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Post by marinersmedia on Jul 31, 2009 17:32:06 GMT -5
NEW OWNERS TAKE MARINERS HELM Local Businessmen Take Ownership of Baltimore’s Indoor Football Team BALTIMORE, MD (July 30, 2009) – BRIG Group, LLC, led by two local businessmen, Dwayne Wells and Kevin Fash, has taken the helm as the new owner of the Baltimore Mariners indoor football team, which call 1st Mariner Arena home. Fash and Wells own Ryco Associates, Inc. which is based in Laurel, Maryland, and The Nest, which is located at 200 W. Pratt Street in Baltimore. Ryco Associates, Inc. which was founded in 1988 has established a solid reputation in the construction industry specializing in mechanical contracting. The mainstay of Ryco’s business has been small and mid-size construction, repair, and alteration projects focusing on commercial and government contracts. The Nest, which is within walking distance of 1st Mariner Arena, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and M&T Bank Stadium has become a favorite bar and restaurant for local sports fans. The Mariners, who are members of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA), finished the 2009 season with a 9-5 record and earned their first playoff berth in only their second season in the AIFA. They are set to kick off their third season in early 2010. The AIFA is a national indoor football league with teams stretching from Baltimore to Utah and Georgia to Wyoming. The Mariners are in the league’s North Division with the D.C. Armor, Erie Riverrats, Harrisburg Stampede, and Reading Express. The AIFA has current plans to expand to Richmond, Virginia, Trenton, New Jersey, and Washington State in 2010. For more information about the Baltimore Mariners go to www.baltimoremariners.com . |
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Post by Free Agent Fan on Jul 31, 2009 17:37:27 GMT -5
Keyword of this story is "TAKE"
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straighttalk
2nd String
Last Warning! Next will be a banning
99%
Posts: 141 
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Post by straighttalk on Jul 31, 2009 19:25:57 GMT -5
Why would anyone in there right mind want to have a franchise near Morris' home. The games I attended last year, I cringed as he walked though the arena as if he still owned the team. He never sat in his seats and gave footballs away as if he had paid for them.
I hope the new owners got a guarantee of a refund if the league goes away. If not they may be very sorry!!
(and I love how the article says that the AIFA has "current" plans to expand. It's funny how all of Morris" "current" plans never seem to pan out. What happened to the "current" plans to add Rochester to the league? or the "current" plans to have M. Colston own Harrisburg? or the "current" plan to have Coach Mac from Harrisburg be the Head Coach in Richmond? We can go on forever!!!)
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Post by Gene on Jul 31, 2009 20:03:03 GMT -5
Why would anyone in there right mind want to have a franchise near Morris' home. The games I attended last year, I cringed as he walked though the arena as if he still owned the team. He never sat in his seats and gave footballs away as if he had paid for them. I hope the new owners got a guarantee of a refund if the league goes away. If not they may be very sorry!! (and I love how the article says that the AIFA has "current" plans to expand. It's funny how all of Morris" "current" plans never seem to pan out. What happened to the "current" plans to add Rochester to the league? or the "current" plans to have M. Colston own Harrisburg? or the "current" plan to have Coach Mac from Harrisburg be the Head Coach in Richmond? We can go on forever!!!) I take it that your not a fan of the AIFA or JM? |
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straighttalk
2nd String
Last Warning! Next will be a banning
99%
Posts: 141
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Post by straighttalk on Jul 31, 2009 21:56:36 GMT -5
I am a big fan of indoor football! However what has been going on with the AIFA is putting a bad taste in the mouth of many true indoor football fans. League owners running teams. Constant lies from the top. All Star game in Harrisburg and now in Richmond. Television deals that never come about.
If you looked back at the press releases and press conferences that Morris and Mink have held, less has come true then your typical 10 day weather forecast.
There are quality teams and owners in the AIFA. Why do those teams put up with teams drawing less then 1000 per game? (some less then 250 per game) Teams that never update their web sites. It is the constant change that comes from the league owners only caring about collecting franchise fees and not promoting the teams correctly or selling league wide sponsors that is killing the perception that indoor football is a viable sport.
As true football fans we should be pressuring our teams to play in a real league.
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Post by Gene on Jul 31, 2009 23:31:04 GMT -5
I am a big fan of indoor football! However what has been going on with the AIFA is putting a bad taste in the mouth of many true indoor football fans. League owners running teams. Constant lies from the top. All Star game in Harrisburg and now in Richmond. Television deals that never come about. If you looked back at the press releases and press conferences that Morris and Mink have held, less has come true then your typical 10 day weather forecast. There are quality teams and owners in the AIFA. Why do those teams put up with teams drawing less then 1000 per game? (some less then 250 per game) Teams that never update their web sites. It is the constant change that comes from the league owners only caring about collecting franchise fees and not promoting the teams correctly or selling league wide sponsors that is killing the perception that indoor football is a viable sport. As true football fans we should be pressuring our teams to play in a real league. In regards to "a real league", what is your suggestion? |
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Post by gonzo13 on Aug 1, 2009 0:27:16 GMT -5
I would just like to go on record as saying that I am not posting under the alias of "Straittalk". I have actually been relatively friendly towards the AIFA of late, and AIFAFans in particular. While I have been known to sip from the same cup of AIFA haterade that Straittalk is currently guzzling from, Gonzo13 does not = Straittalk. Again, I just wanted to go on record and clear up any confusion this might have caused.....  |
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Post by marinersmedia on Aug 1, 2009 9:10:11 GMT -5
I am a big fan of indoor football! However what has been going on with the AIFA is putting a bad taste in the mouth of many true indoor football fans. League owners running teams. Constant lies from the top. All Star game in Harrisburg and now in Richmond. Television deals that never come about. If you looked back at the press releases and press conferences that Morris and Mink have held, less has come true then your typical 10 day weather forecast. There are quality teams and owners in the AIFA. Why do those teams put up with teams drawing less then 1000 per game? (some less then 250 per game) Teams that never update their web sites. It is the constant change that comes from the league owners only caring about collecting franchise fees and not promoting the teams correctly or selling league wide sponsors that is killing the perception that indoor football is a viable sport. As true football fans we should be pressuring our teams to play in a real league. Everyone is certainly free to have their opinion, but I think you also need to look at all leagues and then tell me which is the "real league" you are looking for. I actually think the All-star games are a good idea. You instantly make the new market feel special and expose them to a quality game up front. As far as the attendance. You also need to look at the IFL, CIFL, and SIFL and you will see small attendance at some and some teams that are doing great. The AIFA just completed its third year. If I'm a sponsor first I want to know if the league will be back next season, not merge, pull teams in, pull teams out, be rumored to merge with others again. The AIFA has actually built the most consistent product in indoor football. Web sites are a pet peeve of mine and unfortunately a lot of teams in all leagues do not update as much as they should. As far as TV. No one has had a TV deal. Webcasts are great, but not TV. The AIFA learned the hard way and now appears to be taking a smart approach. |
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straighttalk
2nd String
Last Warning! Next will be a banning
99%
Posts: 141
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Post by straighttalk on Aug 1, 2009 9:11:51 GMT -5
I am not an alias for anyone else! On Monday I will post a semi- detailed analysis of several of the leagues. Attendance, transparency, public relations, stability and other factors will all be taken into account. I cannot post the whole study but some pertinent parts will be okay to post.
This will be pulled from a study commissioned by several owners of indoor football and arena football teams during this past season.
I would love to see the AIFA succeed. As a fan of the sport and a professional in the sports business, I am just tired of the lies and moral bankruptcy of this leagues owners.
As fans we have a choice. Listen to the BS and pretend that things are great or speak up and hope that things will improve. One thing for sure, I can guarantee you the league will not stay around unless the individual team owners grab the horn and make it a team owned league.
Don't be scarred to speak the truth. Looking at reality through rose colored glasses will just give you a headache!
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Post by marinersmedia on Aug 1, 2009 10:21:56 GMT -5
Straighttalk,
That sounds good. I would love to see that kind of info. You probably don't know me, but I am among the indoor football abused. I was with two failed franchises and one other - in three different leagues, but am extremely happy now to be with a team that I know has a solid plan, solid funding, and in a league, which appears far more stable then the rest. Does indoor football have its bumps and bruises, oh yeah, but it is heading in the right direction.
Thanks,
John
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Post by marinersmedia on Aug 1, 2009 10:25:24 GMT -5
Indoor football is about ten years old -- not talking Arena, but indoor. Still a babe when it comes to building a sport. Just as a sanity check take a look at this list of the all time major league baseball teams. Many, many have come and gone: www.kypris.com/Baseball/bb-franchiseInfo.html |
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straighttalk
2nd String
Last Warning! Next will be a banning
99%
Posts: 141
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Post by straighttalk on Aug 1, 2009 13:05:25 GMT -5
There is no question that football is still in its infancy. However there are means to become successful and others to fail.
A small example: their are rules that say that all uniforms must have the players names on them. Harrisburg, league owned,did not. They should be providing an example but instead cut corners everywhere. Their attendance for the first game was approx. 800. ( I was there writing a report for another league) They reported 3000. The fans that attended know the truth and the lies and when that occurs and the fiasco with Marques Colstan, of which the truth has yet to be told they realize what is going on and did not return. I was at two other Harrisburg games that had less then 400. How many were paid?
The IFL, AF2 and even the CIFL have had consultants work with their league on public relations, sales and marketing and image building. They have improved in almost every business aspect over the past year. The AIFA, other then playing all of their games this season took a dramatic step backwards. Less teams, one which finished the year with semi-pro players, 5 teams that rarely updated their web pages (two of which were the league owned teams) and a host of other ethical and transparency situations makes me question the teams viability with the current owners in place.
As a professional in the field and a true fan I realize that the indoor football image is only as strong as its weakest league and this league is dragging the national image down.
More to follow on Monday.
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fwp
Rookie
Posts: 37
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Post by fwp on Aug 1, 2009 16:31:35 GMT -5
Wow!
Unless this is somebody trying to set the table for the "new" indoor league, there's a lot of looking at indoor football with blinders.
All the indoor leagues have serious and very similar issues.
I'd have to say that the former UIF teams took a huge step backwards with the missteps taken with the IFL this year. Not that the issues aren't correctable, but already a number of the membership are meeting to spin-off into another league with MacGregor's af2 teams.
The CIFL stepped back this last year and it'll take a few years to see if they're making the correct changes to get their footing back on the ground.
The SIFL took more than it's lumps this year, but in truth it's a first year league, so we'll know more after next season, IMO.
To be honest, although the AIFA has obvious challenges it doesn't seem that they did too bad. Every league is going to have their success stories and their challenges......and obviously the AIFA does too.
It'll be real interesting to see where this campaign is headed.
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Post by Gene on Aug 1, 2009 17:22:29 GMT -5
Wow! Unless this is somebody trying to set the table for the "new" indoor league, there's a lot of looking at indoor football with blinders. All the indoor leagues have serious and very similar issues. I'd have to say that the former UIF teams took a huge step backwards with the missteps taken with the IFL this year. Not that the issues aren't correctable, but already a number of the membership are meeting to spin-off into another league with MacGregor's af2 teams. The CIFL stepped back this last year and it'll take a few years to see if they're making the correct changes to get their footing back on the ground. The SIFL took more than it's lumps this year, but in truth it's a first year league, so we'll know more after next season, IMO. To be honest, although the AIFA has obvious challenges it doesn't seem that they did too bad. Every league is going to have their success stories and their challenges......and obviously the AIFA does too. It'll be real interesting to see where this campaign is headed. I agree the AIFA did well this season. Every league has problems and i dont think anyone league is better than the next. But Morris, Mink & Bowman have done fine. Areas of improvement are as listed: -Work on national sponsorships -Make sure ALL teams webcast their away games -Get a PR person to update the website with fresh content -Stop personally owning, coaching & running teams in the league -Either make a significant expansion in the west or drop it and have a strong East |
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Post by exit322 on Aug 3, 2009 14:22:15 GMT -5
Wow! Unless this is somebody trying to set the table for the "new" indoor league, there's a lot of looking at indoor football with blinders. All the indoor leagues have serious and very similar issues. I'd have to say that the former UIF teams took a huge step backwards with the missteps taken with the IFL this year. Not that the issues aren't correctable, but already a number of the membership are meeting to spin-off into another league with MacGregor's af2 teams. The CIFL stepped back this last year and it'll take a few years to see if they're making the correct changes to get their footing back on the ground. The SIFL took more than it's lumps this year, but in truth it's a first year league, so we'll know more after next season, IMO. To be honest, although the AIFA has obvious challenges it doesn't seem that they did too bad. Every league is going to have their success stories and their challenges......and obviously the AIFA does too. It'll be real interesting to see where this campaign is headed. No, no, no, the CIFL wasn't a step backwards. 2008 was far, far, far worse than 2009. That doesn't make 2009 a good season overall, but it was a lot better than their 2008 campaign. |
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