Post by Banana Cat on Feb 20, 2012 7:32:37 GMT -5
They won't last long. The question is which will fold first, the league or the team?
www.prescottdailycourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=103341&TM=30663.8
www.prescottdailycourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=103341&TM=30663.8
Arizona Outlaws: Q&A with coach Terry Foster
Nicholas DeMarino / The Daily Courier
Daily Courier reporter Nicholas DeMarino talked with Terry Foster, co-owner and head coach of the Arizona Outlaws, Tuesday about Prescott Valley's new indoor football team.
Foster came to Prescott Valley as the Arizona Adrenaline's defensive coach late in the team's 2011 season and decided to help found a new team after that team folded last year.
Q: Why did you decide to stay after the Adrenaline folded last season?
I was brought here, basically under false pretenses. I was supposed to coach and get paid and things weren't happening in that fashion. I didn't intend on becoming an owner. ... But after everything went down, I think we all understood a new team would be a great thing for this community. Even at the end of the season, with all the negativity and people backing away from the team, we had stable fans and were still drawing 1,000 people. This is a great football community in terms of the high school, too. It made sense to have an indoor football team here. Our co-owner Carie Schultz, believes in giving something back to this community, and we decided this was a great thing to keep in this area.
Q: What's the association between the Adrenaline and the Outlaws?
We're trying to separate ourselves entirely from anything dealing with them. That contract was transferred to the New Mexico Stars. That's the contract they held in the IFL (Indoor Football League), and we're in a totally different league (namely, the American Indoor Football). One of the slogans we use in the front office as we're trying to get the community to corral back around us is "Heinz doesn't sell Hunt's ketchup." It might be the same type of condiment, but it's a totally different brand. We can't talk about what they did, because none of us were involved with what happened.
Q: But you've retained some of the same players, right?
We did end up signing some of the guys on that team. They did have some pretty decent players, but they weren't getting paid, so they didn't feel like professionals and they didn't always act like professionals on the field. That's one of the reasons they got beat so bad in some games. So, yeah, we did pull from some of the same pool, but we have players from all over who are coming in and are actually down in Tucson (training) right now.
Q: The team has some baggage, though, including with Tim's Toyota Center, right?
Some people have preconceived notions of what the last product in a business has brought. Some people and businesses have shied away from us, and I understand that, but the people that sat down with us saw that we're a totally different organization. We have a goal: We want to be a pillar in this community. We want to be residents at Tim's Toyota Center for a long time, just like the Sundogs. It's not a one-and-done for us. We do have to pay (rental fees) up front, even with the arena. Companies have been burned and in a smart business you don't want to get burned again. That's understandable. We need their partnership.
Q: The new name is the same as a defunct team from the '80s. Is that wise, all things considered?
We're aware of it, but it's not about that team. That league doesn't even exist anymore. I liked the name because my first day out here I saw someone with a gun holster on their hip. This really was the wild Wild West. So you think, the West, you think Outlaws. We set up a box at the last Adrenaline game and asked the fans for help with a name for a new team. When I saw the name in the box, I got excited. We talked to area businesses and they got excited, too. It represents the character and the history of the area. So that's the name.
Nicholas DeMarino / The Daily Courier
Daily Courier reporter Nicholas DeMarino talked with Terry Foster, co-owner and head coach of the Arizona Outlaws, Tuesday about Prescott Valley's new indoor football team.
Foster came to Prescott Valley as the Arizona Adrenaline's defensive coach late in the team's 2011 season and decided to help found a new team after that team folded last year.
Q: Why did you decide to stay after the Adrenaline folded last season?
I was brought here, basically under false pretenses. I was supposed to coach and get paid and things weren't happening in that fashion. I didn't intend on becoming an owner. ... But after everything went down, I think we all understood a new team would be a great thing for this community. Even at the end of the season, with all the negativity and people backing away from the team, we had stable fans and were still drawing 1,000 people. This is a great football community in terms of the high school, too. It made sense to have an indoor football team here. Our co-owner Carie Schultz, believes in giving something back to this community, and we decided this was a great thing to keep in this area.
Q: What's the association between the Adrenaline and the Outlaws?
We're trying to separate ourselves entirely from anything dealing with them. That contract was transferred to the New Mexico Stars. That's the contract they held in the IFL (Indoor Football League), and we're in a totally different league (namely, the American Indoor Football). One of the slogans we use in the front office as we're trying to get the community to corral back around us is "Heinz doesn't sell Hunt's ketchup." It might be the same type of condiment, but it's a totally different brand. We can't talk about what they did, because none of us were involved with what happened.
Q: But you've retained some of the same players, right?
We did end up signing some of the guys on that team. They did have some pretty decent players, but they weren't getting paid, so they didn't feel like professionals and they didn't always act like professionals on the field. That's one of the reasons they got beat so bad in some games. So, yeah, we did pull from some of the same pool, but we have players from all over who are coming in and are actually down in Tucson (training) right now.
Q: The team has some baggage, though, including with Tim's Toyota Center, right?
Some people have preconceived notions of what the last product in a business has brought. Some people and businesses have shied away from us, and I understand that, but the people that sat down with us saw that we're a totally different organization. We have a goal: We want to be a pillar in this community. We want to be residents at Tim's Toyota Center for a long time, just like the Sundogs. It's not a one-and-done for us. We do have to pay (rental fees) up front, even with the arena. Companies have been burned and in a smart business you don't want to get burned again. That's understandable. We need their partnership.
Q: The new name is the same as a defunct team from the '80s. Is that wise, all things considered?
We're aware of it, but it's not about that team. That league doesn't even exist anymore. I liked the name because my first day out here I saw someone with a gun holster on their hip. This really was the wild Wild West. So you think, the West, you think Outlaws. We set up a box at the last Adrenaline game and asked the fans for help with a name for a new team. When I saw the name in the box, I got excited. We talked to area businesses and they got excited, too. It represents the character and the history of the area. So that's the name.