Puerto Rico likely af2 title-game site

The ArenaCup, arenafootball2’s championship game, appears bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico.

League president Jerry Kurz said Tuesday a preliminary contract has been signed and he hopes to finalize the agreement later this week during a two-day visit to San Juan. The ArenaCup was originally set for Bossier City, La., home of the af2 Bossier City-Shreveport Battle Wings, but a change became necessary when the Dallas Cowboys-New Orleans Saints preseason game was scheduled for Aug. 21 in Shreveport, five days before the af2 title game.

“The Bossier-Shreveport ownership and community would have honored (the contract), but it surely wouldn’t have been the right thing to do,” Kurz said. “The disposable income was going to go to the NFL game.”

Af2 officials considered several options. Spokane, ranked No. 1 and leading the af2 in attendance in its first year, was a top consideration, even if the Shock weren’t involved in the championship game, but the Arena is booked with Spokane Chiefs training camp for most of the week of Aug. 21-26.

“We asked Spokane (ownership) if they wanted to host the game and they were interested, but they came back and said the building was unavailable so it didn’t come to be a viable option,” Kurz said.

Said Shock majority owner Brady Nelson: “The Chiefs have the dates and understandably it’s important for them to have it, but at the same time it would have been nice if we could have got the game here.”

The first five ArenaCups were held at the home of the highest-remaining seed following the conference championship games. Last year was the first time the site was predetermined.

There is an on-line petition with 88 signatures requesting that the game be played in the U.S. Kurz acknowledged that moving the game to Puerto Rico won’t please some af2 fans, but insisted the decision makes sense on several levels. For one, San Juan is being considered for an af2 franchise.

“We want it to go to a destination place, and I know a lot of fans aren’t happy because it’s so far away, but it gives us a great TV footprint and an opening into an international market,” Kurz said. “If we don’t try to do things to grow and increase our presence and national exposure, we’re not doing the right thing.”

The ArenaCup is expected to be televised by Fox and Comcast, Kurz said. He said San Juan will have an option for hosting the 2007 title game, too.

If Spokane does advance to the Arena Cup, Nelson said Shock fans would face a long trip whether the game is in Puerto Rico or Bossier City-Shreveport.

“It’s definitely not popular leaguewide if you look at the message boards,” Nelson said. “If we do have anybody going down there, it’s just about the same distance and probably a little cheaper to fly (to Puerto Rico).”

Shock notes

Spokane will wear orange uniforms for the first time Saturday when Everett visits the Arena. … Roughly 2,000 tickets remain for Saturday’s game. … Playoff tickets are on sale for season-ticket holders through TicketsWest. They go on sale to the general public next Wednesday. … Spokane, which is averaging 10,004 fans per game, probably will finish with the fourth-highest average in af2’s seven-year history. Arkansas set the standard by drawing 14,000 per game in af2’s inaugural season in 2000. … Former Shock quarterback Alex Neist had a rough first outing with his new team. Neist was 15 of 30 with two touchdowns and three interceptions in Bakersfield’s 51-37 loss to Central Valley.