AFL Reportedly To Suspend '09 Season Before End Of Week
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Report Claim AFL Expected To
Announce Suspended Play In '09 |
AFL officials are expected to announce "before the end of the week the league will suspend play for the 2009 season," according to Sam Adams (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 12/10). The GLOBE & MAIL's David Naylor cites two sources who said that they were aware of AFL players and coaches "being told they should pursue other jobs" (GLOBE & MAIL, 12/10). But new AFL Orlando Predators Majority Owner Brett Bouchy said that he "expects the league's 2009 schedule to be released in the next 2-4 weeks." Bouchy, who previously was with the Predators from '96-'07, was introduced yesterday as the club's new owner, and he indicated that "changes are in the works" in regards to the league's economic future. Bouchy: "I will tell you that the overall economy has presented challenges for arena football, just like any other business that's out there, and we are addressing that. We are going to come out of this with the best economic model the arena league has ever had in the next 30 days." Bouchy said that he "wouldn't have come back to Orlando if he thought the league was in serious trouble." Bouchy said, "I have never been more excited about owning an arena football team because of where we are going with the economic model. We're going to look back on late 2008 as kind of a turning point for the league" (Woody Wommack, ORLANDO SENTINEL, 12/10).
COULD CFL BENEFIT IF AFL LEAVES? The GLOBE & MAIL's Naylor notes the AFL is "not a direct competitor to the CFL, but the demise of the 22-year-old league would free up some coaching and player talent that might interest" CFL teams. CFL Montreal Alouettes GM Jim Popp: "There's a small pool of players who, if the Arena League didn't play, would be interesting to teams in the CFL." But Popp said that the decline of the AFL "could have a downside for the CFL because it 'gives us another option to scout players'" (GLOBE & MAIL, 12/10).
STILL PLANNING FOR '09: AFL Chicago Rush GM Mike Polisky said the team "expects to play in the foreseeable future," adding the club is in "good shape and preparing for next season." Polisky: "Our record season-ticket sales have surpassed 5,000, we were the most televised team in the league last year, all our games are on radio, we averaged 15,900 fans -- or 99[%] capacity -- and we expect to regain the championship we won in 2006" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 12/10).
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