Post by Banana Cat on Jul 14, 2010 14:16:45 GMT -5
Art Clarkson and Rik Richards are preparing for 2011.
www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100714/GPG0211/7140589/1225/GPG02/Indoor-football--Blizzard-s-first-year-in-IFL-was-a-success--Richards-says
www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100714/GPG0211/7140589/1225/GPG02/Indoor-football--Blizzard-s-first-year-in-IFL-was-a-success--Richards-says
Indoor football: Blizzard's first year in IFL was a success, Richards says
By Weston Hodkiewicz / greenbaypressgazette.com
July 14, 2010
The Green Bay Blizzard went from the brink of dissolution to the playoffs of the Indoor Football League in less than a year.
After almost folding, the Blizzard regrouped when Jeff Royle, the owner of the Green Bay Bullfrogs baseball team, led a group that purchased the 8-year-old franchise in October.
The team joined the IFL and was turned over to Rik Richards, who had less than three months to assemble a roster and staff after being named head coach in November.
The Blizzard posted a 10-4 record in its first IFL season, won the Central North Division title and earned the organization's sixth consecutive postseason berth.
The Blizzard's season ended on June 26 with a 46-39 loss to the Chicago Slaughter in the first round of the playoffs.
Richards has a preliminary agreement to return next season despite this year's disappointing finish.
"In the whole scheme of things, you wanted a chance at a ring and we had that," Richards said. "It didn't go the way we wanted it to, but all you can ask for is an invite to the dance. And considering the late start, it was an all-right season."
Richards and assistant coaches Roger Farrar Jr. and Billy Sanders, quickly combined a handful of former players with a new batch of prospects to form a team.
Green Bay averaged 49.0 points per game — more than the Blizzard's averages during the 2007 and 2008 seasons in arenafootball2 and only a few points shy of the 52.7 points the team averaged last season.
"I don't think much has changed from the af2 days to the IFL," Richards said. "The IFL was a better brand of football, I believe, and I don't think anybody can say they went to games and didn't have fun."
The average paid attendance for Blizzard games this season was 3,778 — a dip from Green Bay's 6,093 per game last year.
Yet, officials said the organization built a solid foundation in its first IFL season.
"For the amount of time that they had, I really believe the ownership group and the staff here really did a tremendous job," said Art Clarkson, the team's chief operating officer.
"Rik, what he did was absolutely phenomenal. He literally put together all these people who never played together before. I can't even tell you how tough that is. He came in here with his staff and put this thing together from scratch."
Richards said he expects to bring back about seven to 10 players next season and has already started looking for new additions to the roster.
With Richards and the organization having a year to prepare for the 2011 season, the team is optimistic about the future.
"You never know what you're going to get, but we came out of the fire with a 10-win season," Richards said. "Hopefully, we can improve on it, but it needs to improve everywhere — on the field, corporate sales, ticket sales. I think we all believe that and know that has to happen. When we all pool together, I think there's going to be some great things that will happen for 2011."
By Weston Hodkiewicz / greenbaypressgazette.com
July 14, 2010
The Green Bay Blizzard went from the brink of dissolution to the playoffs of the Indoor Football League in less than a year.
After almost folding, the Blizzard regrouped when Jeff Royle, the owner of the Green Bay Bullfrogs baseball team, led a group that purchased the 8-year-old franchise in October.
The team joined the IFL and was turned over to Rik Richards, who had less than three months to assemble a roster and staff after being named head coach in November.
The Blizzard posted a 10-4 record in its first IFL season, won the Central North Division title and earned the organization's sixth consecutive postseason berth.
The Blizzard's season ended on June 26 with a 46-39 loss to the Chicago Slaughter in the first round of the playoffs.
Richards has a preliminary agreement to return next season despite this year's disappointing finish.
"In the whole scheme of things, you wanted a chance at a ring and we had that," Richards said. "It didn't go the way we wanted it to, but all you can ask for is an invite to the dance. And considering the late start, it was an all-right season."
Richards and assistant coaches Roger Farrar Jr. and Billy Sanders, quickly combined a handful of former players with a new batch of prospects to form a team.
Green Bay averaged 49.0 points per game — more than the Blizzard's averages during the 2007 and 2008 seasons in arenafootball2 and only a few points shy of the 52.7 points the team averaged last season.
"I don't think much has changed from the af2 days to the IFL," Richards said. "The IFL was a better brand of football, I believe, and I don't think anybody can say they went to games and didn't have fun."
The average paid attendance for Blizzard games this season was 3,778 — a dip from Green Bay's 6,093 per game last year.
Yet, officials said the organization built a solid foundation in its first IFL season.
"For the amount of time that they had, I really believe the ownership group and the staff here really did a tremendous job," said Art Clarkson, the team's chief operating officer.
"Rik, what he did was absolutely phenomenal. He literally put together all these people who never played together before. I can't even tell you how tough that is. He came in here with his staff and put this thing together from scratch."
Richards said he expects to bring back about seven to 10 players next season and has already started looking for new additions to the roster.
With Richards and the organization having a year to prepare for the 2011 season, the team is optimistic about the future.
"You never know what you're going to get, but we came out of the fire with a 10-win season," Richards said. "Hopefully, we can improve on it, but it needs to improve everywhere — on the field, corporate sales, ticket sales. I think we all believe that and know that has to happen. When we all pool together, I think there's going to be some great things that will happen for 2011."