Announcement on football Saturday?

I hope you guys get a team. KSU students just voted for a fee increase so that's probably the last big hurdle for us.

Say what? Mercer football?

What?! Why do you say that??
edit -- Found the article I linked below! What an incredible weekend this would be if they announce this!!!

http://www.macon.com/2010/11/18/1346146/...tball.html

Congratulations to Mercer fans. Help us celebrate on the PFL board...
http://pflfan.proboards.com

:dirtyvegas:

It's now official.

Pretty awesome day. I'm glad they were able to pull this off, and that the Pioneer League is likely to accept the Bears.

Here's the release on the sports site: (great helmet picture) http://www.mercerbears.com/sports/fball/...reinstated

Congrats...we just might join you on the field in 2013, we hope to hear the final word within a couple months.

So glad to hear this....

GO BEARS!

Going crazy with the new football startups lately. Now I think FGCU might be getting in on the action, or at least thinking about it.

Congrats to Mercer, good luck!

FGCU's natural progression was to add football following the same deal with FAU, FIU, and the directional Florida schools. I can't believe with that huge stadium the Jags built at UNF for track that it hasn't been on the table.
The time has come for the Atlantic Sun to take a real hard look at sponsoring non-scholarship football.
At this point JU, Stetson, Mercer, Campbell will all have it, so add a couple of more teams and be done with it. Either that, or get the PFL up to 12 teams and have the PFL Championship game!

(11-28-2010 07:50 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  FGCU's natural progression was to add football following the same deal with FAU, FIU, and the directional Florida schools. I can't believe with that huge stadium the Jags built at UNF for track that it hasn't been on the table.
The time has come for the Atlantic Sun to take a real hard look at sponsoring non-scholarship football.
At this point JU, Stetson, Mercer, Campbell will all have it, so add a couple of more teams and be done with it. Either that, or get the PFL up to 12 teams and have the PFL Championship game!

IF the A-Sun added football, wouldn't the cost of travel alone be pretty much a show stopper for many members? That's a ton of folks to move from Tennesse to Florida.

The geographic footprint of the PFL is pretty big. Even without considering San Diego.

In this league, they put mileage on the buses. This year, Drake (Des Moines, Iowa) bused 6 hours to Rolla, Missouri and 6 1/2 hours to Valparaiso, Indiana. Before flying to Jacksonville, the team took a 3-hour bus ride to Kansas City for a cheaper flight than they could get from DSM. And the team flew out of Des Moines twice on charters.

The travel accounts for around a quarter of Drake's $800,000 annual football budget...an amount equal to roughly 20 full scholarships. Since there are no Division I leagues with 20-scholarship teams, we have the PFL. Cost containment football.

If the ASun ever started a nonscholarship football league, it would be because (1) the PFL gave up on ever getting an automatic NCAA playoff bid...and wanted to spin off a sister league & create a bowl game; (2) Patty Viverito, who serves as commissioner of both the PFL and the Missouri Valley Football League, wanted to get rid of her PFL responsibilities; and/or (3) the southern/eastern PFL schools wanted more of a regional schedule, to reduce travel expenses.

We'll see what happens...

Agreed but, you've got to think it's 115 kids paying tuition to play, not getting a scholarship. I think travel is a consideration, but schools keep adding it regardless, and I think ETSU's day will come soon.

(11-28-2010 10:37 AM)BucDoctor Wrote:  

(11-28-2010 07:50 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  FGCU's natural progression was to add football following the same deal with FAU, FIU, and the directional Florida schools. I can't believe with that huge stadium the Jags built at UNF for track that it hasn't been on the table.
The time has come for the Atlantic Sun to take a real hard look at sponsoring non-scholarship football.
At this point JU, Stetson, Mercer, Campbell will all have it, so add a couple of more teams and be done with it. Either that, or get the PFL up to 12 teams and have the PFL Championship game!

IF the A-Sun added football, wouldn't the cost of travel alone be pretty much a show stopper for many members? That's a ton of folks to move from Tennesse to Florida.

(11-29-2010 11:10 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Agreed but, you've got to think it's 115 kids paying tuition to play, not getting a scholarship.

Right. At a private school, tuition revenue from players brings in millions. Plus, these are students you wouldn't get without football.

Quote:I think travel is a consideration, but schools keep adding it regardless, and I think ETSU's day will come soon.

Are you saying that ETSU might start a nonscholaship program? Kind of unusual for a public school not to offer athletic aid--although Morehead State seems content going that route.

I tried to join PFL football message board, but they denied a Hotmail e-mail address. That kinda ticks me off. What e-mail actually works for them? I'm not using a work e-mail which they "suggest". That's the last thing I need getting spammed.

(12-16-2010 04:05 AM)MercerFan Wrote:  I tried to join PFL football message board, but they denied a Hotmail e-mail address. That kinda ticks me off. What e-mail actually works for them? I'm not using a work e-mail which they "suggest". That's the last thing I need getting spammed.

Looks like you're in, now.

http://pflfan.proboards.com/index.cgi#general