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Toledo Bullfrogs Will Not Play Football In 2010

November 12, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Toledo Bullfrogs News Release


(Toledo, OH) - Toledo Arena Sports, Inc. announced today that the Toledo Bullfrogs will not join the new Arena Football 1 League in 2010. Instead, the team will evaluate their options of playing football during the 2011 season.

Bullfrogs President & General Manager Joe Napoli stated, "We would have liked to move forward and been part of the new Arena Football 1 League, however, after careful consideration and a thorough analysis, we decided that the structure of the new league was not in the best interests of our community at this time. We will closely monitor and meet with representatives from several arena football leagues next season before making a decision to move forward."

After the Arena Football League (AFL), which owned 50.1% of the af2, suspended operations and then subsequently folded, the af2 became defunct. Several owners of arena football teams have recently formed the Arena Football 1 League. The newly created Arena Football 1 League is proceeding with plans to play in 2010 with a two-tiered structure involving large and mid-sized markets. The league announced 16 teams on September 28 with many of the franchises located outside of the Eastern Time Zone.

Napoli added, "The newly formed league would have required the Bullfrogs to fly to all of their regular season road games and playoff games which would increase travel costs and shorten the team practice schedule, placing the Bullfrogs at a competitive and financial disadvantage. Toledo was invited to join the new league, as the Glass City is a highly desirable market for arena football, however, with the lack of teams located within close proximity to Toledo, the cost of travel became prohibitive and the Bullfrogs would also lack close rivalries on the field."

Toledo Arena Sports, Inc. Chairman of the Board Mike Miller said, "The economics have changed from our initial analysis of af2 and are no longer favorable to support a team in our region, travel expenses have more than doubled."

Patrick Zohn of Gateway Consultants, the Lucas County Arena & Fifth Third Field consultant said, "Unfortunately, the struggles recently faced by arenafootball2 is an outcome of the recent recession, clearly evident by the teams that have decided to suspend operations (Scranton, PA, Ft. Myers, FL, Manchester, NH, Lexington, KY, Boise, ID, Albany, NY, Peoria, IL, and Youngstown, OH)."

The lack of Bullfrogs football in 2010 may actually create an opportunity for the Lucas County Arena.

Steve Miller, General Manager of SMG, the operators of the Lucas County Arena, said, "SMG fully supports the Bullfrogs decision to forgo the 2010 season. We understand it was a calculated but difficult decision. Our goal has always been to bring consistent, affordable and diverse entertainment to Toledo and Northwest Ohio. This allows us the opportunity to find more diverse events for the arena. We will work aggressively to replace the eight Bullfrogs home dates."

Zohn added, "The Lucas County Arena hosted over 22,000 attendees last weekend for three sold-out shows (a Toledo Walleye game and two shows by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra). The Toledo Walleye are currently 2nd in the ECHL in attendance with three sell-outs in the first seven home games. Total attendance for arena shows to date is 83,011 (13 shows) plus pre-sale tickets for future shows and Walleye hockey is at 110,490, which indicates strong interest in the events at the Lucas County Arena. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is prepared to have an outstanding week. Other arena events in the coming weeks include Bowling Green/Michigan hockey (Nov 21), Star Wars in Concert (Dec. 1), and the Harlem Globetrotters (Dec. 29)."

*Fans that have purchased ticket packages for the Toledo Bullfrogs 2010 season can visit www.toledobullfrogs.com for a FAQ sheet and descriptions of refund options.

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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.

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