Whoooo lets go Cougars!

Congratulations Colorado! There's always next year for the Tigers.

Not a bad offseason or new look for Miami, excited for the expansion council!

1973 NFA Expansion Council

Hartford, CT

Metro Population:〜158,000

Bio: Hartford is a growing city. This bid for a football team comes after the local baseball team, the Colts asked for a new stadium. The Colts have been to the postseason for 3 straight years and are a growing franchise bringing in the most fans they ever have. Currently they play at the old John Ecton Field in downtown Hartford. The stadium was built in the early 1900’s and despite renovations still holds only 25,400 fans. They have brought forward plans for a potential multi-purpose stadium to be built in New Britain, just outside of Hartford that could potentially house an NFA team alongside the Colts.

History of Football in Connecticut: Hartford has housed 3 different professional teams in its history. The first being a member of the AFA and only lasting two seasons. Founded by the owners of the then Hartford Maroons, the professional baseball team of the city. The team was named after the baseball team and only won 5 of its 12 games it ever played before folding. After the Maroons, Hartford got the Reds, inspired by the Boston Valentines also of the ULB. The original Reds team played a few seasons in the early and mid 30’s before being forced to fold. Several years later the Reds were revived and played in the NEFL. This reincarnated Reds team did much better and had hall of famer Wayne Pearson on the team from 1946-1950 before his departure to the NFA. They would win 3 NEFL Championships before folding in the late 50’s.

Potential Owner: The potential owner behind this bid is entrepreneur and businessman Hal Davey. Davey owns a shipping business in the New England area among other things and is known as a gleeful and almost childish person. He’s very passionate about many things and will often go out of his way to get something he wants. He's also a hit with the young folk behind the movement to bring football to Connecticut. Davey, age 60, is friends with the Colts ownership and has been brought aboard the stadium negotiating team. He is also known for his love of the ocean.  

Potential Stadium: As mentioned above, the potential multi-purpose stadium to house the Colts is also a great potential home for an NFA team. Projected to be able to hold no less than 55,000 people, the stadium would be the 12 biggest stadium in the league. The real kicker is that the field would be made of Astroturf. Astroturf is a synthetic turf that’s been used in many stadium constructions over the past few years. It’s currently only in 1 ULB stadium, but has yet to see it’s debut in the NFA. It’s location would be in New Britain, CT, which, while not directly in Hartford, would be a shorter drive from other places across the state and region, making it more accessible for potential fans, while still being close to the city it calls home.

Overview: Hartford is a bit of a risky pick, with its proximity to New York, Boston and Philadelphia. But that hasn’t stopped their baseball team from filling seats. They would definitely have to produce on field like the Colts however, which means all eyes should be on Hal Davey, as he’ll have to build an immediate contender.

4 out of 5 stars.


Kansas City, MO

Metro Population: 〜507,000

Bio: Kansas City would be a great geographical location to the NFA. In the center of the country there’s a lot of potential fans that don’t quite have a team to root for yet. Some may cheer for the Blue Ox, some the Kings, some even the Cougars, but having a team in KC would be a great way to give them a proper team to call their own and would create great rivalries with said other teams.

History of Football in Kansas City: Kansas City has had some professional teams in the past before, as well as having made a bid to get an NFA team before as well. Previously, the Mustangs of the CFA and the Bulls of the Heartland Football League have called Kansas City home.

Potential Owner: Bill Cunningham is an investment banker from the prairie. Growing up in Wyoming and Nebraska, Cunningham always was interested in the city. He’d graduate from college and quickly move to Chicago and then New York where he made many millions in the stock market. Cunningham, now 58 years old, has bought property out on the farmlands of Kansas where he raised his kids. His son Larry Cunningham is currently a college football player for Nebraska State University, and while he may not have a future playing in the NFA, he has expressed interest in coaching. Thanks to his son’s interest in football, Bill, has grown into a big fan of the league and seeks to found his own team in the heart of the great plains. Cunningham may be in over his head, but its worked out for him before in the stock market, so who knows here if it will here.

Potential Stadium: A roughly 67,000 seat is set to start construction this summer with an optimistic deadline of next summer. If it’s not completed, the team can play at the University of Kansas’s Crowmill Stadium.

Overview: Kansas City is one of 3 teams on the council without any other major pro franchise, so it’s ability to bring in fans could be under question since we don’t know how well it can handle a pro franchise, but the NFA would have complete control of the market. So it’s a risk the league would be willing to take. 

4 out of 5 stars.


New Orleans, LA

Metro Population: 〜593,000

Bio: New Orleans is one of the more notable cities to have yet to get an NFA franchise. New Orleans is no surprise here after the relative success of the Revelers almost 6 years ago now, and the success of the New Orleans Herons ULB team, who recently relocated from St. Louis.

History of Football in New Orleans: The only prior professional football team in the bayou were the aforementioned New Orleans Revelers.

Potential Owner: Antonio Broussard is a retired attorney who made his fortune in real estate investments. Broussard was one of the stockholders with a part time ownership in the Revelers and originally tried to buy them off of Charles O’Neal, the former owner. Broussard is still interested in owning a football team and set up a bid for a team to play in the New Orleans Stadium once again. A bit more of a classic football owner, he seems very competent in what he's doing, maybe even more so then some of the current owners.

Potential Stadium: The former home of the Revelers and current home to the New Orleans State University Bayou Bears football program. It seats almost 80,000 people and is a prime suspect to hold a Champions Bowl if New Orleans gets the bid.

Overview: Maybe the best bid on here, having the Revelers test the water for the NFA was one of the best things the SFL did for the NFA. It’s a shame O’Neal folded the team however, leaving the venue empty for the past 6 years. This team will surely bring many new fans from the southeast, a region where NFA fan bases have sprouted up to be some of the most devout over the past 2-3 seasons. 

5 out of 5 stars.


New York City, NY

Metro Population:〜7,894,000

Bio: New York is obviously a great market. Their only fear of placing another team in the city is the amount of baseball fans in the city. 3 baseball teams spread over 3 different boroughs each of whom are competitive and seem to bring in plenty of fans means there's less of a market for a second NFA team then you’d hope. However, the hope that this bid might be plausible is that it’s being made by the multi-billionaire owner of the New York Rovers. 

History of Football in New York: New York’s football history is pretty self explanatory. They currently have the New York Cannons who play at Centennial Field in Brooklyn.

Potential Owner: Andrew Johnson III is the son of Andrew Johnson Jr., the man who bought the Rovers back in 1935. Johnson Jr. died in 1965 leaving ownership up to his 40 year old son; Johnson III. Johnson Jr. was much more stingy and traditional when it came to running the team but his son is much more modern and has breathed a new breath of fresh air into the franchise, bringing them to a Super Series Appearance in ’72. He’s now confident he can bring a new football team to life in the city as well. 

Potential Stadium: They would play in the same stadium as the Rovers, who play in Manhattan at the rebuilt Venice Stadium. It currently holds roughly 50,000 people.

Overview: While there are certainly arguments against putting another team in New York opposed to a newer market that doesn’t have a team, not to mention the competition the team would face for selling it’s tickets, there’s not much of a better man to lead the project then Andrew Johnson III, who could pull the feat off.

3.5 out of 4 stars.


Portland, OR

Metro Population: 〜328,000

Bio: Portland has made big pushes for a ULB or NFA team in recent years. Currently, they only have a professional hockey team, which brings in decent crowds, but the city hopes that with the lack of success from Seattle, they can find a good fan base around the area and develop a rivalry with the Lumberjacks.

History of Football in Portland: There’s no prior history of professional football in Portland.

Potential Owner: Victor Walters, age 59, is the son of an oil tycoon from Texas. Not wanting to be in the oil industry, Walters went west and built a life for himself in California. After graduating from school in San Francisco, Walters has taken millions in money from his father to build his super store chain, Walters, that now has locations all across the west coast. A bit of an adventurous person with a kind heart, Walters would make a great owner who's willing to go out of his comfort zone to work with his players and staff to make one welcoming franchise.

Potential Stadium: Walters and his group have proposed a 50,500 seat stadium that has been approved by the city of Portland. A multi-purpose stadium, if Portland doesn’t get the expansion teams, the stadium will hopefully help lure a future ULB expansion team to the city, or any NFA or ULB unhappy with their current homes.

Overview: This bid becomes very exciting since the stadium is all but set to start construction. But it’s unsure whether Portland will be able to bring in any big crowds, similar to their Northern neighbors. 

4 out of 5 stars.


San Antonio, TX

Metro Population: 〜654,000

Bio: A bit of a wildcard, San Antonio isn’t an awful location to put a team. Currently the Alamo Bowl holds one of college football’s annual bowl games, and the stadium, despite being constructed in 1960, hasn’t aged much. It’s been taken well care of, but will need an expansion from its current 39,450 capacity. San Antonio as a city made a serious threat at securing an SFL team almost a decade ago, and was almost a landing destination for the then Atlanta Copperheads. The only fear is that Houston and Texas already take up a large portion of San Antonio’s market.

History of Football in San Antonio: There is no prior history of professional football in San Antonio.

Potential Owner: Robert Clay, age 60, is the son of former Texas Senator Frank Clay. He’s an only child and was the sole heir of his widower father’s fortune. Clay works in Dallas as an investment banker and is friends with owner of the Texas Roughriders. A bit steadfast on whatever he's focused on, he seems more in it for the money then anything, but if he gets interested in winning, nothing would stop him in his quest.

Potential Stadium: The Alamo Bowl is planned for a roughly 10,000 seat expansion onto the current roughly 39,000 seat stadium. That would make it the 17th largest stadium in the league. Despite its lower capacity, the stadium is well kept and nice and would make for a nice addition for the NFA.

Overview: Clay, who’s regarded as a fairly respectful person, would be a good owner, and potentially one of the more determined to win, even if he has to break the bank to do it. The Alamo Bowl would make for an ok stadium, assuming the expansion is accepted. But the market may just not be there, thanks to the Roughriders and Explorers impact.

3 out of 5 stars.


San Diego, CA

Metro Population: 〜696,000

Bio: Much like New Orleans, San Diego is a city that has surprisingly gone without an NFA franchise up until this point. Their ULB team, the Captains has done extremely well and has grown into one of the biggest fanbases in the west. With plans for a football stadium all but ready to start construction, this seems very promising for SoCal football fans.

History of Football in San Diego: There’s no prior history of professional football in San Diego.

Potential Owner: Best friends of the Captains owner, the two in charge of this bid are Dorothy and Marty Sinclair, age 45 and 50. Having been married for 20 years, the two still act like they're in the honeymoon stage. Both are extremely caring and welcoming, but have a downside in not being as assertive as they may need to be in this business. Marty is a former college athlete turned real estate agent who works up and down the pacific coast while Dorothy is an environmental activist, who works heavily with the San Diego Zoo. Marty is the main head of the bid, actively working with the city of San Diego on getting a stadium built for a potential NFA team. 

Potential Stadium: A proposed 72,000 seat stadium is waiting for approval, who’s naming rights will go to the Zoological Society of San Diego as a way to raise awareness and money for the organization.

Overview: A fantastic bid, aided by the successful San Diego Captains with two passionate owners behind it.

5 out of 5 stars.


Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL

Metro Population:〜874,000

Bio: A tropical location in central Florida, the Tampa Bay area is possibly a good market to fill out the rest of the southeast, especially since that area will likely latch onto any professional football they can get. The issue is the stadium situation is probably the roughest so far. 

History of Football in Tampa: There's no prior history of professional football in Tampa Bay.

Potential Owner: George Torrez is a Mexican American millionaire who made his money as the son of the owner of a pharmaceutical business. Torrez has seen the rise in popularity of football in the south and seeks to capitalize it by putting a team in the sunny Tampa Bay. Torrez is a quiet and reserved person and has been said to be hard to work with. But he has connections and a lot of money, which may be all you need to run a successful football team.

Potential Stadium: The current plan is to renovate Randolph Stadium that was built to attract the SFL in 1962 and has sat mostly empty, only used for college games. The stadium currently holds 50,000, but large renovations and expansion plans, which have yet to be approved, would add another 11,520 seats onto it to make it the total capacity over 60,000, the 8th largest in the league.

Overview: It’s a bit of a shaky plan, Randolph Stadium isn’t in the best condition, poor management has run it down quickly, and the renovations have been yet to be approved. Torrez isn’t the most promising owner out of them all either. But the potential fan base could be huge, especially with the rise in NFA fans in the southeast.

3.5 stars out of 5


Rules for the Expansion Council:
To submit your choices for the expansion council you must submit the following information:
Your Name:
Your Age:
A Short Bio:
Your Favorite Team:

Next, include your ranking of ALL 8 choices from 1st to 8th. First being the option you think is the best fit for an NFA team, and 8th being the least best fit.

How you rank all 8 choices matters because the ranking will break down into these points:
1st- 10 points
2nd- 9 points
3rd- 8 points
4th- 3 points
5th- 3 points
6th- 2 points
7th- 2 points8th- 1 point
Hopefully this new method of counting will give each bid an even better chance at getting the expansion team.

Finally, include your reasoning for your top 3 choices, and share some ideas about potential identities for these teams.


C&C Appreciated. The Council is now officially open and it'll be open for a couple days. I will announce when the council is about to close before it does officially close. I'm excited to be hearing your responses!

Calais Murphy
47
Calais is a senator from Massachusetts, along with holding season tickets to his favorite team. The Gaels.

1. New Orleans: Simply the best option out of the 8, history of supporting Pro Ball, plus a wonderful stadium to boot.
2. San Diego Hits a market and all signs to a well run organization
3. Portland Fills out the west more
4. Kansas City
5. Hartford
6. Tampa Bay
7. New York
8. San Antonio