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Southern League

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
July 29, 2013 - Southern League (SL1)


BASEBALL

Southern League: The proposed new stadium to be built in Biloxi (MS) to attract a Double-A Southern League team will most likely be pushed back to a 2015 opening instead of 2014. Although a stadium site has been selected, a funding plan was just approved last month and an aggressive construction schedule would be needed for a 2014 opening. The league's Huntsville (AL) Stars and Jackson (TN) Generals, which have the lowest attendance figures, have been mentioned as relocation candidates.

South Atlantic League (SALLY): The owner of the Hagerstown (MD) Suns in the low Class-A SALLY plans to meet next week with officials in Fredericksburg (VA) to discuss a revised financing plan for a proposed ballpark in Fredericksburg that could eventually become home to the Suns.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball League of Canada: The owner of the Halifax (Nova Scotia) Rainmen franchise in the NBL-Canada stated he may have to move the team unless corporate support increases during the league's third season in 2013-14. The Rainmen started in the 2007-08 season of the American Basketball Association, tried to join the National Basketball Association D-League, and played three seasons (2009-11) in the Premier Basketball League before joining the NBA-Canada in 2011.

Central Basketball League: After recently completing its inaugural 2013 season with four teams, it looks as though the CBL will be adding a South Division for 2014 with teams called the Houston Xperience, Denton (TX) Destroyers, Central Texas Flight and Lake City Kingdom Riders (Lake Charles, LA). Houston, Denton and Lake City were listed as American Basketball Association teams.

American Basketball League: The ABL recently announced it will switch to a June-through-August schedule in 2014. The league completed its inaugural 2013 seasons with six Texas-based teams and six Florida-based teams playing a schedule from mid-January to mid-April. The ABL plays under international (FIBA) basketball rules.

Independent Basketball Association: The IBA has officially announced the Windy City Blazers, based in Aurora (IL), will be part of the league's 2013 Winter Season.

Women's American Basketball Association: The WABA, which is affiliated with the men's American Basketball Association, has been trying to get off the ground over the past couple of years and now will start play in 2014 with teams aligned in four geographic regions across the United States. Currently, the Northeast Region lists the Philly Love, New Jersey Express (Newark), New England Stormers (Boston), and Hampton Roads Lightning; the South Region has the Lake City Kingdom Riderettes (Lake Charles, LA), Lady Cadets (Fayetteville, NC), Lady Road Runners (Columbus, GA), and McAllen (TX) Queens; the Mid-West Region has the Chicago Lady Steam; and the West Region has no teams listed as of now.

FOOTBALL

Indoor Football League: The IFL is looking at possible expansion into Fargo (ND) and Bemidji (MN), but there are currently no potential ownership groups. All 9 IFL teams from last season are expected to return and the league hopes to grow to 10 or 12 teams. A 2014 expansion deadline is set for September. The city of Fargo had an indoor football team called the Fargo Freeze in the 2000 season of a defunct league also known as the IFL. Bemidji is in north central Minnesota about 130 miles northwest of Fargo.

Continental Indoor Football League: The CIFL announced the Northern Kentucky River Monsters, based in Highland Heights (KY), have joined the league for the 2014 season. The team's owner operated a team by the same name in the inaugural 2011 season of the Ultimate Indoor Football League, but left after one season in a dispute with the league and then was unable to start a proposed Muncie (IN) River Monsters team as part of the 2012 CIFL. The Ultimate Indoor Football League evolved into the United Indoor Football League for 2012 and operated a new team called the Northern Kentucky Monsters out of the Highland Heights arena. The league changed back to the Ultimate Indoor Football League for 2013, but without the Northern Kentucky Monsters. The Monsters nickname was used for the UIFL's new St. Charles-based Missouri Monsters expansion team in 2013. The CIFL also announced its Louisville-based Kentucky Xtreme team will return for the 2014 season.

Xtreme Indoor Football League: The St. Charles-based Missouri Monsters team in the new five-team XIFL has been renamed the St. Louis Attack for the league's inaugural 2014 season. The Missouri Monsters and two other XIFL teams were part of the 2013 Ultimate Indoor Football League before moving to the new XIFL. The Attack is owned by the group that is bringing a new professional indoor soccer team called the St. Louis Ambush to St. Charles as part of the 2013-14 United Soccer Leagues-Major Indoor Soccer League.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League: The NHL has announced the division names for its realignment that will take place for the 2013-14 season. The Eastern Conference with have the eight-team Metropolitan Division and the eight-team Atlantic Division, while the Western Conference will have the seven-team Pacific Division and seven-team Central Division.

Central Hockey League: The CHL announced its schedule and league alignment for the 2013-14 season. The league will again have all ten teams aligned into the Berry Conference. Of the ten teams from last season, the Fort Worth Brahmas and Bloomington Blaze did not return but the league added two expansion teams called the Brampton (Ontario) Beast and the St. Charles (MO) Chill.

Southern Professional Hockey League: The SPHL's new Bloomington (IL) Blaze franchise has changed its name to the Bloomington Thunder. The Bloomington Blaze was a Central Hockey League team last season that struggled with ownership issues. After the season, some executives associated with the Blaze purchased the team and decided to move it the SPHL for the 2013-14 season. Rather than get into a legal battle with the CHL over the Blaze nickname, the ownership decided to change the name. A team called the Bloomington Prairie Thunder played three seasons (2007-10) in the former International Hockey League and one season (2010-11) in the CHL before being replaced by the Blaze for the 2011-12 season.

United States Hockey League: The 16-team Tier-I USHL, which is the highest level of junior hockey in the United States, announced its 2013-14 schedule and league alignment. The league will have the same alignment as last season with an eight-team Eastern Conference and an eight-team Western Conference.

North American Hockey League: The Tier-II junior level NAHL announced that its Frisco-based Texas Tornado membership has been sold and will move to North Richland Hills where the team will be called the Lone Star Brahmas. The North Richland Hills arena had been home to the Texas Brahmas/Fort Worth Brahmas of the professional Central Hockey League over the past few seasons, but that team announced plans to sit out the 2013-14 CHL season as it looks for a different home arena. The Lone Star Brahmas will replace the Texas Tornado in the NAHL South Division.

North American 3 Hockey League: The Tier-III junior level NA3HL, which is affiliated with the Tier-II North American Hockey League, has added a four-team South Division consisting of the Dallas Junior Stars, McKinney (TX) Warriors, Sugar Land (TX) Imperials and Topeka RoadRunners.

SOCCER

United Soccer Leagues - Major Indoor Soccer League: The MISL announced an expansion franchise has been granted to Reading (PA) for the upcoming 2013-14 season. The team is expected to be officially announced next week as the Pennsylvania Roar.

Professional Arena Soccer League: The PASL announced it has secured a lease for a new team in Wichita (KS) that will start play in the 2013-14 season. An indoor soccer team called the Wichita Wings was part of the United Soccer Leagues-Major Indoor Soccer League for the past two seasons, but it will not return for the 2013-14 season. The new PASL team in Wichita will announce its team name in the next two weeks. The league's 2013-14 expansion team in Ontario (CA) announced it will be called the Ontario Fury. The league's 2013-14 expansion team called the Laredo Diesel has changed its name to the Laredo Honey Badgers before even playing a game.

North American Soccer League: The Division-II NASL announced plans to add expansion teams in Jacksonville (FL) and Oklahoma City for the 2015 spring season. The NASL operated with seven teams for its 2013 Spring Season and will increase to eight teams with the addition of the New York Cosmos team for the 2013 Fall Season that starts next weekend. The league previously announced three expansion teams called the Indy Eleven (Indianapolis), Ottawa Fury, and Virginia Cavalry (Loudoun County) will join for the 2014 Spring Season. The Division-III United Soccer Leagues-PRO league recently granted a 2014 expansion team to Oklahoma City.

Major League Soccer: The owner of Detroit's Silverdome stadium is proposing construction of a new complex that would include a soccer stadium for a Detroit-based MLS expansion team. The city of Elk Grove in suburban Sacramento has authorized the purchase of land for a potential 18,500-seat stadium that it hopes will become home to an MLS expansion team. A group in the city of Sacramento that is affiliated with the new Division-III Sacramento Republic FC team in the United Soccer Leagues-PRO league is also trying to build an MLS-style soccer stadium. The league's DC United club announced a preliminary deal to build a new 20,000-seat soccer stadium in the Buzzard Point area of Washington. The league's expansion New York City FC will most likely need a temporary home when it starts play in 2015. Plans for construction of a new soccer-specific stadium have not been finalized and there has been talk that the team could play some games at Yankee Stadium.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the "The Leagueology Almanac 2011-12", which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The publication is currently available at www.amazon.com.

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