Post by 50yardfan on Jul 1, 2011 10:21:43 GMT -5
SIFL CHAMPIONSHIP NOTEBOOK: Panthers call for ‘Black Out’ at title game; future of league up in air
The Albany Panthers want their fans to come out in full force Saturday night donning black apparel in support of the team on its quest for the SIFL title.
www.albanyherald.com/sports/headlines/SIFL_CHAMPIONSHIP_NOTEBOOK_Panthers_call_for_Black_Out_at_SIFL_title_game_124833339.html
ALBANY — Hey, it worked once — so why not try it again, right?
That was the thought process behind the call for a “Black Out” by the Albany Panthers front office Thursday when GM Will Carter sent out a news release asking for all fans coming to Saturday’s SIFL Championship game against the Louisiana Swashbucklers to dress in black in support of the team.
As for the last time the Panthers made such a request? That would be none other than March 19 in their season opener at the Albany Civic Center against this very same Swashbucklers team, which saw its 27-7 halftime lead evaporate before its eyes in the form of a 30-27 loss.
The idea for the “Black Out” was spurred on by the Eastern Conference champion Panthers players, led by receiver and hometown hero Antwone Savage, a Westover alum, and quarterback Cecil Lester, who hope the crowd obliges.
“Earlier in the week, our guys made it apparent that they want all Panther fans in the house Saturday night to wear black,” Carter said. “It doesn't really matter what it is, Panthers apparel or not, just put on as much black as you can.”
The Panthers, themselves, will also wear their “lucky” black uniforms. After all, the Panthers are undefeated this season when they have garnered their new black uniforms.
“This effort is designed for all of us to show that we're unified in our support of the Albany Panthers football team,” Carter added. “The fans have shown great support during the regular season and playoffs. Now, it's time to take this effort to another level to create a true home-field advantage for the first SIFL Championship game in Albany, Georgia.”
Tickets for the game, meanwhile are still available. The first day they went on sale earlier this week, Panthers fans snatched up more than 3,000, and Carter said he hopes to break the attendance record Saturday night by filling the Civic Center to capacity, which is a little more than 10,000 seats.
Carter told The Herald on Thursday that so far the team has sold an estimated 4,500 tickets and is well on its way to meeting its goal.
All reserve seats are $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the game. Tickets are available by contacting the Albany Civic Center box office, going online to Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) or by calling (877)-544-8499.
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FUTURE OF THE SIFL?: A report by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer on Wednesday gave a slight glimpse into the future of the Southern Indoor Football League, which expended from five teams a year ago to 16 this season.
Columbus Lions coach Jason Gibson told the newspaper that the future success of the league hinges on how the SIFL’s summer meetings go in July, and that he — personally — would like to see the SIFL contracted to 12 teams or fewer in an effort to keep the league more centralized in the Southeast, rather than spread out as far north as New Jersey and as far west as Texas, like it was this year.
The Lions and South Division rival Alabama have announced they will return to the league for 2012 and Gibson said he expects Albany will return, but few other teams have made the same commitment.
When Carter was asked Thursday by The Herald whether Albany is definitely returning to the SIFL next season, the GM understandably wanted to keep the focus on the one game the franchise has left to play this season, rather than what’s going to happen next season.
“We’re just focusing (on Saturday) right now and this big game. We’ll address all the offseason stuff as soon as this season is over,” he said. “We want all the focus to be on the championship game this week.”
Carter then added: “There’s been some talk (within the league) about new teams coming in and some teams leaving, but that’s something we can address after this game.”
When the SIFL incorporated several former American Indoor Football Association teams from the northeast before the start of the season and accepted teams from as far West as Texas, the league sacrificed some stability, Gibson said. That showed when the Lafayette (La.) Wildcatters shut down shortly before the start of the season because the team could not afford worker’s compensation insurance; or when the Mobile Bay Tarpons Force failed to pay players for several weeks, leading to the teams’ demise midseason; and when many of the Fayetteville (N.C.) players quit early in the season after they also were not paid.
“I thought Fayetteville and Mobile had good football teams,” Gibson told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Mobile started 2-0 and had a phenomenal quarterback. Fayetteville was 3-0, then the team turned into a debacle. So I like our competition, and I hope it works its way back to what it was. There was a good level of competition for us, and I think people saw that those teams were for real. We just need to get some good ownership and people who can run them.”
Gibson said he would like to see the league withdraw from the northeast but would be eager to see the league return the four teams in the Southwest Division, which all hail from Texas.
“I would like to see a Texas side of the SIFL and a Southeast side, and those teams can just play in the playoffs,” Gibson said.
Other teams from the Southeast could join, too. The SIFL has expressed interest in placing a team in Macon. Gibson said, and the owner of the Alabama Hammers is reportedly interested in adding an SIFL team in Knoxville, Tenn.
The Herald wasn’t able to reach SIFL President and Swashbucklers team owner Thom Hagar on Thursday for comment on the matter.
The Albany Panthers want their fans to come out in full force Saturday night donning black apparel in support of the team on its quest for the SIFL title.
www.albanyherald.com/sports/headlines/SIFL_CHAMPIONSHIP_NOTEBOOK_Panthers_call_for_Black_Out_at_SIFL_title_game_124833339.html
ALBANY — Hey, it worked once — so why not try it again, right?
That was the thought process behind the call for a “Black Out” by the Albany Panthers front office Thursday when GM Will Carter sent out a news release asking for all fans coming to Saturday’s SIFL Championship game against the Louisiana Swashbucklers to dress in black in support of the team.
As for the last time the Panthers made such a request? That would be none other than March 19 in their season opener at the Albany Civic Center against this very same Swashbucklers team, which saw its 27-7 halftime lead evaporate before its eyes in the form of a 30-27 loss.
The idea for the “Black Out” was spurred on by the Eastern Conference champion Panthers players, led by receiver and hometown hero Antwone Savage, a Westover alum, and quarterback Cecil Lester, who hope the crowd obliges.
“Earlier in the week, our guys made it apparent that they want all Panther fans in the house Saturday night to wear black,” Carter said. “It doesn't really matter what it is, Panthers apparel or not, just put on as much black as you can.”
The Panthers, themselves, will also wear their “lucky” black uniforms. After all, the Panthers are undefeated this season when they have garnered their new black uniforms.
“This effort is designed for all of us to show that we're unified in our support of the Albany Panthers football team,” Carter added. “The fans have shown great support during the regular season and playoffs. Now, it's time to take this effort to another level to create a true home-field advantage for the first SIFL Championship game in Albany, Georgia.”
Tickets for the game, meanwhile are still available. The first day they went on sale earlier this week, Panthers fans snatched up more than 3,000, and Carter said he hopes to break the attendance record Saturday night by filling the Civic Center to capacity, which is a little more than 10,000 seats.
Carter told The Herald on Thursday that so far the team has sold an estimated 4,500 tickets and is well on its way to meeting its goal.
All reserve seats are $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the game. Tickets are available by contacting the Albany Civic Center box office, going online to Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) or by calling (877)-544-8499.
--------------------------------------
FUTURE OF THE SIFL?: A report by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer on Wednesday gave a slight glimpse into the future of the Southern Indoor Football League, which expended from five teams a year ago to 16 this season.
Columbus Lions coach Jason Gibson told the newspaper that the future success of the league hinges on how the SIFL’s summer meetings go in July, and that he — personally — would like to see the SIFL contracted to 12 teams or fewer in an effort to keep the league more centralized in the Southeast, rather than spread out as far north as New Jersey and as far west as Texas, like it was this year.
The Lions and South Division rival Alabama have announced they will return to the league for 2012 and Gibson said he expects Albany will return, but few other teams have made the same commitment.
When Carter was asked Thursday by The Herald whether Albany is definitely returning to the SIFL next season, the GM understandably wanted to keep the focus on the one game the franchise has left to play this season, rather than what’s going to happen next season.
“We’re just focusing (on Saturday) right now and this big game. We’ll address all the offseason stuff as soon as this season is over,” he said. “We want all the focus to be on the championship game this week.”
Carter then added: “There’s been some talk (within the league) about new teams coming in and some teams leaving, but that’s something we can address after this game.”
When the SIFL incorporated several former American Indoor Football Association teams from the northeast before the start of the season and accepted teams from as far West as Texas, the league sacrificed some stability, Gibson said. That showed when the Lafayette (La.) Wildcatters shut down shortly before the start of the season because the team could not afford worker’s compensation insurance; or when the Mobile Bay Tarpons Force failed to pay players for several weeks, leading to the teams’ demise midseason; and when many of the Fayetteville (N.C.) players quit early in the season after they also were not paid.
“I thought Fayetteville and Mobile had good football teams,” Gibson told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Mobile started 2-0 and had a phenomenal quarterback. Fayetteville was 3-0, then the team turned into a debacle. So I like our competition, and I hope it works its way back to what it was. There was a good level of competition for us, and I think people saw that those teams were for real. We just need to get some good ownership and people who can run them.”
Gibson said he would like to see the league withdraw from the northeast but would be eager to see the league return the four teams in the Southwest Division, which all hail from Texas.
“I would like to see a Texas side of the SIFL and a Southeast side, and those teams can just play in the playoffs,” Gibson said.
Other teams from the Southeast could join, too. The SIFL has expressed interest in placing a team in Macon. Gibson said, and the owner of the Alabama Hammers is reportedly interested in adding an SIFL team in Knoxville, Tenn.
The Herald wasn’t able to reach SIFL President and Swashbucklers team owner Thom Hagar on Thursday for comment on the matter.