Post by Banana Cat on Dec 7, 2013 2:51:56 GMT -5
fayobserver.com/articles/2013/12/05/1300750?sac=fo.sports
American Indoor Football league meeting reveals regional focus
By Sammy Batten / Staff writer
Dec 04, 2013
John Morris has operated minor league sports franchises and leagues for nearly two decades, but he's entered few seasons feeling as good about the stability of his organization as he does right now.
Morris is CEO of American Indoor Football, the league in which the Cape Fear Heroes have played since 2012. The Maryland resident was almost giddy as he spoke about the AIF's future after completing league meetings Wednesday in Fayetteville.
"It's just been a great offseason - a good, solid three years in the making,'' Morris said. "Now, we've got opportunities. I'm stoked, man.''
Morris created the AIF after a merger between a previous incarnation and the Southern Indoor Football League failed in 2011. He also stepped in to keep the Fayetteville franchise running during that ill-fated season and made it one of the cornerstones of his AIF endeavor.
Now, after some rocky times early that included a coast-to-coast affiliation the first year that disintegrated before the season was complete, Morris believes a regional philosophy with solid ownership is now in place to breed success.
"It takes a while to build things back up,'' Morris said. "For us to be in this position where we are right now after going through what we went through in the other league, it's a great feeling.''
The AIF is expected to release its 2014 schedule later this week. Play will begin in March, with six participating franchises located in Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Fayetteville, Rochester, N.Y., and York, Pa.
The teams will play eight-game regular-season schedules with an extra home game thrown in against what Morris called a "traveling squad.'' The team will play an exhibition against each of the league franchises to give them a fifth home game. The four teams with the best records will advance to postseason play.
Fayetteville and York are returning members of the AIF, while Atlanta, Cleveland and Rochester are new teams to the league. Baltimore was previously a member of the American Indoor Football League, of which Fayetteville was also a member, but did not field a team the last two years.
"The most attractive part of this league is not only some of the strengths of the teams, but the stability of the league itself,'' said Baltimore co-owner Tom Conserette. "I think what makes them more stable is the regional aspect within the league. That allows us, as owner groups, to keep our operating costs down. It makes us more profit and makes it easier to run our organizations. The regionalization was the big key to getting us in.''
Cape Fear owner Barbara Spigner said any concerns she had about the AIF and the 2014 season were answered to her satisfaction during Wednsday's meetings.
"I think we got a lot accomplished for all of the new owners who are in now,'' Spigner said. "I feel good about things that are happening and things that John says the league is going to offer us. Those are things I want to see that will inspire us to be even better out in our communities.''
Spigner is happy to see AIF stick with a regional philosophy with its members.
"I was one of the ones who was sort of instrumental in getting these geographic areas to come closer,'' she said. "I spoke to John in reference to making it a little more financially feasible for the teams, especially when you're new and getting in and you're trying to venture in all these areas that are costly. It was so very helpful for them to narrow down the distance and the number of games we play.''
The Heroes won the AIF championship in 2012 and reached the finals last season before losing to the Harrisburg Stampede, 57-42. The Stampede have moved to the Professional Indoor Football League for the 2014 season.
By Sammy Batten / Staff writer
Dec 04, 2013
John Morris has operated minor league sports franchises and leagues for nearly two decades, but he's entered few seasons feeling as good about the stability of his organization as he does right now.
Morris is CEO of American Indoor Football, the league in which the Cape Fear Heroes have played since 2012. The Maryland resident was almost giddy as he spoke about the AIF's future after completing league meetings Wednesday in Fayetteville.
"It's just been a great offseason - a good, solid three years in the making,'' Morris said. "Now, we've got opportunities. I'm stoked, man.''
Morris created the AIF after a merger between a previous incarnation and the Southern Indoor Football League failed in 2011. He also stepped in to keep the Fayetteville franchise running during that ill-fated season and made it one of the cornerstones of his AIF endeavor.
Now, after some rocky times early that included a coast-to-coast affiliation the first year that disintegrated before the season was complete, Morris believes a regional philosophy with solid ownership is now in place to breed success.
"It takes a while to build things back up,'' Morris said. "For us to be in this position where we are right now after going through what we went through in the other league, it's a great feeling.''
The AIF is expected to release its 2014 schedule later this week. Play will begin in March, with six participating franchises located in Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Fayetteville, Rochester, N.Y., and York, Pa.
The teams will play eight-game regular-season schedules with an extra home game thrown in against what Morris called a "traveling squad.'' The team will play an exhibition against each of the league franchises to give them a fifth home game. The four teams with the best records will advance to postseason play.
Fayetteville and York are returning members of the AIF, while Atlanta, Cleveland and Rochester are new teams to the league. Baltimore was previously a member of the American Indoor Football League, of which Fayetteville was also a member, but did not field a team the last two years.
"The most attractive part of this league is not only some of the strengths of the teams, but the stability of the league itself,'' said Baltimore co-owner Tom Conserette. "I think what makes them more stable is the regional aspect within the league. That allows us, as owner groups, to keep our operating costs down. It makes us more profit and makes it easier to run our organizations. The regionalization was the big key to getting us in.''
Cape Fear owner Barbara Spigner said any concerns she had about the AIF and the 2014 season were answered to her satisfaction during Wednsday's meetings.
"I think we got a lot accomplished for all of the new owners who are in now,'' Spigner said. "I feel good about things that are happening and things that John says the league is going to offer us. Those are things I want to see that will inspire us to be even better out in our communities.''
Spigner is happy to see AIF stick with a regional philosophy with its members.
"I was one of the ones who was sort of instrumental in getting these geographic areas to come closer,'' she said. "I spoke to John in reference to making it a little more financially feasible for the teams, especially when you're new and getting in and you're trying to venture in all these areas that are costly. It was so very helpful for them to narrow down the distance and the number of games we play.''
The Heroes won the AIF championship in 2012 and reached the finals last season before losing to the Harrisburg Stampede, 57-42. The Stampede have moved to the Professional Indoor Football League for the 2014 season.