Post by 50yardfan on Jul 11, 2010 9:24:33 GMT -5
Warriors brass happy with first year, looking to build on success
sportsyakima.com/2010/07/warriors-look-for-second-effort/
YAKIMA, Wash. — By almost every account, the Yakima Valley Warriors inaugural season was a success.
There is, however, plenty of room for improvement.
The return of indoor football to Yakima produced a team that finished at .500 and was in the playoff hunt until its final game of the season, and also had respectable attendance, drawing between 2,000 and 2,200 fans per game despite a short run-up to the season.
Solid building blocks for what co-owner Michael Mink believes is the first of many seasons to come in Yakima.
But to achieve that long-term goal, the Warriors need to find ways to increase attendance, and improve their corporate support, Mink noted.
“I think we’re two-thirds there,” he said this week from his Palm Harbor, Fla., home. “We averaged about 2,200 fans and we’d like to average about 3,200.
“We were short on corporate sponsorships. It was about what we expected starting in such a short time frame. We really need corporate support to succeed. We have to do a better job getting out and letting people know about Warriors football.”
Mink and his staff made good headway this season despite having just 41/2 months between the early November announcement that the team was coming to Yakima and its first game on March 20.
There was also some hesitation from the community about this franchise given the abrupt departure of Yakima’s first indoor football team, the Shockwave, prior to the start of its second season in 2002, and, to a smaller extent, the demise of the CBA’s Yakima Sun Kings two years ago.
“It’s a growing process,” Mink said of building the Warriors. “There was a lot of doubt, I found out, because of the team (the Shockwave) that was here before. There was a lot of doubt that we’d even open the season.
“Dealing with the skepticism was the hardest part, but we overcame that with hard work, and ultimately doing what we said we’d do, and completing what we started.”
Now, the key is to figuring out how to build on these initial inroads, especially at the gate where the fans who did attend showed strong loyalty and growing enthusiasm.
“We had a great fan base and that base grew and grew as the season went on,” Mink said. “They learned the game and they were enthusiastic. By the last game, they had really adopted us as their team.
“It was nice to see. It was a good transition.”
Another good transition came on the field as the team showed steady progress after starting with a fairly inexperienced group of players before eventually finishing with a 7-7 record.
“We kept adjusting every week … and we kept bringing guys in trying to teach them the game,” Mink said. “We had a lot of young talent that really developed as the season progressed.”
That included several strong individual efforts, starting with defensive back Jerome Williams, who joined the team midway through the season and led the league in interceptions per game, collecting 10 in five games. His 10 picks ranked third, trailing two players who played full seasons and finished with 13 and 11.
Defensive tackle Wilson Afoa tied for second in the league with three fumble recoveries.
On offense, quarterback Ben Running ranked third in passing, averaging 227.0 yards per game despite not joining the team until after the season started.
Running’s favorite target was Gabe Hatchett, who was third in the league in receiving yards per game (90.3), and fourth in catches per game (6.36). He had a team-best 70 receptions for 993 yards and 22 touchdowns in 11 games, one of just six players in the league with at least 70 grabs.
The Warriors offensive line was exceptional, ranking second in the league in sacks allowed with just nine in 14 games.
The question will be how many of them can Yakima Valley lure back, as a strong returning core could help Yakima Valley get off to a better start than last season when it lost five of its first eight games.
“I’d like to see half of the roster back,” said Mink, adding that teams can’t start signing players until Aug. 15. “A lot of the guys enjoyed their experience here, and I hope we have a lot of guys come back.”
With quite a few positives to build on, Yakima Valley has quickly shifted its focus to next season, with season ticket packages already available online (www.yakimavalleywarriors.com) — and ticket prices remaining the same.
The team also plans to stay active in the community during the offseason, continuing its work with Habitat for Humanity, and getting involved in reading programs with area schools, among the highlights, Mink said.
“We’re going to get out there and meet with more people,” Mink said, “and try to continue our growth in Yakima.”
sportsyakima.com/2010/07/warriors-look-for-second-effort/
YAKIMA, Wash. — By almost every account, the Yakima Valley Warriors inaugural season was a success.
There is, however, plenty of room for improvement.
The return of indoor football to Yakima produced a team that finished at .500 and was in the playoff hunt until its final game of the season, and also had respectable attendance, drawing between 2,000 and 2,200 fans per game despite a short run-up to the season.
Solid building blocks for what co-owner Michael Mink believes is the first of many seasons to come in Yakima.
But to achieve that long-term goal, the Warriors need to find ways to increase attendance, and improve their corporate support, Mink noted.
“I think we’re two-thirds there,” he said this week from his Palm Harbor, Fla., home. “We averaged about 2,200 fans and we’d like to average about 3,200.
“We were short on corporate sponsorships. It was about what we expected starting in such a short time frame. We really need corporate support to succeed. We have to do a better job getting out and letting people know about Warriors football.”
Mink and his staff made good headway this season despite having just 41/2 months between the early November announcement that the team was coming to Yakima and its first game on March 20.
There was also some hesitation from the community about this franchise given the abrupt departure of Yakima’s first indoor football team, the Shockwave, prior to the start of its second season in 2002, and, to a smaller extent, the demise of the CBA’s Yakima Sun Kings two years ago.
“It’s a growing process,” Mink said of building the Warriors. “There was a lot of doubt, I found out, because of the team (the Shockwave) that was here before. There was a lot of doubt that we’d even open the season.
“Dealing with the skepticism was the hardest part, but we overcame that with hard work, and ultimately doing what we said we’d do, and completing what we started.”
Now, the key is to figuring out how to build on these initial inroads, especially at the gate where the fans who did attend showed strong loyalty and growing enthusiasm.
“We had a great fan base and that base grew and grew as the season went on,” Mink said. “They learned the game and they were enthusiastic. By the last game, they had really adopted us as their team.
“It was nice to see. It was a good transition.”
Another good transition came on the field as the team showed steady progress after starting with a fairly inexperienced group of players before eventually finishing with a 7-7 record.
“We kept adjusting every week … and we kept bringing guys in trying to teach them the game,” Mink said. “We had a lot of young talent that really developed as the season progressed.”
That included several strong individual efforts, starting with defensive back Jerome Williams, who joined the team midway through the season and led the league in interceptions per game, collecting 10 in five games. His 10 picks ranked third, trailing two players who played full seasons and finished with 13 and 11.
Defensive tackle Wilson Afoa tied for second in the league with three fumble recoveries.
On offense, quarterback Ben Running ranked third in passing, averaging 227.0 yards per game despite not joining the team until after the season started.
Running’s favorite target was Gabe Hatchett, who was third in the league in receiving yards per game (90.3), and fourth in catches per game (6.36). He had a team-best 70 receptions for 993 yards and 22 touchdowns in 11 games, one of just six players in the league with at least 70 grabs.
The Warriors offensive line was exceptional, ranking second in the league in sacks allowed with just nine in 14 games.
The question will be how many of them can Yakima Valley lure back, as a strong returning core could help Yakima Valley get off to a better start than last season when it lost five of its first eight games.
“I’d like to see half of the roster back,” said Mink, adding that teams can’t start signing players until Aug. 15. “A lot of the guys enjoyed their experience here, and I hope we have a lot of guys come back.”
With quite a few positives to build on, Yakima Valley has quickly shifted its focus to next season, with season ticket packages already available online (www.yakimavalleywarriors.com) — and ticket prices remaining the same.
The team also plans to stay active in the community during the offseason, continuing its work with Habitat for Humanity, and getting involved in reading programs with area schools, among the highlights, Mink said.
“We’re going to get out there and meet with more people,” Mink said, “and try to continue our growth in Yakima.”