Springfield landscape expands for pro teams

A group of soccer players, with the help of several local silent partners, have teamed up to create Springfield Demize, a soccer team that is a member of Premier Development League, one of four leagues that comprise the United Soccer Leagues.

Among the founders are head coach Armen Tonianse and goalkeeper Chris Hanlon.

Hanlon played for, and was part owner of, the Springfield Storm soccer team, which relocated to Los Angeles in 2006.

Tonianse, in addition to having played in the PDL, is an assistant soccer coach at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill.

The Demize is a summer team that features players under the age of 23 – a combination of college soccer players who want to play at a high level during the summer while retaining their college eligibility, high school players preparing to move to the next level, and young pros hoping to move back up the ranks.

None of the players get paid – though some big-name players can get compensation for coaching or for conducting teaching clinics – but there are still travel and other expenses. Hanlon said funding comes from a combination of investment from team owners and sponsorships with companies including Comfort Inn and CoxHealth, which provides athletic training and team-physician services for Demize.

Rosemary Lewis, CoxHealth community liaison, said the health system decided to get involved with the team on the ground floor because of soccer’s popularity.

“We wanted to show our support of soccer in Springfield,” she said. “It brings a caliber of play to Springfield that was previously unavailable here.”

She said that the team will have the added benefit of encouraging young children to become more involved in soccer and other sports, which will be good for their health in the long run.

Welcoming the Wolfpack

Also new is the Springfield Wolfpack, a member of the American Professional Football League.

Founded by team owner and General Manager Angela Edwards, Springfield Wolfpack is one of three new teams in the four-year-old APFL, a national indoor football league. The other new teams are in Texas.

APFL President Ralph Adams said Springfield was a natural fit for the league.

“Springfield as a community is very sports-oriented,” he said, pointing to Springfield’s selection as Missouri’s Sports Town in 2003 by Sports Illustrated.

Springfield, Adams said, also had an interested owner in Edwards, a good facility – Jordan Valley Ice Park for games – and the right geographic location, as the league already has teams in Topeka, Kan., Council Bluffs, Iowa, and St. Joseph, near Kansas City.

Starting an APFL team, Adams added, is not cheap.

“Typically, we anticipate that the operational budget will be between $250,000 and $300,000 a year,” he said, adding that initial costs for turfs and supplies can run from $50,000 to $150,000.

Local owner Edwards did not return calls for comment.

Keep ’em entertained

The key to the success of these new teams will be their ability to entertain fans.

Hanlon said that despite the fact that soccer is the largest youth participation sport in the country, it’s not as popular for spectators. That’s why his team tries to play a fast-paced, exciting style.

“We feel like if we play a professional type of game, lots of speed, lots of scoring, people will be entertained and come back,” he said. “We know we’re going to get scored on, too, but nobody wants to come watch us play defense for 90 minutes and try to win 1-0. … We need to get the crowd excited.”

The Cards, too, realize the importance of the entertainment factor. The $32 million Hammons Field venue, completed in 2004, already has received some enhancements to please fans. The Cardinals this season added inflatable children’s games, a playground area enhanced scoreboard graphics. Also new at the stadium, which averaged more than 7,300 fans per game in 2006, is J. Buck’s Patio, a tented area in the right field seats, which offers groups both a shaded area in which to watch the game and extended menu options.

The Lasers team, meanwhile, is preparing for its 12th season with World Team Tennis. The team, founded by Harry Cooper and family but now owned by the city of Springfield, is run by the Springfield-Greene County Parks Department.

General Manager Tom Adams said the team has been popular because of plentiful local tennis enthusiasts.

“Tennis is a pretty transparent sport – a lot of people are involved (in tennis), but it’s through other groups,” Adams said, noting that Cooper Tennis Complex is packed nearly every day. “I know I have to wait until 8 p.m. to get a court.”

He also added that Springfield meets a need for the WTT – having a professional team, with a professional-quality venue in the Midwest. Other WTT teams are concentrated on the coasts.

The Lasers sold more than 10,000 tickets in 2006 – that number was surpassed only in 1996, the team’s inaugural season, and in 2002, when tennis great John McEnroe graced Cooper Tennis Complex. In 2006, the team posted revenues of $185,000.

When it comes to players – and enthusiasm – The Demize’s Hanlon said Springfield is a perfect location for his soccer team. He pointed to the plethora of colleges, creating an “economic bubble” around the city.

“We have a unique economic situation compared to other cities larger than us,” Hanlon said. “If you can put on an entertaining show and use local players, you can do something special here that you couldn’t do in Kansas City or Chicago, because (there) you’re competing with major league baseball teams and NFL teams.”

Team Information

Springfield Demize

Affiliation: United Soccer Leagues’ Premier Development League

Owner: Springfield Demize Inc.

Home field: Lake Country Cooper Stadium, 2334 E. Pythian St.

Home dates: June 17, 23 and 29, July 7 – all games begin at 7:30 p.m.

On the Web: www.springfielddemize.com

Springfield Lasers

Affiliation: World Team Tennis

Owner: City of Springfield

Home field: Cooper Tennis Complex, 2331 E. Pythian St.

Home dates: July 10, 12, 15, 18, 21, 23 and 24

On the Web: www.springfieldlasers.com

Springfield Wolfpack

Affiliation: American Professional Football League

Owner: Angela Edwards

Home field: Jordan Valley Ice Park, 635 E. Trafficway

Home games: June 16 and 23

On the Web: www.springfieldwolfpack.com

Springfield Cardinals

Affiliation: Double-A Texas League

Owner: St. Louis Cardinals

Home field: Hammons Field, 935 E. Trafficway

Home dates: June 5–8 and 17–24, July 4–9 and 19–22, July 31–Aug. 2, Aug. 8–13 and 21–24, Aug. 28–Sept. 3

On the Web: www.springfieldcardinals.com