Indications are the Georgia Force will not return for another season
Mike Delrio
Thursday September 13, 2012
Despite reassurances from Georgia Force management throughout the season that the Arena Football League team would return for the 2013 season, questions about the possibility of the club ceasing operations began even before the Force fell to the Jacksonville Sharks on a final play, 51-yard field goal in the first round of the post season. The questions, fueled by the television broadcast team pondering aloud the fate of Georgia franchise during the game, grew louder after the season ending loss.
Force fans have been eager for official word from the team, but there has been virtually no comment from either team management, or the AFL offices. In the weeks following the end of the season the club appears to be in shut down mode. Despite a number of attempts to receive confirmation as to the future of the Force franchise, there still has been no official team statement.
Team President Corey Remillard responded “There isn’t any new information at this time. Once there are updates, I will make sure and let you know.” That was August 27 and since then attempts for additional updates have been unsuccessful. The AFL offices did not respond.
It should be noted that the AFL Board of Directors meets on September 12 and 13 in Phoenix, Arizona, and will be announcing final rulings on a number of items discussed at the League’s Rules and Competition Committee meeting earlier this month.
A review of the attendance numbers across the league would suggest that if the decision had been made to drop a team or two, the Force would be one of the teams considered based on attendance.
For the 2012 season the Force averaged 4,242 per home contest for a season total attendance of 38,185; both last in the AFL. This year’s attendance total represented an 8 percent decline from the 2011 season, the first for the Force in the Arena at Gwinnett Center after relocating from Alabama following the 2010 season.
Adding to the dim outlook is the demise of the Kansas City Command, the team with the next lowest per game and season attendance totals (4,303, 38,730). Much like the Force, the Command also had a drop in ticket sales, though not as severe as the Georgia decline.
The lack of an official statement, the Command’s exit from the league, the decline in attendance, and the lack of activity from the team in preparation for next season all point to the end of the latest reincarnation of the Georgia Force.
UPDATE: The team website is now offline.
It would seem that the Board of Directors meeting later this week would be a good time to issue a statement from either the team or the AFL to put an end to the speculation.
Mike began his third season reporting on the Georgia Force in March, 2012. Coverage includes weekly game previews and recaps, exclusive interviews and AFL news. Mike has been a Gwinnett County resident (the home of the Force) for two decades and provides coverage of the counties other pro sports franchises, the Gwinnett Braves (Braves Triple-A affiliate) and the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL, player development deals with both the Phoenix Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres) as well.
