Mahoning Valley scores with Thunder football team

Here's a guaranteed forecast for spring 2007: Loud, rustling Thunder will rumble throughout the Mahoning Valley. And when it does, watch out. It's bound to leave a powerfully positive impact on the community.
The Mahoning Valley Thunder, the new Arena Football2 league franchise to begin play at the Chevrolet Centre in downtown Youngstown next April, elicits excitement and holds promise on several fronts. We have little doubt that our football frenzied community will give it the large fan base it deserves.
About the team
The new franchise officially formed this week when Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams and Thunder co-owners Dr. Michael Slyk, Dr. Jon Saadey and Tim Chesney signed an agreement at the downtown arena.
The team, one of 24 in the professional AF2 league, serves as a vehicle to bring arena football to mid-sized communities and as a developmental league that sends players, coaches and officials to major professional football leagues each year.
On a practical front, the team will help to fill a void at the Chevrolet Centre during a traditionally slow period of late spring and early summer, when entertainers gravitate more toward outdoor venues for performances. That can only help to boost the profitability of the arena that will benefit the city and taxpayers of the publicly funded center.
More importantly, it will fill a void for the thousands of football fanatics in the Mahoning Valley. One need only look at the scope of support given to high school teams,Youngstown State's Penguins or Ohio State's Buckeyes or the intensity of the professional Browns-Steelers rivalry to notice that football rules in the Valley. Giving those same fans an added fix between the last seconds of the Super Bowl in February and the first play of the high school season in August is bound to satisfy them.
Strong local base
Also satisfying is the bedrock local foundation of the Thunder, which bodes well for a long-term team commitment. The investors in the team are local to the Mahoning Valley, and it is expected that some players and officials for the team will be selected from local and regional collegiate teams, recognizable names to the throngs of Thunder fans.
"Because the football talent is so deep here," Kurz said, "this is a wonderful way to bring all those players who went out of state to college to come back home and play professional football."
At the same time, the Thunder -- aptly symbolized in the team logo by Thor, mythology's god of thunder, war and strength -- will also be part of a respected national league. That can only provide one more opportunity to put the Youngstown-Warren region on the map for positive recognition.
Based on experiences of other professional minor-league teams in the region, there's little doubt the Thunder will make a successful entry. The Mahoning Valley Scrappers, which will start its eighth season next month, has been a league leader in fan support. The Youngstown SteelHounds minor-league hockey team was filling the house at the Chevrolet Centre during games at the end of its inaugural season this year.
Some are already jumping on the bandwagon to support the Thunder. Andy Shobel, for example, owner of Litehouse Pools, plans for his business to sponsor seats. It's not too early for others to do the same to start building momentum toward a thunderous inaugural year for the Valley's new and promising pro football team.