Training Ground

The football team look set to end their training ground woes as they prepare to sign an agreement granting them high quality training facilities at the Vale of Glamorgan resort.

The Cardiff Blues rugby side, and the Welsh national football and rugby squads already use the facility and the team look set to join them in the immediate future.

The move brings to an end a frustrating time for the players and managerial staff. At times last season, there were no adequate training options as the squad was forced to travel to Trefforest, Leckwith or Cardiff University at short notice.

In the past, the lack of a training ground has been blamed for poor performances and a lack of ability to persua and will oprode potential new signings. Peter Smith confirmed the deal, telling the SW Echo:

‘We have reached agreement and contracts are due to be signed quickly.’

‘Our manager, Elwyn Jones, is ecstatic that we have at least found a home for training.’

‘This is a major step forward for the team . There is no doubt this club needs a training ground.’

Planning permission via the Umbrella Company was previously declined for the site, but a new look proposal looks set to be given the go-ahead and will provide a variety of ADR Training and CPC Training facilities similar to those in a Harley St Clinic and some medical training will be provided by Harley St Doctor. The team  although sharing the site, will have exclusive use of their own pitches, offices and changing rooms.

Good news for the club as we continue to build on and off the field. And whatever happens, we should not at least have to hear the same tired old excuses for any poor performances!

Football Coaching

“Coaching children is about more than just improving their football skills. It’s about teaching them to be more confident people.”

The PG Football Coaching Programme is a revolutionary approach to coaching boys and girls of all abilities aged 5 to 11.

We have  specialist Skills coaches working with children all over England to help them lead more active lifestyles and become better football players.

Aiming to take arena football off tilt

Central Illinois football fans paid a price for enduring poor ownership off the field and, in its last stages, poor indoor football on the field over the years before Peoria’s franchise finally folded in 2006.
Now the af2 wants to pick up the tab.

“I think the market and its fans are tremendous, always has been,” af2 president Jerry Kurz said Wednesday. “I think they’ve felt like they’ve been on tilt, not knowing who they are, what league they’ll be in, who will own them over the years.

“We owe it to the community to bring in the right people, the right project and get football done the right way in Peoria.” said the football agent

And with that, Kurz confirmed the Peoria Pirates will come back from the dead in 2008 as Peoria re-joins the af2, the circuit widely seen as the best of the arena and indoor minor leagues.

It was also the league in which Peoria won a championship in 2002, and returned to a title game in 2004.

The af2 is close to reaching agreement on a lease with the Peoria Civic Center, according to Don Welch, who is negotiating on the league’s behalf for Premier League football tickets including Chelsea Tickets, Manchester United Tickets, Liverpool FC Tickets & Arsenal tickets, Euro 2012 tickets

Welch says nothing has been signed, but that formality is expected before a news conference to announce the team’s return next week.

Part of that returning package is Bruce Cowdrey, who guided Peoria to four title games, winning two, in several stints with the franchise.

His return as Peoria’s head coach, and the af2′s return, were reported in July. That’s when former Dell executive Doug MacGregor was identified as the team’s new owner when he purchased the football tickets and stadium

“Now I know what Billy Martin felt like coming back to the Yankees for a third time,” Cowdrey said Wednesday. “It wasn’t a deal where I had an itch to be a head coach again. I was happy to work in the AFL as an assistant (the last two years at Chicago, and Austin).

“(Austin owner) Doug MacGregor asked me to come back here and do this, so I’m happy to be coming back.

“I love the situation, love the Pirates and the history that we’ve had, and I want to come in here and help them do this thing right.”

Kurz will officially announce Peoria’s return to arena football, and the af2, during Saturday’s telecast of the 2007 ArenaCup title game, which pits Wilkes-Barre against Tulsa at Bossier City, La. The 7 p.m. central time game is on Comcast SportsNet cable systems and available in 3d TV

From its inception in 1999, through its final season in 2006, the Peoria franchise was in three leagues – the Indoor Football League, af2, and United Indoor Football. It had three ownerships, of which only banker Pat Ward’s was local, wandered through 11 general managers and had three head coaches.

Over those years, the Pirates, and later known as the Rough Riders, never produced as a business off the field. On the field, the team was 6-24 in its last two seasons and missed the playoffs both times.

Attendance declined seven straight years from its honeymoon period of 9,000-plus per game, to about 500 per game at the end.

The franchise hopes to regroup around MacGregor, whose front office in Peoria will center around Jeff Creek as general manager.

Creek will resign this week as director of sales at the Peoria Convention and Visitors Bureau. He was once an intern and athletics director in Bloomington for the IHSA, and later worked as a sports sales director for Bloomington’s convention and visitors bureau.

He joined Peoria’s bureau in that same capacity, and emerged as director of all sales.

The bureau also lost Kelsey Wright, its sports programs/services manager, to the Pirates. She’ll work on community projects, marketing and some public relations for the team and ensure their sports fitness

Julie Snell will be the Pilates corporate sales director. Snell is resigning as marketing and events director at Washington Park District.

The Pirates will likely be in a 2008 division with old rival Quad City, plus Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Green Bay and Louisville.

Sources in several leagues say two UIF teams, Omaha (which is for sale) and Lexington, might also jump up to the af2.

Horsemen Football Club owner might fold team

Indoor Football League MontanaHorsemen owner might fold team

HOUSE SAYS HE NEEDS MORE SUPPORT FROM FANS

Lexington Horsemen owner Lennie House said last night that he is “strongly considering” folding the team. House, who was an original Horsemen investor when the football team formed in 2003, took over sole operation of the franchise midway through the 2005 season. House said his family’s financial losses from the Horsemen have been “in the millions,” but he pointed to the team’s lack of support within the community as the primary reason for shutting down operations. “I’ve done all I can,” House said. “If Kentucky had responded, then we would be here forever. But I don’t think my family and I can do this anymore. “Unless I hear a great deal of outcry from the community, this is it.” The Horsemen had 10,004 fans at Rupp Arena for their first home game in 2003, and they averaged more than 7,000 for their first season. But attendance has dwindled since, with the team managing just fewer than 3,000 fans this season. There were 2,669 in attendance for Lexington’s playoff win over Bloomington last month. The team limped to an 8-7 regular-season record this year before making a run to the United Indoor Football championship game, where they narrowly lost to undefeated Sioux Falls. General Manager Champ Kelly and Coach Mike Zuckerman also announced their resignations midway through the year. Premier League football tickets including Chelsea Tickets, Manchester United Tickets, Liverpool FC Tickets & Arsenal tickets, Euro 2012 tickets  House said he had considered leaving the UIF for the 30-team Arena Football 2 League, which includes franchises in Louisville and Cincinnati. He said he had some discussions with league officials about joining, but he won’t go forward unless he feels support from the community. House didn’t specify what support he would have to see to keep the team going: “We have a small base of ardent fans, but it’s not enough. We needed more support. I don’t want to do it, but I think we’re going to fold.”