Gladiators have all the Time in the World for 2002
Marc Viquez
Wednesday August 22, 2001
The time between now and April will be a nice change of pace from the little time the team had in preparation for last season. "Last year we got involved in the middle of February and we were kind of picking from the bottom of the barrel as far as the availability of players," said Gladiators General Manager Chris Mara in a radio interview on WGHT.
The Gladiators struggled this past season, posting two victories, but playing bravado football the last few weeks taking Toronto and Tampa Bay down to the wire and beating old nemesis Indiana -all playoff teams. Nonetheless, the strong ending could not save Gladiators` head coach Lary Kuharich`s job, who was fired shortly after the season.
Kuharich`s dismissal was not suprising. He has not found too much success since leading Tampa Bay to an ArenaBowl title in the early ‘90s. He’s carried with the same 2-12 records with the Connecticut Coyotes (1996), the New York Cityhawks (1997), and the Gladiators this past season.
The organization does not have any names on their list of new coaches, but are looking for candidates who have Arena Football or af2 experience.
"It will be important for him to come in and know the personnel in the league so he can help stack the roster with myself," said Mara on what he wants from the team`s second coach.
The Gladiators also want to improve on attendance. The crowds last season were few and far between. The main objective is to get the fan that is being occupied with minor league baseball, major league baseball, lacrosse, or a myriad of other competition. Mara liked what he saw with the season ending crowd at the Meadowlands. He says that most people who come to a game like what they see. The team`s horrid performance the first half of the season would have kept a nun away from church. The team does have a small, but strong, faithful following that has tailgated before every game. This same crowd has been there since the team was known as the Red Dogs.
The team now has a full off-season to contact sponsorships and to work on promotions. The task was nearly impossible when you have only announced your logo and colors a few weeks before the start of the season. "You really can`t fill your sponsorships in February and March of that season. You have to start selling them in August and September," said Mara.
The saturated sports market of the Northern New Jersey area will be tough for a league that has not yet found its niche in the nation`s number one market. They have to contend with the start of the baseball season, the New Jersey Devils making a run for the Stanley Cup, and the NBA playoffs. The AFL has been on a rise in almost every other market the last decade. The New Jersey area is, however, one of the best sports markets in the country and a winning product will hopefully see some support.
Exciting players like team MVP Coco Blaylock and QB Connell Maynor will be major selling points, along with the team picking up where it last left off--playing tough until the final seconds.
"I think if we put a good enough product on the field and get a couple of local stars playing for the team, I think people will come out," said Mara. The New Jersey market has been tough with several teams living short life spans in the past decade. Does anybody remember the Rockin` Rollers of Roller Hockey International?
The Gladiators’ organization will be entering their sixth season, counting their first four seasons as the Red Dogs, and only the MLS`s MetroStars have been playing at the Meadowlands complex longer--not counting the big four (Giants, Jets, Devils, and Nets)--who call East Rutherford home.
The process of getting their presence felt in the area will be an interesting one during the fall and winter months. The project will be tough in a saturated sport market and with a sport that few people have yet to experience. The football know-how of Chris Mara will have to work its magic in order to pack the Meadowlands in 2002. Fans have shown up in large numbers in the pass for Arena Football games and it could be done again.
Fifteen thousand fans at a home playoff game for the Gladiators in 2002. How good does that sound?
A fan of the sport since 1990 Marc has covered both the New Jersey Gladiators and Cincinnati Swarm (Af2) for Arenafan Online. Marc now resides in Indianapolis after graduating with a Masters in Sports Management from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind. When not at a Firebirds game Marc can be found traveling the Midwest covering sports for various Internet and print publications.
