43
Football development franchise coming to Niles
By Steve Ruman
NILES
Professional football is returning to the Mahoning Valley, as an FXFL franchise will call Eastwood Field its home beginning this fall.
Friday morning, HWS Baseball, parent firm to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, issued a release in conjunction with the Eastwood Mall Complex saying details of “a major sports franchise announcement” will be revealed Wednesday.
The FXFL (Fall Experimental Football League) on its website describes itself as “a professional football league, which serves as a developmental platform for players, coaches and referees.”
On June 14, the FXFL announced on its Twitter account that “our league is excited to announce it will have a team in Ohio in 2015.”
The two-year-old league strives to serve as a feeder system for the National Football League.
It is expected that Scrappers ownership will own and operate the Niles-based FXFL franchise.
The FXFL began play last year with franchises in Brooklyn, Boston and Omaha. A fourth franchise was based out of Miami but played as a traveling team and did not have a permanent home. The league website states that, “In 2015, the FXFL will undergo a manageable league expansion.”
Last year, the FXFL five-game schedule began Oct. 8 and ended Nov. 7. Games were played on either Wednesday or Friday nights.
Two FXFL teams — the Omaha Mammoths and Miami Blacktips — were owned by the league. The Boston Brawlers had independent ownership, while the Brooklyn Bolts were owned and operated jointly by the league and the New York Mets, Mets owner Jeff Wilpon and the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Brooklyn played its home games at MCU Park, which is the home of the Cyclones. Like the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, the Cyclones are a member of the New York-Penn League.
MCU Park (capacity 7,500) is equipped with artificial turf.
Omaha played its home games at TD Ameritrade Park (capacity 24,500). The facility also has hosted the College World Series since 2011 and is the home field of the Creighton University baseball team.
Boston hosted its games at Harvard Stadium (capacity 30,300), the home of Harvard University. Built in 1903, Harvard Stadium was the first collegiate athletic stadium built in the United States.
In the Oct. 7, 2014 edition of The Wall Street Journal, FXFL founder and commissioner Brian Woods said, “The problem right now is [the NFL] doesn’t have an area to develop their younger players. Our long-term goal, obviously, is to establish a partnership with them.”
At least 27 of the FXFL’s roughly 126 players in 2014 went on to sign with NFL teams at one point during or after the season.
The standard FXFL contract paid $1,000 per game. Franchises had the option to move any player from team to team as they saw fit. The contracts allowed for players to leave for the NFL at any time.
Last year, Boston was coached by Terry Shea, a former head coach at Rutgers and offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears.
Brooklyn Bolts coach John Bock was an offensive lineman with the Jets and Miami Dolphins.
The Omaha roster included former Youngstown State offensive lineman Kyle Bryant.