Kiss co-Founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are "moving into football in Southern California," preparing for the Arena Football League L.A. Kiss' April home opener, and will "unveil a line of team-related merchandise tonight at the Honda Center," according to David Montero of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. The last AFL team in Southern California was the L.A. Avengers in '08. They played at Staples Center, and in their last year "averaged 13,590 fans." The team drew "more than 869,000 over the course of nine seasons." L.A. Kiss officials said that while the team "plays in Anaheim, they expect the fan base to encompass" the greater L.A. market. Team co-Owner Brett Bouchy said that he "thought the energy of Kiss matched the league's offensive-minded template where the final scores resemble college basketball scores." There also will be "loads of entertainment." Bouchy said that L.A. Kiss is "working on a 'ref cam' where a viewing audience can see the action from the officiating point of view." He added that some of the seats "are so close that a player might end up" in the stands. USC Sports Business Institute Exec Dir David Martin said that the L.A. Kiss "will be challenged in a place that has 'everything.'" He added that the team "is aided by the Kiss brand, calling it 'really strong.'" Bouchy said that the team has "a five-year lease with Honda Center." He added that 4,000 season tickets "have been sold." Stanley: "I would love to see the team be worthy and justify a long existence at the Honda Center. I don't get involved in things unless I do them 100 percent" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 12/3).
