Post by fwp on Mar 10, 2010 8:59:36 GMT -5
www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/professional/professional_football/article/INFB10_20100309-222405/329400/
Indoor football is not a novel concept to the Richmond area.
Founded in 2000, Richmond's Arena Football League 2 franchise -- the Speed -- won 41 of 67 games and lost in the league championship game in its second season before folding in 2003.
Richmond welcomed a new team and a new league in 2005. The Bandits were more successful, winning the American Indoor Football League title in their debut season, but a dispute between the team's owner and the league led the Bandits to forfeit a playoff game the following year. The team halted operations soon thereafter.
Now, four years later, nobody is asking whether indoor football can succeed in the Richmond marketplace. The question is this: Can two indoor football teams -- playing in different leagues, at the same time of year, in facilities separated by only a few miles of asphalt -- remain economically viable while competing for fans and sponsorship dollars in the same city?
It's a fairly unprecedented situation for an area the size of Richmond. But if you ask the owners, front office staff, coaches and players, there's more than enough room in the city for both the Raiders and Revolution.
"There's no competition in my mind," Revolution coach Steve Criswell, a veteran of the indoor game who was on the coaching staff of the Speed and the Bandits. "People will go see who they want to see. We're going to put the best possible product on the field and let the chips fall where they may."
Each team has won the only game it has played. While the Raiders beat a team of American Indoor Football Association all-stars in a January exhibition at the Coliseum, the Revolution opened regular-season play in the Indoor Football League last weekend by taking a 15-hour bus trip to Illinois and knocking off the Bloomington Extreme.
Both also will open their 2010 home schedules Saturday at 7 p.m. The Raiders host the Reading Express at the Coliseum, and the Revolution welcomes the Chicago Slaughter to the Arthur Ashe Center.
Asked whether he was concerned about attendance with the teams playing at home on the same night, Revolution General Manager Phil Evans noted that both organizations had only so much flexibility in making their schedules work with the rest of their leagues.
"We can't be concerned with what anybody else is doing," Evans added. "We have to develop our own business plan, make sure it makes sense and execute it. That's what we're doing."
The teams are taking different approaches to what both hope will lead to successful outcomes. While the Raiders prefer the spacious, 12,000-seat Coliseum and note that its high ceiling is ideal for the kicking game, the Revolution was satisfied to retrofit the much smaller Ashe Center (whose capacity for football will be about 4,000) until their permanent facility opens at the SportsQuest campus in Chesterfield.
"We probably wouldn't be in Richmond if we didn't have the Coliseum," Raiders General Manager Jack Bowman said. "It's an older building, but it's one of the better situated facilities for indoor football on the East Coast. It has a lot of positives we really like."
The franchises also have different philosophies on assembling talent. While the Revolution loaded up on home-grown players, including former Dudley Award winners Bryan Randall (Virginia Tech) and Rodney Landers (James Madison), the Raiders have filled roughly half of their roster with out-of-state players who have significant indoor football experience.
"At the end of the day, we believe people want to support local businesses with local people," Evans said. "What's been amazing to us has been the depth of talent we've been able to build just on Virginia players."
Added Bowman, "I feel like both teams have quality talent. They do have a lot of marquee local guys, and I'm sure they'll do well with that. We're trying to get the best possible players, whether they're local or from around the country. We've made the commitment to bring them in, house them and feed them."
Will that commitment extend beyond the 2010 season? While the city's history with indoor football suggests it's still too early to tell, at least the early signs are encouraging. Both franchises have solid local ownership, and both have made it a priority to get their players involved in serving the community.
"It's not about how good they are as football players," Criswell said. "It's how good they are as people."
Indoor football is not a novel concept to the Richmond area.
Founded in 2000, Richmond's Arena Football League 2 franchise -- the Speed -- won 41 of 67 games and lost in the league championship game in its second season before folding in 2003.
Richmond welcomed a new team and a new league in 2005. The Bandits were more successful, winning the American Indoor Football League title in their debut season, but a dispute between the team's owner and the league led the Bandits to forfeit a playoff game the following year. The team halted operations soon thereafter.
Now, four years later, nobody is asking whether indoor football can succeed in the Richmond marketplace. The question is this: Can two indoor football teams -- playing in different leagues, at the same time of year, in facilities separated by only a few miles of asphalt -- remain economically viable while competing for fans and sponsorship dollars in the same city?
It's a fairly unprecedented situation for an area the size of Richmond. But if you ask the owners, front office staff, coaches and players, there's more than enough room in the city for both the Raiders and Revolution.
"There's no competition in my mind," Revolution coach Steve Criswell, a veteran of the indoor game who was on the coaching staff of the Speed and the Bandits. "People will go see who they want to see. We're going to put the best possible product on the field and let the chips fall where they may."
Each team has won the only game it has played. While the Raiders beat a team of American Indoor Football Association all-stars in a January exhibition at the Coliseum, the Revolution opened regular-season play in the Indoor Football League last weekend by taking a 15-hour bus trip to Illinois and knocking off the Bloomington Extreme.
Both also will open their 2010 home schedules Saturday at 7 p.m. The Raiders host the Reading Express at the Coliseum, and the Revolution welcomes the Chicago Slaughter to the Arthur Ashe Center.
Asked whether he was concerned about attendance with the teams playing at home on the same night, Revolution General Manager Phil Evans noted that both organizations had only so much flexibility in making their schedules work with the rest of their leagues.
"We can't be concerned with what anybody else is doing," Evans added. "We have to develop our own business plan, make sure it makes sense and execute it. That's what we're doing."
The teams are taking different approaches to what both hope will lead to successful outcomes. While the Raiders prefer the spacious, 12,000-seat Coliseum and note that its high ceiling is ideal for the kicking game, the Revolution was satisfied to retrofit the much smaller Ashe Center (whose capacity for football will be about 4,000) until their permanent facility opens at the SportsQuest campus in Chesterfield.
"We probably wouldn't be in Richmond if we didn't have the Coliseum," Raiders General Manager Jack Bowman said. "It's an older building, but it's one of the better situated facilities for indoor football on the East Coast. It has a lot of positives we really like."
The franchises also have different philosophies on assembling talent. While the Revolution loaded up on home-grown players, including former Dudley Award winners Bryan Randall (Virginia Tech) and Rodney Landers (James Madison), the Raiders have filled roughly half of their roster with out-of-state players who have significant indoor football experience.
"At the end of the day, we believe people want to support local businesses with local people," Evans said. "What's been amazing to us has been the depth of talent we've been able to build just on Virginia players."
Added Bowman, "I feel like both teams have quality talent. They do have a lot of marquee local guys, and I'm sure they'll do well with that. We're trying to get the best possible players, whether they're local or from around the country. We've made the commitment to bring them in, house them and feed them."
Will that commitment extend beyond the 2010 season? While the city's history with indoor football suggests it's still too early to tell, at least the early signs are encouraging. Both franchises have solid local ownership, and both have made it a priority to get their players involved in serving the community.
"It's not about how good they are as football players," Criswell said. "It's how good they are as people."