« Erie YouTube of the Week: Erie Zoo Red Panda | Main | Erie PA News and Events for Wednesday January 9, 2008 »
Breaking News - It’s Official the Pittsburgh RiverRats Will Move to Erie for 2008 Season
Posted by Dennis on January 8, 2008
The American Indoor Football Association has granted permission for the Pittsburgh RiverRats to transfer their franchise to Erie, Pennsylvania for the 2008 season. The announcement came at a press conference in Erie this afternoon.
The Erie RiverRats will play its home schedule at the Louis J Tullio Arena, which has a capacity of 5,586 for indoor football. The arena also features five luxury suites, each with a seating capacity of twenty.
The AIFA views the move as a win-win situation on two fronts. First, the RiverRats played their games in a sub-standard facility in Pittsburgh with a maximum capacity of just over 2,000 people. Facility and community support had been difficult issues during the team’s first season.
Second, the AIFA wanted to reclaim the Northwest Pennsylvania marketplace, which had responded very well to the league’s product. The Erie Freeze averaged nearly 3,000/game in 2007, while community support was solid. The Freeze also received significant local coverage in the city’s media.
Unfortunately, the Freeze did not meet its obligations and was unsuccessful in attracting additional members into their ownership group. On October 8th, the AIFA declined renewal of its league agreement with the Freeze. This left the market open until today’s announcement.
“I feel very good about this move,” said AIFA co-founder John Morris. “The Erie community has already demonstrated its support of our product. Erie has a good arena and a solid fan base. These elements are critical for a team’s long-term success.”
“This is another example of our commitment to best serve AIFA fans,” said AIFA co-founder Michael Mink. “A few weeks back we moved to protect our fan base in Lakeland, Florida and assure them of the AIFA’s return. This franchise shift accomplishes the same thing for our fans in Northwest Pennsylvania.”
Posted by Dennis at January 8, 2008 4:22 PM
Add a
link and graphic to your site to show that you're from Erie. Meet new peeps, share you thoughts on our fair city, do whatever you like.
