had a low sense of gravity which gave me an edge over the opposing defenses I ran against. Football without a doubt is a thinking man's game. And here's why. On grass I gained a ton of yards running between the tackles. As a big back on grass it's hard to stop a runner when his pad level is low while he's constantly moving forward. That method is not as effective on turf. Many backs never figure that out. And it results in inconsistent performances. On turf I was more patient because the carpet is so fast you have to wait and let things develop before accelerating to day light or being so patient to where you either have to cut back or blow the hole up. There is always a way to succeed as a player on the field. But in order to take advantage of the opportunities on the field you must understand how the game is played from many different aspects that only playing can teach you. It takes hundreds of thousands of repetitions to understand the game of football at a level that allows you to consistently with confidence dominate the game. Then it takes hundreds of thousands of more repetitions to try and master a game that will take you three life times to master. Every play I learned something new. The moral of this statement is, each player has to find a way to be successful for himself on the field in order to help his team win. I had to figure out how to win as runner on grass and then on turf because there is a difference. Playing on turf and grass will make the game more exciting and fun for the players. And it will give those players who get an opportunity to compete for a spot at the next level an advantage by having the experience on both surfaces.

As an owner it will trim the operating budget substantially, making it easier to be more profitable. The cost of playing out doors is a lot less expensive than playing indoors. And playing outdoors from the feed back we've been getting from sponsors is very appealing to advertisers because people love the outdoors. Adding outdoor play adds a whole new dimension of revenue for owners.

As I said earlier America wasn't built in a day. Under new management the NIFL intends to make a stronger statement in 2008. We only had this season to get are feet wet.

Next season we are fully aware of the kinks that needed to be ironed out going into the season verses going into the unknown. You will always have critics in any sport but when providing a good product you will always have happy fans.



National Indoor Football League Stories from June 7, 2007


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.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central