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Frontier League

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
January 12, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)


BASEBALL

Frontier League: The owner of the Frontier League's Washington (PA) Wild Things has officially entered into an agreement with Parkersburg (WV) to place a Frontier League team in the city. The city plans to build a new multipurpose stadium, but funding and design of the stadium still have to be worked out. Parkersburg was home to the Ohio Valley Redcoats in the Frontier League from 1993 through the 1998 season. In 2012, the owner of the Washington Wild Things had entered an agreement with a group to place a Frontier League team in Bridgeport (WV), about 35 miles south of Morgantown, but a proposed ballpark lost out on state funding and Morgantown obtained an affiliated team in the short-season Class-A New York-Penn League after moving forward on a new stadium on the West Virginia University campus.

Appalachian League: The ten-team advanced rookie-level Appalachian League is considering expansion by two teams for the 2016 season. The league reported two Major League Baseball organizations have expressed interest in placing farm teams in the league. One possible expansion site could be Kinston (NC), which lost the Kinston Indians of the high Class-A Carolina League after the 2011 season.

South Atlantic League (SALLY): The owner of the land in Fredericksburg (VA) that was supposed to become home to a new ballpark for the relocated Hagerstown (MD) Suns of the low Class-A SALLY is suing the developer and potential new owner of the Suns to force completion of the land purchase. The Suns backed out of a deal with the developer in November 2014 to build a ballpark for the team in Fredericksburg (VA) and ended the developer's option to purchase the Suns.

BASKETBALL

International Basketball League: The IBL has announced a restructuring that will have the league become more involved in managing Pro-Am leagues instead of operating the traditional IBL season. The IBL will start this process by managing the Portland (OR) Pro-Am league this summer and it will invite Portland-area IBL teams to join. The Vancouver (WA) Volcanoes, a longtime member of the IBL, plans to join the new Portland Pro Am. For its other teams, the IBL will suggest what league will be best for them to join. The Portland Pro Am will use NBA rules and feature players that have been playing professionally overseas or have exhausted their college eligibility.

Continental Basketball Development League: The CBDL announced the addition of a team called the Talladega (AL) Toros to the Southeast Division for the 2015 season.

Eastern Basketball Alliance: The EBA has added three additional new teams called the Western Maryland Elite (Hagerstown), South Jersey Knights (Pitman) and New Philadelphia (PA) Firedogs to its Northern Division for the 2015 season. The owner of the Firedogs reported the team will be marketed to all of Schuylkill County, so the team is currently listed as the Schuylkill Firedogs. Other Northern Division teams include the returning Harrisburg Horizon, the new Columbia (MD) All-Stars and the Maryland Bayraiders travel team. The EBA also lists a five-team Southern Division.

FOOTBALL

National Football League: The owner of the St. Louis Rams is part of a development group that announced plans this week to build a new football stadium in Los Angeles fueling speculation the Rams will be moving to Los Angeles in the near future. A few days later, plans were announced for a new football stadium in St. Louis as an effort to try keep the Rams.

X-League Indoor League: The X-League has granted approval for some of its teams to engage in inter-league play with teams in the Professional Indoor Football League for the 2015 season. After previously announcing its 2015 schedule with eight teams, the PIFL was down to only seven teams when the Harrisburg Stampede unexpectedly shut down operations, so PIFL teams were looking to replace some of the cancelled Harrisburg games. As of now, the XIFL's Marion (OH) Racers will play games against the PIFL's Lehigh Valley Steelhawks and Nashville Venom. Other XIFL and PIFL teams are in negotiations for possibly scheduling additional inter-league games.

HOCKEY

American Hockey League: The National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks are reported to be in the process of purchasing the AHL's Norfolk (VA) Admirals with the intent of moving the team to San Diego where it would become the AHL affiliate of the Ducks. Norfolk would then become an ECHL city with the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors team, which is owned by the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, relocating to Norfolk. The Edmonton Oilers would then move its current Oklahoma City Barons AHL team to Bakersfield. These moves are part of a plan by some western NHL teams to establish a Pacific Division of teams in the AHL. Other possible moves include the Los Angeles Kings moving its Manchester (NH) Monarchs AHL team to Ontario (CA), home to the ECHL's Ontario Reign; the Calgary Flames moving its Adirondack Flames team from Glens Falls (NY) to Stockton (CA), home to the ECHL's Stockton Thunder; and the San Jose Sharks moving its Worcester (MA) Sharks AHL team to either Fresno or Sacramento.

United States Hockey League: The new owners of the hockey arena in Flint (MI) have apparently withdrawn their applications for a team in the Tier-I junior-level USHL, which is USA Hockey's top junior league in the United States. The arena owners are reported to be in discussions with the major-junior Ontario Hockey League about obtaining a franchise. The OHL is one of three major-junior hockey leagues that are part of the Canadian Hockey League, which is the highest level of junior hockey sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The OHL's Erie (PA) Otters are up for sale and the owner of the OHL's Plymouth (MI) Whalers has been looking to relocate the team.

World United Hockey League: The owner of the Ontario-based Collingwood Ice in the junior-level WUHL announced the team has shut down operations. The Collingwood Ice was one of four teams that started the 2014-15 season in the South Division of the new Canadian International Hockey League, but the CIHL South Division teams left in November 2014 to form the new WUHL, which is sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union and its United Hockey Union.

SOCCER

Major League Soccer: The MLS announced its schedule for the 2015 season that will feature 20 teams aligned into ten-team Eastern and Western conferences. The MLS had 19 teams last season, but the Los Angeles-based Chivas USA franchise was shut down and will be replaced by a new Los Angeles franchise that is expected to start play in 2017. New teams called the Orlando City FC Lions and New York City FC will start play in 2015 and will be added to the Eastern Conference with the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City teams moving from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference.

National Women's Soccer League: A group of investors is considering the start of a professional NWSL team in Atlanta, possibly in time for the 2016 season. The new team would be called the Atlanta Vibe. The NWSL had nine teams for its second season in 2014 and is reported to be looking into expansion for the 2016 season. Atlanta had two previous women's pro soccer teams called the Atlanta Beat. The first Atlanta Beat team was part of all three seasons (2001-03) in the Women's United Soccer Association, while the second Atlanta Beat team played the final two seasons (2010-11) of the three seasons played by the league known as Women's Professional Soccer.

United Soccer Leagues - PRO: The Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer has renewed an agreement for the Oklahoma Energy FC of the USL PRO league to serve as its exclusive USL PRO affiliate for the 2015 season and beyond. The Austin Aztex expansion team, which will be the USL PRO affiliate of the Columbus Crew MLS team, has also signed a cooperation agreement with the Coritiba Brazilian soccer club.

OTHER

National Pro Fastpitch: The women's NPF softball league has added a fifth team called the Dallas Charge for the 2015 season. The four teams from last season called the Akron Racers, Chicago Bandits and USSSA Florida Pride (Kissimmee) and the Pennsylvania Rebellion (Washington) will all return. The NPF evolved from the Women's Professional Fastpitch, which started play in 1997 and was renamed the Women's Pro Softball League in 1999. League play was suspended after the 2001 season and restarted for the 2004 season under the NPF name. The NPF had a Texas-based team in Houston called the Texas Thunder for three seasons (2004-06).

American Ultimate Disc League: The professional AUDL announced the new Atlanta team in the upcoming 2015 season will be called the Atlanta Hustle. Atlanta will be part of a new five-team South Division that was added for the 2015 season. The league will operate the Atlanta Hustle franchise while seeking a local owner.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the Leagues, Teams & Nicknames 2013-14: "The Leagueology Almanac" , 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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