Football fans – are you ready to rock and roar?
Fast-paced, action-packed arena football is on the horizon and is coming to Prescott Valley’s Findlay Toyota Center.
In March 2021, the new indoor football franchise will kick off its inaugural season as the state’s third team in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The league already includes the Arizona Rattlers and the Tucson Sugar Skulls.
The football team name, logo and colors are expected to be revealed this month. The football franchise replaces the Northern Arizona Suns, who played in the building since 2016.
“I think it’s a good thing for Prescott Valley,” said Prescott Valley Mayor Kell Palguta. “It has a lot of upside potential.”
The football team will play in an arena that once hosted the Arizona Sundogs, a professional ice hockey team, the Suns and two other indoor football franchises.
Owner Trey Medlock has plenty of experience building sports franchises. In Texas, he helped start the Lubbock Cotton Kings, an ice hockey team, and the Rio Grande Valley Dorados, a football club.
Medlock said Arizona Rattlers coach Kevin Guy, a close friend, called to urge him to get back into the business. Guy is a former coach of the Rio Grande Valley Dorados.
Guy and his wife, Cathy, are co-owners of the Tucson Sugar Skulls.
Right now, Medlock said staying on schedule and garnering corporate sponsorships are at the top of his checklist. The team announced the hiring of Dominic Bramante, formerly of the Duke City Gladiators, as head coach on Sept. 10.
The 2021 season is set to begin March 13. Fans can buy tickets for eight home games.
“The big thing right now is developing the corporate partnership relationships,” Medlock said. “So, sell the corporate sponsorships and all that. Then, Oct. 6, we are going to announce the team name and logo and colors. That’s a big date. So, those are the things I’m focusing on now.”
The new owner said the market and the quality of the venue were factors in picking Prescott Valley.
“I started looking at a number of different locations,” Medlock said. “I actually started in May. I settled on this location because I felt like it was the best location, the best market. Facility-wise, it’s a great size. When I found out the Suns were leaving, it just made the most sense.”
About 5,500 seats will be available for football games. The team’s ownership group signed a three-year lease with a fourth-year option. Season tickets range from $132 to $364. Single-game tickets also will be available.
The team still has to sign players who will come via free agency. The owner said team officials will be looking for local talent. On Oct. 10, team officials will host a tryout for football players at the Boys and Girls Club in Prescott Valley. The football club will conduct similar workouts in Houston and Southern California, Medlock said.
The Texas native said he has a good foundation with Bramante and the rest of his coaching staff. Bramante won two championship titles during his recent time with the New Mexico franchise.
“He’s a good football coach,” Medlock said. “There are two parts to this business. It’s very much like college – it’s being able to recruit the right players to the market and be able to coach the players. I know that he’s got the passion. He’s very well-versed and has been successful recruiting the players and I think he relates well to these guys. I’m excited about him and what he and his staff bring to the table.”
Mayor Palguta said he is confident that team leadership will act in the best interest of the community.
Medlock echoes that sentiment. He said he wants to give back to the community as much as possible and provide an entertainment value to fans. The team plans to be involved in a Halloween event at the Toyota Center as well as with local school districts in the near future.
“We’ve got to have entertainment,” Medlock said. “We have to let people know they may be coming to a football game – but there is a whole event taking place. So, it’s important that we do our job and entertain because that’s what we are – we are in the entertainment business.”
For more information, visit findlaytoyotacenter.com/ifl-football-team. QCBN
By Brent Ruffner, QCBN