Jack Bowman Named Heroes GM
August 21, 2007 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Huntington Heroes News Release
The off season is usually a slow news period and this off season has been no different for the Huntington Heroes. With that said a lot is happening behind the scenes in the Heroes front office at Big Sandy Superstore Arena. The front office staff will have a whole new look in 2008, starting with a new General Manager Jack Bowman.
Jack Bowman has been named the new GM of the Huntington Heroes. Bowman brings six years of experience in indoor football with him to Huntington serving as a GM or Vice President with teams in the NIFL, AIFL and now the AIFA. Bowman most recently served as the GM of the Florence Phantoms and doubled as the National Director of the AIFA, a post he will continue while in Huntington. Being both the AIFA's National Director and the Heroes GM presents a unique challenge for Bowman juggling the two jobs. "I spend a percentage of my time on league matters," said Bowman, "I get to travel around to the different teams, but it's pretty much communicating by phone handling day to day matters. Some weeks are tougher than others but for the most part it's not that bad."
Heroes owner Greg Ramey doesn't think Bowman will have a problem doing both jobs justice. "With the sales team he has created I don't think it will be a problem for Jack to be the the National Director of the AIFA and the Heroes GM," said Ramey. "He had a similar role in Florence last season and had good results. In addition the Heroes are in a great position financially which should make his job easier. He is the person I have sought all along, it just took me two years to get him."
Bowman has plenty of ideas to turn game day in Huntington into an event. "We have to energize the people of Huntington and make it a total entertainment experience," said Bowman. "From tailgating to pre-game activities, we're going to be giving away a lot free stuff, prizes at the door, giveaways during the games, a kids club we want to have something for everyone. We want each game to be an event, a special night each game, something where people look forward to an event happening."
In addition to making game day an experience the Heroes front office will have a new look with many new positions. "We're bringing on an assistant GM/sales manager. Ramon Robinson is the lone holdover as an assistant coach and Director of Player Personnel, a job that he does very well. We'll have a person strictly in charge of ticketing, group tickets and season tickets and we'll have a person in charge of appearances and game day operations. It's nothing against the way things were done in the past, it's just a fresh start."
After spending about a month in this new position Bowman has had the opportunity to acquaint himself with his new surroundings in Huntington. "Huntington is a unique place, I'm still learning the different parts of the town. It's a nice, peaceful area. There's a nice college here and we'd like to get some of the fraternities and sororities involved in our activities. It's a little different than most places I've been. They've all been in flat land, so I'm still getting used to these mountains." Bowman sees the potential for indoor football to be successful in Huntington as well. "We've got the population, the young and the old and most of the demographics for a successful product. I think we've got enough business to support it with sponsorships. The nice thing is if we can get a consistent attendance of 4,000 or so we'll be doing very well."
This weekend Bowman and Ramey will be traveling to the AIFA's owner's meetings where many new and exciting changes are expected to happen. A few things that have already happened is the departure of Baltimore and Tallahassee from the AIFA. "There have been a few changes and both of the changes have been ours so far. A couple of the teams didn't meet the criteria set by the league that you have to have a strong financial backing along with some other rules and regulations. Baltimore will have a team, that's an important market for us. They will have a league run team with the intent of getting local ownership in. The other is Tallahassee, they had great success on the field. It's no secret they had some financial trouble, and player pay issues. They decided to go another route that doesn't have the stringent requirements." Another development expected to come out of the league meetings is a national TV deal. "It's a $2.5 Million deal that the league and teams will split, but beyond that I can't say much more until all the details are released this weekend."
Another big question this off-season for Heroes fans is the hiring of a new head coach. "We have received quite a few resumes, and expect to have someone in place in the next 20 to 30 days," said Bowman. "We've talked with two potential coaches already, we're meeting with a third today (Tuesday). We're looking for the right fit for the area, someone that is energetic and can get people into the stands and make it exciting, someone that has good experience. We want to bring the best possible coach available in."
The Heroes will be beginning their third season in Huntington and it's second in the AIFA when it kicks off the 2008 season. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.heroesindoorfootball.com or by calling 304-781-6800. Sponsorship packages for the 2008 season are being finalized and if you want to be a part of that contact the Heroes front office at 304-781-6800.
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