Post by Banana Cat on Jul 17, 2009 11:02:45 GMT -5
17 July 2009
GM expects Fever to stay in Tri-Cities
By Ben Reynolds, Herald staff writer
KENNEWICK -- With the clock ticking on the future of the Tri-Cities Fever, general manager Randy Schillinger said he is increasingly optimistic indoor football will stay in the Tri-Cities next season.
Schillinger said he has been in talks with a couple of groups of potential investors over the past few weeks, he and thinks a solution to save the franchise would work itself out shortly.
"Things are going very good right now," Schillinger said.
Fever owner Doug MacGregor, who has owned the team since 2007, said last month that he will fold the franchise if he cannot find a local investment partner or a group to purchase the team by the end of the summer.
Schillinger thinks that deadline will be met, but it is still unclear if MacGregor would be a partner in the new ownership group.
If there is a team in the Tri-Cities next season -- and Schillinger says he has a good feeling there will be -- the Fever may not return to the af2, but rather a different league.
Two possible options for the team would be the Indoor Football League or the American Indoor Football Association.
The IFL was formed in 2008 when the Intense Football League and the United Indoor Football League merged to a 19-team league with teams across the country from Maryland to Alaska.
The league features two of the Fever's former rivals --the Billings Outlaws and the RiverCity Rage, when all three teams played in the National Indoor Football League in 2005-06.
IFL commissioner Tommy Benizio said he has been approached by an investment group in the Tri-Cities about possible expansion, and his league would love to be a part of the Tri-Cities community.
But, Benzio added, "they are still an af2 team."
He said he has spoken to nearly 70 different markets about expansion, though only a handful will be granted expansion franchises.
The AIFA is a 14-team league and has continued to expand since inception in 2006, with teams stationed on the East Coast as well as in the Rocky Mountain states. The league will make a jump even further west next season with the addition of the Wenatchee Valley Venom.
Another of the Fever's former NIFL rivals, the Wyoming Cavalry, has been in the AIFA since 2007 and is playing for the league championship Sunday in Casper, Wyo.
This is not the first time the future of the Fever has been in limbo. After playing two seasons in the NIFL, Schillinger attempted to move his team to the more stable UIF in 2007. After some haggling, Schillinger eventually sold the franchise to MacGregor, who moved the team to the af2.
Since joining the af2 in 2007, the Fever has struggled. The team is just 14-33 and is in the midst of its worst season, 2-12 with two games left in the regular season.
Over the past two years, the Fever has seen a steep decline in attendance and had to deal with a slew of off-field problems with players and coaches.
"I think the organization could use a fresh start," said Schillinger, who said he will not be a part of the Fever organization next season.
Prior to joining the af2, the Fever was one of the best teams in the NIFL, winning the national title in its inaugural season of 2005 and then making the playoffs again the following season.
"We need to find the best answer to continue the ongoing success of the team," MacGregor said. "The fans deserve a competitive team. The main thing is to keep the Fever there."
GM expects Fever to stay in Tri-Cities
By Ben Reynolds, Herald staff writer
KENNEWICK -- With the clock ticking on the future of the Tri-Cities Fever, general manager Randy Schillinger said he is increasingly optimistic indoor football will stay in the Tri-Cities next season.
Schillinger said he has been in talks with a couple of groups of potential investors over the past few weeks, he and thinks a solution to save the franchise would work itself out shortly.
"Things are going very good right now," Schillinger said.
Fever owner Doug MacGregor, who has owned the team since 2007, said last month that he will fold the franchise if he cannot find a local investment partner or a group to purchase the team by the end of the summer.
Schillinger thinks that deadline will be met, but it is still unclear if MacGregor would be a partner in the new ownership group.
If there is a team in the Tri-Cities next season -- and Schillinger says he has a good feeling there will be -- the Fever may not return to the af2, but rather a different league.
Two possible options for the team would be the Indoor Football League or the American Indoor Football Association.
The IFL was formed in 2008 when the Intense Football League and the United Indoor Football League merged to a 19-team league with teams across the country from Maryland to Alaska.
The league features two of the Fever's former rivals --the Billings Outlaws and the RiverCity Rage, when all three teams played in the National Indoor Football League in 2005-06.
IFL commissioner Tommy Benizio said he has been approached by an investment group in the Tri-Cities about possible expansion, and his league would love to be a part of the Tri-Cities community.
But, Benzio added, "they are still an af2 team."
He said he has spoken to nearly 70 different markets about expansion, though only a handful will be granted expansion franchises.
The AIFA is a 14-team league and has continued to expand since inception in 2006, with teams stationed on the East Coast as well as in the Rocky Mountain states. The league will make a jump even further west next season with the addition of the Wenatchee Valley Venom.
Another of the Fever's former NIFL rivals, the Wyoming Cavalry, has been in the AIFA since 2007 and is playing for the league championship Sunday in Casper, Wyo.
This is not the first time the future of the Fever has been in limbo. After playing two seasons in the NIFL, Schillinger attempted to move his team to the more stable UIF in 2007. After some haggling, Schillinger eventually sold the franchise to MacGregor, who moved the team to the af2.
Since joining the af2 in 2007, the Fever has struggled. The team is just 14-33 and is in the midst of its worst season, 2-12 with two games left in the regular season.
Over the past two years, the Fever has seen a steep decline in attendance and had to deal with a slew of off-field problems with players and coaches.
"I think the organization could use a fresh start," said Schillinger, who said he will not be a part of the Fever organization next season.
Prior to joining the af2, the Fever was one of the best teams in the NIFL, winning the national title in its inaugural season of 2005 and then making the playoffs again the following season.
"We need to find the best answer to continue the ongoing success of the team," MacGregor said. "The fans deserve a competitive team. The main thing is to keep the Fever there."