Post by 50yardfan on Feb 10, 2011 13:23:22 GMT -5
Teams from Pasadena, Covina to join new developmental football league
www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_17321365
SAN DIMAS - These aren't your average weekend warriors.
About 20 football players participated in tryouts Saturday at Horsethief Canyon Park, hoping for a spot on a Covina team forming in a new developmental league.
Most players are in their 20s and early 30s, and for one reason or another never realized their dreams of playing at a higher competitive level than high school and college ball.
The United Developmental Football League, based in Southern California, could change their fortunes.
"This has never been done before at this level of football," said Randy Salinger, the head coach and owner of the California Vikings, based in Covina. "We really want to have high-caliber players so we can push these guys forward."
The UDFL has a few things going for it that organizers hope will set it apart from various semipro and minor league football leagues around the country.
The league has a business plan in place, bylaws and officials who can make sure rules are followed stringently. Its marketing plan includes participating in community projects. And the league has the backing of seven former NFL players, including commissioner Charles Jordan, who have the connections in place to advocate for legitimate pro prospects.
"We want to use our expertise to give them the work, effort and dedication that's required to get to the next level," said Jordan, a journeyman NFL wide receiver in the 1990s. "We're going to make it mandatory to take workouts, we're going make these guys show us their strengths and weaknesses."
Success could mean the UDFL steps into the developmental niche the NFL tried to establish with its disbanded European league. Not every player will have a chance to get to the NFL, but they might be able to get to arena football or the Canadian Football League.
"The way the league is starting to be run, it's far better than the other situations I've seen," said Pierre Neilly, an outside linebacker who tried out for the Vikings on Saturday.
Neilly played last season for the California Tide, a Pasadena-based team that is moving from its previous league to join the UDFL.
The Tide was established in 2006 but had a difficult start, playing its games in Gardena for two years before getting permission from Muir High School to play its home games there.
The team has already helped some of its players go to college teams, and owner Cornelius Harrell, a former player for the L.A. Rams, expects the UDFL to become a significant springboard.
"You have to be a baller, you have to be somebody out there dominating on the field," Harrell said. "Some guys, the reality is they're not going to another level. They just want to play to stay in shape, and for the love of the game."
The California Vikings held open tryouts Thursday and Saturday, and have other dates planned every Saturday in February.
Many of the players on the field last weekend have previous experience in semipro football, and know Salinger from his work with the Tide and as a coach at Northview High School.
"The camaraderie of this team is going to be way higher than what I've seen before," said Harold Frazier, a former Northview standout. "It's a tighter circle. I'm excited."
A key to the league's success will be getting exposure and community awareness, much like minor league baseball teams have in their communities.
"This is just one prong of a larger marketing process which has never been implemented in this particular world," said Joseph Nelson, the UDFL's marketing director. "There's college and there's the NFL, but ... there are worlds in the transition point."
www.theudfl.com/
www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_17321365
SAN DIMAS - These aren't your average weekend warriors.
About 20 football players participated in tryouts Saturday at Horsethief Canyon Park, hoping for a spot on a Covina team forming in a new developmental league.
Most players are in their 20s and early 30s, and for one reason or another never realized their dreams of playing at a higher competitive level than high school and college ball.
The United Developmental Football League, based in Southern California, could change their fortunes.
"This has never been done before at this level of football," said Randy Salinger, the head coach and owner of the California Vikings, based in Covina. "We really want to have high-caliber players so we can push these guys forward."
The UDFL has a few things going for it that organizers hope will set it apart from various semipro and minor league football leagues around the country.
The league has a business plan in place, bylaws and officials who can make sure rules are followed stringently. Its marketing plan includes participating in community projects. And the league has the backing of seven former NFL players, including commissioner Charles Jordan, who have the connections in place to advocate for legitimate pro prospects.
"We want to use our expertise to give them the work, effort and dedication that's required to get to the next level," said Jordan, a journeyman NFL wide receiver in the 1990s. "We're going to make it mandatory to take workouts, we're going make these guys show us their strengths and weaknesses."
Success could mean the UDFL steps into the developmental niche the NFL tried to establish with its disbanded European league. Not every player will have a chance to get to the NFL, but they might be able to get to arena football or the Canadian Football League.
"The way the league is starting to be run, it's far better than the other situations I've seen," said Pierre Neilly, an outside linebacker who tried out for the Vikings on Saturday.
Neilly played last season for the California Tide, a Pasadena-based team that is moving from its previous league to join the UDFL.
The Tide was established in 2006 but had a difficult start, playing its games in Gardena for two years before getting permission from Muir High School to play its home games there.
The team has already helped some of its players go to college teams, and owner Cornelius Harrell, a former player for the L.A. Rams, expects the UDFL to become a significant springboard.
"You have to be a baller, you have to be somebody out there dominating on the field," Harrell said. "Some guys, the reality is they're not going to another level. They just want to play to stay in shape, and for the love of the game."
The California Vikings held open tryouts Thursday and Saturday, and have other dates planned every Saturday in February.
Many of the players on the field last weekend have previous experience in semipro football, and know Salinger from his work with the Tide and as a coach at Northview High School.
"The camaraderie of this team is going to be way higher than what I've seen before," said Harold Frazier, a former Northview standout. "It's a tighter circle. I'm excited."
A key to the league's success will be getting exposure and community awareness, much like minor league baseball teams have in their communities.
"This is just one prong of a larger marketing process which has never been implemented in this particular world," said Joseph Nelson, the UDFL's marketing director. "There's college and there's the NFL, but ... there are worlds in the transition point."
www.theudfl.com/