Post by Banana Cat on Jan 18, 2009 16:56:38 GMT -5
The UNGL is trying to move forward with it's plans to become a feeder league for the CFL and NFL. I think a feeder league can suceed, but will the UNGL be the league to successfully do it? I've thought for many years now that indoor football leagues could be great for filling the niche for a feeder league, but with the advent of the UNGL and UFL, they may have missed their chance.
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www.ledger-enquirer.com/sports/story/583891.html
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www.ledger-enquirer.com/sports/story/583891.html
18 January 2009
New pro football league wants to carve its own niche
Chris White / Ledger Enquirer
The United National Gridiron League expects fans will view it as a top-level developmental league. “We have something that we think is very different from other leagues, and we’re carving our own niche,” UNGL executive vice president for football operations Nick Saraceni said. “We’re not a competitor (with other leagues), and we’re not trying to be. We’re trying to be the first pro developmental league. We want guys to come in and use the experience we give them to springboard into the NFL or CFL. We’re not trying to compete with arena football or send guys there.” Columbus is among eight cities represented in the UNGL, along with: Dallas; Miami; Akron, Ohio; Birmingham, Ala.; Shreveport, La.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Norfolk, Va. Two of the cities, Miami and Dallas, have NFL teams, and Columbus and Norfolk, Va., are the only of the others without a Division I football team. Columbus already has the Lions, a team that plays in the American Indoor Football Association. Their regular season begins in March and runs through June. Most of the Lions’ games will be played on Saturdays. The UNGL season is slated to begin Feb. 8. However, the league didn’t meet last Monday’s self-imposed deadline to secure funding. Schedules have yet to be announced, but each team is supposed to play 10 games, with the playoffs beginning in April. Games will be on Sundays. While seasons and possibly game days will overlap, it is not a cause for concern, according to officials with both leagues. “We think we have a good product and a good fan base built up already,” Lions coach Jason Gibson said. “We’re locally owned and have been involved in this community for a long time. People know who we are, and they know what we have to offer, regardless of what other teams come in.” Saraceni said Wednesday he could not release how the UNGL’s ownership will be structured, but the league’s Web site states it is looking for potential team owners. The Lions draw roughly 3,000 people per game, according to the team. But it was not Columbus’ previous or current professional sports market that interested the UNGL. It was the college football fan base. Nestled in the heart of Southeastern Conference country, Columbus and its college fans seemed like a good fit with the league’s goal, which is to showcase “only the best collegiate football players,” according to its Web site. “We looked at places, and Columbus was one of our first picks because of the kind of college football fans they have there,” Saraceni said. “We broke down the South and then Georgia, and Columbus was the first place we thought of as a good fit for the kind of teams we have.”
New pro football league wants to carve its own niche
Chris White / Ledger Enquirer
The United National Gridiron League expects fans will view it as a top-level developmental league. “We have something that we think is very different from other leagues, and we’re carving our own niche,” UNGL executive vice president for football operations Nick Saraceni said. “We’re not a competitor (with other leagues), and we’re not trying to be. We’re trying to be the first pro developmental league. We want guys to come in and use the experience we give them to springboard into the NFL or CFL. We’re not trying to compete with arena football or send guys there.” Columbus is among eight cities represented in the UNGL, along with: Dallas; Miami; Akron, Ohio; Birmingham, Ala.; Shreveport, La.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Norfolk, Va. Two of the cities, Miami and Dallas, have NFL teams, and Columbus and Norfolk, Va., are the only of the others without a Division I football team. Columbus already has the Lions, a team that plays in the American Indoor Football Association. Their regular season begins in March and runs through June. Most of the Lions’ games will be played on Saturdays. The UNGL season is slated to begin Feb. 8. However, the league didn’t meet last Monday’s self-imposed deadline to secure funding. Schedules have yet to be announced, but each team is supposed to play 10 games, with the playoffs beginning in April. Games will be on Sundays. While seasons and possibly game days will overlap, it is not a cause for concern, according to officials with both leagues. “We think we have a good product and a good fan base built up already,” Lions coach Jason Gibson said. “We’re locally owned and have been involved in this community for a long time. People know who we are, and they know what we have to offer, regardless of what other teams come in.” Saraceni said Wednesday he could not release how the UNGL’s ownership will be structured, but the league’s Web site states it is looking for potential team owners. The Lions draw roughly 3,000 people per game, according to the team. But it was not Columbus’ previous or current professional sports market that interested the UNGL. It was the college football fan base. Nestled in the heart of Southeastern Conference country, Columbus and its college fans seemed like a good fit with the league’s goal, which is to showcase “only the best collegiate football players,” according to its Web site. “We looked at places, and Columbus was one of our first picks because of the kind of college football fans they have there,” Saraceni said. “We broke down the South and then Georgia, and Columbus was the first place we thought of as a good fit for the kind of teams we have.”