Reports: Arena Football League to cancel 2009 season

[clevfan]

Reports: Arena Football League to cancel 2009 season

by Dennis Manoloff, Plain Dealer reporter
Wednesday December 10, 2008, 2:07 PM

Updated 2:22 p.m.

The Arena Football League is expected to cancel the 2009 season, several media sources are reporting today.

The Rocky Mountain News reported today that league officials are expected to make the announcement before the end of the week. The Kansas City Star later reported that Pete Likens, communications director for the Kansas City Brigade, said the AFL players' union agreed late Tuesday to the decision.

"It's pretty much a done deal to suspend the 2009 season and work toward a single entity-league," Likens said, according to The Star. "We plan to start up again in 2010."

A prominent AFL player, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he does not think the AFL ever will come back if 2009 is canceled. The player said reports were untrue that the AFL players union had agreed Tuesday to the decision to cancel the 2009 season. The player said he did not want to be identified in case there is a 2010 season.

Developmental league AFL-2, which operates as a separate entity, will play in 2009.

Phil Tesar, media relations director of the Gladiators, said early this afternoon: "We've heard rumors and speculation about the future of the league for a while. For us, it's still business as usual. We're still selling tickets until we're told otherwise."

The AFL has been in existence since 1987.

The Gladiators made their Cleveland debut in the AFL last season. They reached the Eastern Conference Championship Game before losing to Philadelphia.

Tesar confirmed that Gladiators President Bernie Kosar is in New York City today to take part in league meetings.

Chris McCloskey, AFL executive vice president/communications, could not be reached.

The AFL released a statement this afternoon that said: "Despite rumors and reports to the contrary, all AFL teams are continuing to work towards ArenaBowl XXIII. As it has previously stated, the AFL continues to work on long-term structural improvement options. Some of the options may impact the 2009 season. There is currently no timetable for an announcement of any kind."

A key blow to the AFL as it grappled with economic hardships was the dissolution of a potential $100 million ownership agreement with Platinum Equity. The deal fell through when a number of team owners balked at the idea of giving up varying degrees of control of their franchises to Platinum, a source said.

The AFL player said ownership came back to the players and asked for a pay cut. The players said they would so everything possible to keep the league going, but that they needed more details on exactly what the cuts entailed. As of Tuesday night, the players were waiting to hear back from the owners.

Among the strong hints this offseason that the AFL was in trouble were multiple delays of a dispersal draft of New Orleans VooDoo players; failure to release the 2009 schedule for a league that begins in the spring; and failure to name a commissioner to replace David Baker, who resigned in July.

[Mr Falcone]

Damn shame really, I mean at least a father could afford to take the boy and friend to one of these game at a reasonable price vs friggin NFL

[Dell Dude]

Good riddance. Won less stupid lottery league to take my money.

[Rogthedodger]

I wish I had a team here in Charleston. I went to games in Memphis, good times---saw 21 points scored in 16 seconds at the end of the 1H one game!

Very fun game in person. If this league goes away then it's bad mgmt/marketing, pure and simple. It's a good product.

[Juice]

What a blow. WOW. A mainstay upgrade seller in the spring/summer months for the services. At least the ones that are open.

[drunkguy]

ESPN - AFL board of directors votes not to suspend season, but league still in limbo

[clevfan]

December 15, 2008

Arena League Board Votes to Cancel Season

By MARK VIERA
NY TIMES

The Arena Football League’s board of directors voted Sunday to cancel the 2009 season, pending the approval of the league’s players’ association Monday, according to a league owner involved with the decision.

The owner and chief executive of the Cleveland Gladiators, James L. Ferraro, said the A.F.L. executives and team owners met in an hourlong conference call and moved to suspend play so the financially troubled league could fix its economic model. The decision comes after the board’s initial vote Wednesday not to cancel the coming season.

“I think it’s a historic day for the league,” Ferraro said Sunday night in a telephone interview. “I think this league will be much, much stronger, and it will be here for a long time because of what happened.”

He added: “This is the farthest thing from the league folding. This is, in my opinion, just showing us the league will not fold.”

The A.F.L. had no comment. If the players’ association approves the vote, the league is expected to issue a statement Monday announcing the cancellation of the season. It is uncertain how the league will proceed if the players association does not approve the vote.

With the step toward suspending play in 2009, the A.F.L. appears to be in position to buy time to examine ways to reducing spending. Those cuts may come from players’ and executives’ salaries, as well as streamlining the league’s front office.

There has been concern recently about the A.F.L.’s financial stability. Although the 16-team league typically opens play in March, it had delayed the release of its 2009 schedule. It also postponed the start of its free-agency period and the dispersal draft of players on the New Orleans VooDoo, which folded during the off-season.

Earlier this year, the A.F.L. contacted Platinum Equity, a buyout firm, which started a review of the league to consider making an investment. The firm’s current relationship with the A.F.L. is unclear.

There has been friction among league owners about the best plan for the A.F.L.’s moving forward, specifically whether canceling the coming season would be the best remedy for the league’s financial troubles. Although some owners wanted to play, executives in the league said that the majority thought it best to take a year off during a tough economic climate.

“We have a very passionate group of owners,” Shanna Silva, the president of the New York Dragons, said Thursday in a telephone interview. “And I think the ownership group as a whole recognizes that the financial model for the league needs some redoing, and there may be some disagreement about how to do that.”

[clevfan]

Arena League suspends operations for 2009
by Dennis Manoloff
Sunday December 14, 2008, 11:36 PM

The Arena Football League has canceled the 2009 season but plans to return in 2010, a league source said.

An official announcement is expected Monday.

The source requested anonymity, saying a six-figure fine looms for talking.

The AFL's board of directors voted via conference call late Sunday to shut down in 2009, the source said. The AFL has 16 teams, including the Gladiators, after New Orleans folded earlier this off-season.


The Gladiators made their AFL debut in Cleveland last season after relocating from Las Vegas. They reached the National Conference Championship Game. They played their home games at The Q and drew well.

AFL interim Commissioner Ed Policy could not be reached. Gladiators owner Jim Ferraro could not be reached. Gladiators President Bernie Kosar and General Manager Mike Levy declined comment.

The AFL has been in existence since 1987.

Tim Marcum, coach of the Tampa Bay Storm, told The St. Petersburg Times this weekend that Tampa Bay, Arizona, New York, Orlando and San Jose were committed to playing the 2009 season.

The source said the league voted to shut down in 2009 because too many big-name owners or teams in big-name cities said they would not return in 2009. The source said the list of definite outs included the Dallas Desperados, defending ArenaBowl champion Philadelphia Soul, Colorado Crush, Georgia Force, Chicago Rush and Cleveland.

"We couldn't be taken seriously if we lost too many teams, especially in big markets," the source said. "That's what was going to happen. We needed to shut down and reorganize."

The source said the deal-breaker was ESPN saying it would not televise a six-, seven- or eight-team league.

The source said owners of franchises that wanted out, including Jerry Jones (Dallas) and Arthur Blank (Georgia), expressed a desire to return in 2010 under a new league business model.

"The league and the teams could not continue on their current financial paths," the source said. "The economy is one reason why we're going through hard times, but it's not the only reason. We need time to reconfigure everything so we can come back stronger than ever -- and we will."

Last Wednesday, the board voted not to suspend the season -- but more teams wanted to shut it down than wanted to play in 2009. Marcum said the vote was 10 against playing, seven for. Since Wednesday, Marcum said, Chicago had switched sides and went against, making it 11-6, if all votes held.

After Tampa Bay, Arizona, New York, Orlando and San Jose, the sixth vote presumably came from Gridiron Enterprises, which holds the patent for the AFL and has a seat on the board.

Evidently, enough of the holdouts were convinced during the conference call Sunday night that the 2009 season needed to be canceled. It is not known whether a two-thirds or three-fourths majority was required to make it happen.

Some AFL players, including two contacted by The Plain Dealer, said they doubted the league would come back in 2010 if 2009 was scrapped. The source strongly disagreed.

"We could be looking at a fantastic league if we do it right," the source said. "The owners want the AFL to be successful. The ones who voted against were not looking for an easy way out."

The source said possible expansion teams in 2010 include Pittsburgh, Boston and Washington, D.C.

[howid]

no, say it ain't so, i was just starting to dig afl lol.

was going over my results and afl was in the black... 20-10 and +7.1 units for 2008; 49-37-2 and a modest +5.7 units over the life of arena football at a monitoring site at odds of i believe -110, no doubt better than that at whatever pinnacle was offering it for.

never knew it was doing so well for me, i promise to post arena games should it indeed resurrect itself in 2010 lol.

[Uncle B]

Arena Football League players cry foul at owners, try to survive shutdown..

Citing the recession and the need for an improved economic model, AFL owners voted in December to shut down the league for at least one year.

The AFL, which was heading into its 23rd season, did not detail the specific problems or address why a shutdown was necessary to solve them.

The decision came as something of a surprise for a league that had survived much longer than many skeptics thought it would, featured a unique style of play that included a 50-yard field and high-scoring games, and set an attendance record last year.

Startled players were left to experience the visceral fear that has stalked the many Americans who have lost their jobs in this wobbly economy, unsure of the status of their wages and benefits, and upset with management about a lack of transparency.

AFL salaries are modest, with most players earning between $40,000 and $50,000 per season. The league minimum is $31,000, and the average salary, boosted by the contracts of a handful of franchise players who earn six figures, is $80,000.

Most arena athletes hold non-football jobs during the offseason. "I have a middle-class home in Sacramento, three bedrooms for three kids," says Garcia, who for most of his career has worked a second job during the offseason. "I have mortgage payments like everyone else. Now every day I'm making calls, trying to figure out what the next move will be. Maybe I'll go up to Canada to finish my career on my own terms, but if that doesn't work out I'm looking into coaching, maybe the fire department."

[Uncle B]

Even while on hiatus, the Arena Football League can't remain intact.







Avengers drop out of Arena League

The Los Angeles Avengers dropped out of the indoor league, releasing a statement on its Web site Monday it "has terminated its participation in the Arena Football League." The AFL suspended operations for this season, but has said it plans to play next year after a reorganization.

"The entire Avengers organization extends heartfelt thanks to the fans who cheered on their team," the team's statement said. "It was their faithful support that kept the Avengers vibrant and energized for nearly a decade."

A member of the league for nine seasons, the Avengers are owned by Casey Wasserman, who has been a power broker within the AFL. Wasserman paid $5 million for the franchise a decade ago and it was valued at as much as four times that amount before the AFL ran into organizational problems.

David Baker resigned as commissioner in July after 12 years on the job, sending the AFL into a downward spiral. In October, the New Orleans VooDoo, owned by Saints owner Tom Benson, went out of business.

Wasserman did not agree with the reorganization plan being discussed by AFL team owners, and decided to terminate the Avengers, the only professional football team in the L.A. area.

[nino brown]

doubt they will ever return

[Uncle B]

Originally Posted by nino brown

doubt they will ever return

LA? Or the league itself?



I'm hoping the league gets their shit together, but, not very hopeful.

[nino brown]

the league. reminds me when nhl went on strike. when they came back most said who cares.

[Uncle B]

New Arena football league to launch in '10

Arena football isn't dead yet.

Officials from what will be known as Arena Football 1 said Monday that they will have at least 16 teams ready to play in 2010, including four in former Arena Football League markets: Salt Lake City, Chicago, Phoenix and Orlando, Fla. The Arizona Rattlers and Orlando Predators played in the old AFL, but the new league's Chicago and Salt Lake City teams did not.

The league will also have teams from the AFL offshoot arenafootball2, as well as at least one team from another indoor league. It will be based in Tulsa. Commissioner Jerry Kurz said it would be a "brand-new league" not connected with the AFL or af2.

"There has been arena football before," said Kurz, a former af2 commissioner. "It's been done well but not as good as it's going to be done this time."

Kurz said more details of the league's business structure -- including what the players might be paid -- will be announced during the coming weeks. He said the league would use a schedule similar to that used by the AFL and af2, with games starting in late March or early April and running through the summer.

Dan Newman, the owner of the Bossier-Shreveport (La.) BattleWings -- who are moving from the af2 to the new league-- said Arena Football 1 will use a rule book identical to those used by the AFL and af2.

"This is arena football," Newman said.

Arena Football 1 said its markets also will include Little Rock, Ark.; Fresno, Calif.; Des Moines, Iowa; Jacksonville, Fla.; Lexington, Ky.; Milwaukee; Oklahoma City; Spokane, Wash.; Huntsville, Ala.; Kennewick, Wash.; and Tulsa.

The new league said eight more teams have submitted membership applications. Newman said the league is negotiating with seven other former AFL franchises, including those in Tampa and San Jose.

Hank Stern, vice president of the San Jose SaberCats, said Monday that while that team was "looking to bring arena football back to San Jose," he wouldn't comment about the new league "until things become clearer."

Kurz said other franchises will be considered for inclusion in the league through Oct. 9.

"We'll grow as it fits us in a smooth economic model," he said. "Other leagues in many different sports have just grown to grow and we don't want to do that. We want to make sure we go into markets that want us."

The old AFL canceled its 2009 season and folded in August, ending a 22-year run for the high-scoring indoor brand of football that helped launch the career of Super Bowl winner Kurt Warner. Play in af2 was never disrupted, but teams ended the season unsure of what would happen next. The AFL owned 50.1 percent of af2.

Kurz said that while previous arena football leagues were "well-intended," their business model resulted in overspending.

"The sports business has to be like every other business," he said. "You can't spend more than you generate in revenue."

Kurz and Newman dismissed the possibility of a new version of the AFL forming. Newman noted the AFL canceled its 2009 season "because of a collective bargaining agreement that they agreed to that spiraled out of control. The financial model was broken and finally it broke the machine. It didn't work. The AFL is not in existence, it's in bankruptcy.

"They will not play in 2010. That precipitated the necessity to go to the drawing board and come up with a financially viable model that works to play arena football."

If the new league's owners are patient and market the league correctly, there's no reason it can't succeed, even during the current recession, said Mark Nagel, a professor who teaches sports management at the University of South Carolina.

"If they can keep those expenses in control and have a good plan to attract the consumer who's looking to do something that's affordable, it might work in this economy," Nagel said.

Shy Anderson, the chief operating officer for the AFL's Dallas Desperados -- who won't play in the new league -- agreed with Nagel's assessment, saying the business model for the AFL "wasn't solid." He said the new league "will be great for the fans and the players who want to continue playing football."

"It is an entertainment sport," Anderson said. "It's not a pure sport. It's football played indoors with a lesser number of players. But there is a niche for it."