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Lightning Football Is Back March 29 at Central Valley

November 10, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2) - Stockton Lightning News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. -The Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league have announced the team will open the af2's 2009 regular season on the road against the Central Valley Coyotes on Sunday, Mar. 29 at 7:00 p.m. This will mark the beginning of the Lightning's fourth season and the af2's 10th anniversary.

The schedule features a weighed slate favoring fierce intra-division matchups, with the Lightning taking on fellow opponents 13 times from the National Conference's West Divison.

A stern test awaits the Lightning in a Week 2 matchup against the defending National Conference Champion Spokane Shock who have advanced to the ArenaCup Playoffs in the each of the last three years and won the 2006 ArenaCup title. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. at Spokane Arena on Friday, April 3 as the Lightning battle for their first lifetime win in Spokane.

Following the first two weeks on the road and a Week 3 bye, the Lightning open their fourth home campaign at Stockton Arena in a Week 4 matchup against Central Valley, starting at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 18 at Stockton Arena.

New to the schedule this year are opponents that the Lightning will face for the first time in team history. In Week 8, the Lightning host the Rio Grande Valley Dorados at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 at Stockton Arena, who enter their sixth season in the af2 and are a member of the Southwest Division of the National Conference. In the Week 18 finale, the Lightning host the Peoria Pirates on Friday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m.

The Lightning unveil their first Friday night home game in team history on Friday, June 12 against Spokane at 7:30 p.m. This will be the first of two Friday night games on the home schedule this season.

For the second straight season, Stockton will also face the division and in-state rival Central Valley Coyotes four times, the largest amount of games the Lightning will play against one team in 2008. The Lightning branch into the state of Texas for its final regular season road game against the Amarillo Dusters on Saturday, July 18 at 5:00 p.m. It will be the third straight season the Lightning square-off against the Dusters.

For the first time since he was the Lightning's inaugural head coach in 2006, the Lightning face former head coach Richard Davis and the Tri-Cities Fever in a Week 7 matchup at Toyota Center, starting at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, May 9. Davis is scheduled to make his first return to Stockton on Saturday, June 6, when the Lightning and Fever are slated for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.

In total, the Lightning will play 16 regular season games (8 home/8 away) and have bye weeks scheduled for Week 3 and Week 15. Countering last year's schedule where the Lightning had four home games in the final six weeks, this season's slate features a balanced schedule where Stockton has no homestand longer than two games and will not be on the road longer than a two-game stretch.

For the second straight season, the Lightning will play in the National Conference's West Division with the Boise Burn, Central Valley Coyotes, Spokane Shock and Tri-Cities Fever.

TICKET INFORMATION

Season tickets for the 2009 Lightning regular season are on sale now and start at just $84 for the entire year. Season ticket holders enjoy savings off the game day walk-up price, merchandise discounts, access to premiere "Meet the Team" events, and much more!

Information on special Lightning ticket packages, mini plans, group tickets and promotional nights will be announced soon.

SEATING LOCATIONS, PRICING AND PAYMENT TERMS
Location Per Seat Deposit
Front Row $288 $50
Lower Premium $168 $50
Upper Premium $128 $50
Lower End Zone $120 $50
Upper End Zone $84 $50

Season tickets for the 2009 Lightning regular season are on sale now. For more information on season tickets, merchandise, or other information, please call the Lightning at (209) 373-1500 or visit www.StocktonLightning.com.

2009 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES PACIFIC)

Week 1 Sunday, March 29, 2009 Stockton at Central Valley 7:00 p.m.

Week 2 Friday, April 3, 2009 Stockton at Spokane 7:00 p.m.

Week 3 Bye

Week 4 Saturday, April 18, 2009 Central Valley at Stockton 7:00 p.m.

Week 5 Saturday, April 25, 2009 Spokane at Stockton 7:00 p.m.

Week 6 Saturday, May 2, 2009 Stockton at Boise 6:10 p.m.

Week 7 Saturday, May 9, 2009 Stockton at Tri-Cities 7:05 p.m.

Week 8 Saturday, May 16, 2009 Rio Grande Valley at Stockton 7:00 p.m.

Week 9 Saturday, May 23, 2009 Boise at Stockton 7:00 p.m.

Week 10 Stockton at Central Valley 7:00 p.m.

Week 11 Saturday, June 6, 2009 Tri-Cities at Stockton 7:00 p.m.

Week 12 Friday, June 12, 2009 Spokane at Stockton 7:30 p.m.

Week 13 Saturday, June 20, 2009 Stockton at Boise 6:10 p.m.

Week 14 Saturday, June 27, 2009 Stockton at Tri-Cities 7:05 p.m.

Week 15 Bye

Week 16 Saturday, July 11, 2009 Central Valley at Stockton 7:00 p.m.

Week 17 Saturday, July 18, 2008 Stockton at Amarillo 5:00 p.m.

Week 18 Friday, July 24, 2009 Peoria at Stockton 7:30 p.m.

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