Post by Banana Cat on Jun 8, 2011 10:12:39 GMT -5
From Oursportscentral:
An Open Letter to the Fans of the Fayetteville Force
June 8, 2011
In order to better understand the American Indoor Football Association and its CEO John Morris purchase of certain assets of the Fayetteville Force from Fanteractive, LLC we must first understand a little bit of history about arena/indoor football history in Fayetteville North Carolina. Over a long ten year period three indoor teams have provided low cost family entertainment to the residents of Fayetteville and its surrounding area, in addition many local players have had the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their own home town. These teams have enjoyed an overall record of 85-51.
Arena football first comes to Fayetteville and the Crown Coliseum in 2002 with the Cape Fear Wildcats of Af2. Over a three year span they enjoyed a 38 win and 16 loss record including a 3 and 3 playoff record. In the three year span (2002-2004) that the Wildcats where in Fayetteville they had an overall attendance of 134,428 fans, an average of 4,635 fans per game. After the 2004 season the Wildcats where sold to a group of investors and relocated to Georgia.
The following year, a local Fayetteville businessman purchased the Myrtle Beach Stingrays of the National Indoor Football League and moved them to Fayetteville to replace the af2's Cape Fear Wildcats, who had moved to Albany, Georgia. The new team had originally been called the Fayetteville Heat, but later on changed their name to the Fayetteville Guard. The team started their season 0-5, but went 7-2 in their final nine regular season games, thus earning them a 7-7 record and a playoff berth. The team defeated the Dayton Warbirds in the first round, but lost to the Cincinnati Marshals in the divisional round.
The Guard did even better in 2006, posting a 13-1 record in the regular season, then defeating the Lakeland Thunderbolts and River City Rage en route to Indoor Bowl VI, where they would lose to the Billings Outlaws. In 2007 the Guard where undefeated at 12-0 in the NIFL and at the end of the season the Guard decided to play in the Independent Budweiser Indoor Football Championship against the Wyoming Cavalry. This championship game was televised live nationally by a group of syndicated television stations across the nation to and was available to 40 million households.
In the pursuing three years the Fayetteville Guard played in the American Indoor Football Association where they compiled a record of 15-27.
In 2011 with the merger of the AIFA and SIFL leagues, a new Fayetteville based sports marketing group fielded the Fayetteville Force as a member of the SIFL in the Fayetteville market after the Guard did not return for the 2011 season.
Why did the AIFA become involved?
The American Indoor Football Association and John Morris are no strangers to Fayetteville. In 2007 the AIFA invited the Fayetteville Guard to join the American Indoor Football Association to begin play during the 2008 season where they played for three seasons. The AIFA has always been impressed with the Fayetteville market and sees great potential future growth in the market.
In the past the AIFA has been a strong supporter of the City of Fayetteville and its indoor football teams. In 2007 the AIFA coordinated its vendors for the national television broadcast of the Budweiser Indoor Football Championship between the Fayetteville Guard and the Wyoming Cavalry.
History and tradition need to remain strong in this market. As a condition of the agreement between the AIFA and Fanteractive, LLC it made it possible for the Fayetteville Youth Football Program to complete its 2011 season as scheduled. With over 400 kids in the Fayetteville youth program, this was a program that is too beneficial to the community to not be completed. The Fayetteville Youth Program stated and was the member of the AIFA for Kids program, a national program implemented by the AIFA that was run by AIFA member teams in their own markets
The Fayetteville fans deserve their community team and the AIFA also feels an obligation to be sure that Fayetteville is able to complete its 2011 season. First of all season ticket holders deserve to have their tickets honored; sponsors deserve to get their advertising they previously paid for. Also importantly Fayetteville's opponents also deserve the right to get their home games that they have previously promoted and sold to their season ticket holders and sponsors. With three away games and only one home game left in the 2011 season the costs associated with these games are a dead cost to the AIFA with little revenue projected, but something the AIFA thought was the right thing to do to protect the market.
What does the sale mean
The AIFA entered into an asset purchase agreement of selected assets of the Fayetteville Force from Fanteractive, LLC the Force's parent company but the AIFA did not purchase the corporation that was operating the Force. Under the agreement the AIFA retains the Force name, logo, likeness, playing equipment and the artificial turf. The AIFA has also guaranteed hat it will play the remaining four Force games with the Southern Indoor Football League
Under the agreement all previous bills, operational costs, debt remain the responsibility of Fanteractive, LLC.
The Players & Coaches
Who are the current players? Due to contractual issues that arose between the previous owner and his players and coaches at the time the AIFA was unable to take over take over those contracts. So on a two day notice before the Erie away game the AIFA had to assemble a team of available players these players where selected from a group of former indoor players and rookies that where available at the time. The AIFA selected as Head Coach Matt Steeple a veteran indoor coach from a rival league (IFL) for the balance of the 2011 season.
What about the future
Indoor football will be back next year; the purpose of the agreement with Fanteractive, LLC was to protect the Fayetteville market for 2011 season and the future. Several people have asked what the future holds and when will we know more. After the completion of the season the AIFA will keep the Fayetteville community updated as information becomes available. Below are some of the questions we have received.
Question:
Will we see any former Force players and coaches on the Fayetteville sidelines in the future?
Answer:
The AIFA has strong relationships with many former Force players and coaches and the door has been left open for the future.
Question:
As far as the ownership in 2012 will it be the AIFA and John Morris.
Answer:
Ownership is currently with the AIFA, However the AIFA and John Morris welcome discussions with any potential local investors that have an interest in the team.
June 8, 2011
In order to better understand the American Indoor Football Association and its CEO John Morris purchase of certain assets of the Fayetteville Force from Fanteractive, LLC we must first understand a little bit of history about arena/indoor football history in Fayetteville North Carolina. Over a long ten year period three indoor teams have provided low cost family entertainment to the residents of Fayetteville and its surrounding area, in addition many local players have had the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their own home town. These teams have enjoyed an overall record of 85-51.
Arena football first comes to Fayetteville and the Crown Coliseum in 2002 with the Cape Fear Wildcats of Af2. Over a three year span they enjoyed a 38 win and 16 loss record including a 3 and 3 playoff record. In the three year span (2002-2004) that the Wildcats where in Fayetteville they had an overall attendance of 134,428 fans, an average of 4,635 fans per game. After the 2004 season the Wildcats where sold to a group of investors and relocated to Georgia.
The following year, a local Fayetteville businessman purchased the Myrtle Beach Stingrays of the National Indoor Football League and moved them to Fayetteville to replace the af2's Cape Fear Wildcats, who had moved to Albany, Georgia. The new team had originally been called the Fayetteville Heat, but later on changed their name to the Fayetteville Guard. The team started their season 0-5, but went 7-2 in their final nine regular season games, thus earning them a 7-7 record and a playoff berth. The team defeated the Dayton Warbirds in the first round, but lost to the Cincinnati Marshals in the divisional round.
The Guard did even better in 2006, posting a 13-1 record in the regular season, then defeating the Lakeland Thunderbolts and River City Rage en route to Indoor Bowl VI, where they would lose to the Billings Outlaws. In 2007 the Guard where undefeated at 12-0 in the NIFL and at the end of the season the Guard decided to play in the Independent Budweiser Indoor Football Championship against the Wyoming Cavalry. This championship game was televised live nationally by a group of syndicated television stations across the nation to and was available to 40 million households.
In the pursuing three years the Fayetteville Guard played in the American Indoor Football Association where they compiled a record of 15-27.
In 2011 with the merger of the AIFA and SIFL leagues, a new Fayetteville based sports marketing group fielded the Fayetteville Force as a member of the SIFL in the Fayetteville market after the Guard did not return for the 2011 season.
Why did the AIFA become involved?
The American Indoor Football Association and John Morris are no strangers to Fayetteville. In 2007 the AIFA invited the Fayetteville Guard to join the American Indoor Football Association to begin play during the 2008 season where they played for three seasons. The AIFA has always been impressed with the Fayetteville market and sees great potential future growth in the market.
In the past the AIFA has been a strong supporter of the City of Fayetteville and its indoor football teams. In 2007 the AIFA coordinated its vendors for the national television broadcast of the Budweiser Indoor Football Championship between the Fayetteville Guard and the Wyoming Cavalry.
History and tradition need to remain strong in this market. As a condition of the agreement between the AIFA and Fanteractive, LLC it made it possible for the Fayetteville Youth Football Program to complete its 2011 season as scheduled. With over 400 kids in the Fayetteville youth program, this was a program that is too beneficial to the community to not be completed. The Fayetteville Youth Program stated and was the member of the AIFA for Kids program, a national program implemented by the AIFA that was run by AIFA member teams in their own markets
The Fayetteville fans deserve their community team and the AIFA also feels an obligation to be sure that Fayetteville is able to complete its 2011 season. First of all season ticket holders deserve to have their tickets honored; sponsors deserve to get their advertising they previously paid for. Also importantly Fayetteville's opponents also deserve the right to get their home games that they have previously promoted and sold to their season ticket holders and sponsors. With three away games and only one home game left in the 2011 season the costs associated with these games are a dead cost to the AIFA with little revenue projected, but something the AIFA thought was the right thing to do to protect the market.
What does the sale mean
The AIFA entered into an asset purchase agreement of selected assets of the Fayetteville Force from Fanteractive, LLC the Force's parent company but the AIFA did not purchase the corporation that was operating the Force. Under the agreement the AIFA retains the Force name, logo, likeness, playing equipment and the artificial turf. The AIFA has also guaranteed hat it will play the remaining four Force games with the Southern Indoor Football League
Under the agreement all previous bills, operational costs, debt remain the responsibility of Fanteractive, LLC.
The Players & Coaches
Who are the current players? Due to contractual issues that arose between the previous owner and his players and coaches at the time the AIFA was unable to take over take over those contracts. So on a two day notice before the Erie away game the AIFA had to assemble a team of available players these players where selected from a group of former indoor players and rookies that where available at the time. The AIFA selected as Head Coach Matt Steeple a veteran indoor coach from a rival league (IFL) for the balance of the 2011 season.
What about the future
Indoor football will be back next year; the purpose of the agreement with Fanteractive, LLC was to protect the Fayetteville market for 2011 season and the future. Several people have asked what the future holds and when will we know more. After the completion of the season the AIFA will keep the Fayetteville community updated as information becomes available. Below are some of the questions we have received.
Question:
Will we see any former Force players and coaches on the Fayetteville sidelines in the future?
Answer:
The AIFA has strong relationships with many former Force players and coaches and the door has been left open for the future.
Question:
As far as the ownership in 2012 will it be the AIFA and John Morris.
Answer:
Ownership is currently with the AIFA, However the AIFA and John Morris welcome discussions with any potential local investors that have an interest in the team.