Gladiators move games to Orleans Arena
February 2, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Las Vegas Gladiators News Release
LAS VEGAS, February 2, 2007 - The Las Vegas Gladiators announced today that they will play their 2007 Arena Football League games at the Orleans Arena. The move was voted on and passed unanimously by the Arena Football League Board of Directors.
"The decision to move the Gladiators to the Orleans Arena was not due to any dissatisfaction with the Thomas & Mack Center, either on the part of our fans or the team," said Las Vegas Gladiator's Owner Jim Ferraro. "The Thomas & Mack Center is a fine facility, and we thank their management team for their support, their partnership over the past four years, and their willingness to work with us over the last several months to make this a smooth transition."
The Las Vegas Gladiators have played at the Thomas & Mack since the team moved to Las Vegas from New Jersey prior to the 2003 season.
"The Orleans Arena is a state-of-the-art, world class facility," Gladiators' President/General Manager Sam Jankovich stated. "We felt that with the location of the arena and amenities that the Orleans Arena provides fans, this was the right move to make at this time for the organization."
Gladiator's games will be played on Sunday afternoons throughout the 2007 season with the exception of the Week 17, when the game will be played on Monday night. Current Gladiators season ticket holders will have their seat locations set at the Orleans Arena in the same area that they were seated at the Thomas & Mack.
"The move to the Orleans Arena will allow us to create a great home-field environment," says Gladiators Head Coach Danton Barto. "Having a full training camp complex, with a field and the walls set up, and with the players staying onsite at the Orleans Hotel, will be great to acclimate the young players to Arena Football."
"We are excited to have the Gladiators call the Orleans Arena home," said Steve Stallworth, Vice President of the Orleans Arena. "We pride ourselves in having top notch events that the community will embrace and we feel the Gladiators playing at the Orleans is a great opportunity for this community to support their local professional sports team."
"We're thrilled for the fans to get to know the Orleans property as a great Arena Football venue" said Tony Taeubel, General Manager, Orleans Hotel & Casino. "We feel that offering an array of amenities, including our restaurants and the casino, will make for a full experience for all Gladiators fans, new and old."
Due to conflicts at the Orleans Arena, two 2007 Gladiators home games will be moved to different days. The Saturday, April 7 game vs. the Kansas City Brigade has been moved to Sunday, April 8 at 3:00 PM and the Sunday June 24 game vs. the San Jose SaberCats has been moved to Monday night, June 25 at 7:00 PM.
The Gladiators will move their entire football operations to the Orleans Arena corresponding with the opening of training camp on February 4, 2007. The team will practice in the Northern parking lot of the Orleans Arena, where a full arena football field has been constructed, including walls and turf. The Gladiators and the Orleans Arena will convert one locker room at the facility as a permanent home to the Gladiators year-round.
The Arena Football League's Board of Directors met and passed the move on January 30 in Miami.
The Orleans Arena, a 9,000 seat multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena, is a property of Boyd Gaming. For additional information, call 702-365-7469 or visit www.orleansarena.com.
On the strength of its Mission Statement and Fans' Bill of Rights, the Arena Football League - the second-longest running football league in history - begins its 21st season in 2007. Often recognized as one of the nations most affordable and fan-friendly sports leagues, the Arena Football League is 's fastest-growing sport.
The 2007 season marks the 5th Anniversary of the Gladiators in Las Vegas. Season tickets for the 2007 Las Vegas Gladiators home schedule are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Las Vegas Gladiators office at 702-731-4977.
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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.
