Post by Banana Cat on Jun 7, 2012 8:06:17 GMT -5
I hope the league pulls the plug on Bollinger and his way's after the season.
tribune-democrat.com/sports/x1561304357/Generals-owner-hopes-for-fresh-start-after-tumultuous-season
tribune-democrat.com/sports/x1561304357/Generals-owner-hopes-for-fresh-start-after-tumultuous-season
Generals' owner hopes for fresh start after tumultuous season
Shawn Curtis / tribdem.com
JOHNSTOWN — It appears as if the Johnstown Generals’ 2012 campaign has come to an end, but not without a few frustrated folks in its wake.
Owner Jeff Bollinger hopes that an entire offseason with the franchise under his guidance can mend fences and turn the fortunes of the United Indoor Football League franchise around.
After talking with officials from Cambria County War Memorial on Tuesday, Bollinger noted that the Generals’ remaining games with the Western Pennsylvania Sting – a travel squad also owned by Bollinger – are unlikely to happen.
“I wouldn’t say we’ve given up 100 percent (on the games),” Bollinger said “I think we’re on the same page that we need to regroup and shoot for next year with a fresh start.”
The Generals had postponed two games in May, both against the Sting on May 5 and 12, with hopes of rescheduling the games later this month.
“It was never set in stone,” Bollinger said of the two rescheduled contests. “We did discuss the possibility. The arena is not too interested and I don’t really blame them seeing as we had about 150-200 people show up to the last two games.”
The Generals (3-6) and Sting (0-8) were no threats to alter the UIFL North playoff race with the two games remaining on the docket, making the decision a bit easier for the arena.
“The UIFL season has ended, there are no more league-sanctioned games,” Cambria County War Memorial Arena General Manager Mike Silva said.
“There’s no point in trying to play exhibition games at this point.”
The Generals and Bollinger, with help from the arena, managed to put two regularly scheduled games on the field in the last two weeks with Johnstown scoring a 33-6 win over Western Pennsylvania on May 26 and falling to UIFL North frontrunner Erie 88-35 on Saturday. Those games saw a number of new faces on the team’s roster from the start of the season as new coach Mike Marshall scrambled to find area talent to put on the field.
The team’s struggles away from the field predated the May postponements with reports of players, coaches and personnel not getting paid along with unhappy sponsors.
The road to on- and off-field success for the franchise will be a long one, according to its owner. At the same time, he’s already mapped out the route.
“We’re going to start in about a month and take a look at things from the ground up,” Bollinger said. “We’ll be looking at management, coaching staff and maybe even a team name. I feel like we need to start over fresh.”
Gaining local support will also be a priority.
“I want to communicate to the sponsors that we’ve not treated fairly,” Bollinger said. “They’ll either sit down and talk with me or cut off my hand, but I want to talk to the sponsors. We want to reach out to the community. We’re going to look for local talent. Johnstown is really concerned about having local coaches and players involved. We want to go to fairs, set up meet-and-greets and set up some youth football camps over the summer.”
The postponements and the disarray that the franchise was in led to UIFL’s suspending the Generals, Sting and Bollinger on May 14.
That suspension, which was supposed to span the remainder of the season, was lifted on May 30, three days before the Generals’ clash with Erie.
The Generals were placed on a one-year probation with undisclosed terms, according to the UIFL’s press release. With the UIFL’s backing, any changes made to the franchise likely will not involve a new league.
“At this point we’re moving forward with the UIFL,” Bollinger said.
Shawn Curtis / tribdem.com
JOHNSTOWN — It appears as if the Johnstown Generals’ 2012 campaign has come to an end, but not without a few frustrated folks in its wake.
Owner Jeff Bollinger hopes that an entire offseason with the franchise under his guidance can mend fences and turn the fortunes of the United Indoor Football League franchise around.
After talking with officials from Cambria County War Memorial on Tuesday, Bollinger noted that the Generals’ remaining games with the Western Pennsylvania Sting – a travel squad also owned by Bollinger – are unlikely to happen.
“I wouldn’t say we’ve given up 100 percent (on the games),” Bollinger said “I think we’re on the same page that we need to regroup and shoot for next year with a fresh start.”
The Generals had postponed two games in May, both against the Sting on May 5 and 12, with hopes of rescheduling the games later this month.
“It was never set in stone,” Bollinger said of the two rescheduled contests. “We did discuss the possibility. The arena is not too interested and I don’t really blame them seeing as we had about 150-200 people show up to the last two games.”
The Generals (3-6) and Sting (0-8) were no threats to alter the UIFL North playoff race with the two games remaining on the docket, making the decision a bit easier for the arena.
“The UIFL season has ended, there are no more league-sanctioned games,” Cambria County War Memorial Arena General Manager Mike Silva said.
“There’s no point in trying to play exhibition games at this point.”
The Generals and Bollinger, with help from the arena, managed to put two regularly scheduled games on the field in the last two weeks with Johnstown scoring a 33-6 win over Western Pennsylvania on May 26 and falling to UIFL North frontrunner Erie 88-35 on Saturday. Those games saw a number of new faces on the team’s roster from the start of the season as new coach Mike Marshall scrambled to find area talent to put on the field.
The team’s struggles away from the field predated the May postponements with reports of players, coaches and personnel not getting paid along with unhappy sponsors.
The road to on- and off-field success for the franchise will be a long one, according to its owner. At the same time, he’s already mapped out the route.
“We’re going to start in about a month and take a look at things from the ground up,” Bollinger said. “We’ll be looking at management, coaching staff and maybe even a team name. I feel like we need to start over fresh.”
Gaining local support will also be a priority.
“I want to communicate to the sponsors that we’ve not treated fairly,” Bollinger said. “They’ll either sit down and talk with me or cut off my hand, but I want to talk to the sponsors. We want to reach out to the community. We’re going to look for local talent. Johnstown is really concerned about having local coaches and players involved. We want to go to fairs, set up meet-and-greets and set up some youth football camps over the summer.”
The postponements and the disarray that the franchise was in led to UIFL’s suspending the Generals, Sting and Bollinger on May 14.
That suspension, which was supposed to span the remainder of the season, was lifted on May 30, three days before the Generals’ clash with Erie.
The Generals were placed on a one-year probation with undisclosed terms, according to the UIFL’s press release. With the UIFL’s backing, any changes made to the franchise likely will not involve a new league.
“At this point we’re moving forward with the UIFL,” Bollinger said.