Post by Banana Cat on Jun 20, 2011 11:05:20 GMT -5
From the Huntsville Times:
Hammers to keep on swinging despite losing money, 4-8 record
By Reggie Benson / Huntsville Times Sports Staff
June 16, 2011
The owner of the Alabama Hammers, Huntsville entry into the Southern Indoor Football League, says the team will return next season despite losing money and a losing record.
The Hammers, who finished last in the SIFL's South Division with a 4-8 record, started 0-5, but went 4-3 in their last seven games, and that has owner Jeff Knight excited about the future.
"From an operation standpoint, between the storms and stuff that was out of our control, it was a pretty tough year," said Knight. The team averaged about 3,000 fans per game despite the construction at the Von Braun Center and the tornado outbreak in late April. There were also problems when Mobile Bay folded its team. Two other teams - Lafayette, La., and Fayetteville, N.C. - also had problems. Lafayette folded and Fayetteville changed ownership groups.
"We didn't break even, but the ultimate measure was not the money. It's the other things, and that is why we're working so hard to fix the league stuff. I am getting much more involved in the league. There are several really good franchises. Us, Columbus, and Albany, have kind of banded together to say, this is the way things are going to be from now on, and we're going to put things in order." Some current teams will be weeded out, Kinght said, but he anticipates new teams in Macon, Ga., and Jackson, Miss., and maybe even more. "We think we're going to have have a Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia base, and from there we will see, " he said. "We're thinking the SIFL will be a 7-to-10 team league. We've got to straighten the ship up a little bit. The league did not do a good job this season." Knight said he is also contemplating putting a team in Knoxville, Tn. "We've been in negotiations with them for quite some time," he said. "Minor league sports are tough, especially when you get into insurance and things like that that are so costly."
By Reggie Benson / Huntsville Times Sports Staff
June 16, 2011
The owner of the Alabama Hammers, Huntsville entry into the Southern Indoor Football League, says the team will return next season despite losing money and a losing record.
The Hammers, who finished last in the SIFL's South Division with a 4-8 record, started 0-5, but went 4-3 in their last seven games, and that has owner Jeff Knight excited about the future.
"From an operation standpoint, between the storms and stuff that was out of our control, it was a pretty tough year," said Knight. The team averaged about 3,000 fans per game despite the construction at the Von Braun Center and the tornado outbreak in late April. There were also problems when Mobile Bay folded its team. Two other teams - Lafayette, La., and Fayetteville, N.C. - also had problems. Lafayette folded and Fayetteville changed ownership groups.
"We didn't break even, but the ultimate measure was not the money. It's the other things, and that is why we're working so hard to fix the league stuff. I am getting much more involved in the league. There are several really good franchises. Us, Columbus, and Albany, have kind of banded together to say, this is the way things are going to be from now on, and we're going to put things in order." Some current teams will be weeded out, Kinght said, but he anticipates new teams in Macon, Ga., and Jackson, Miss., and maybe even more. "We think we're going to have have a Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia base, and from there we will see, " he said. "We're thinking the SIFL will be a 7-to-10 team league. We've got to straighten the ship up a little bit. The league did not do a good job this season." Knight said he is also contemplating putting a team in Knoxville, Tn. "We've been in negotiations with them for quite some time," he said. "Minor league sports are tough, especially when you get into insurance and things like that that are so costly."