THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 25, 1995 TAG: 9510250582
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 125 lines
The Canadian Football League's Shreveport Pirates will move to Norfolk next season if the team is able to sell a sufficient number of season tickets, the team's owner said Tuesday.
Lonie Glieberman, president and majority owner of the Louisiana team, said he would announce a season-ticket drive within two weeks. If enough tickets are sold, Glieberman said he expects to be in Foreman Field for the 1996 season.
Glieberman said that he hasn't decided on a ticket goal, but that 10,000 is a ballpark figure.
Glieberman acknowledged that the team probably will move from Shreveport, where attendance dwindled last season, and that Hampton Roads is his No. 1 choice. Glieberman said he also has visited Miami, Dallas, Orlando and Milwaukee, but ``if people here say they want it, if the ticket drive succeeds, then we'll be here.''
The location would be the third in four years for Glieberman, who sold the Ottawa Roughriders two years ago, purchased an expansion franchise and moved it to Shreveport.
Glieberman has lost more than $10 million on both franchises. The city of Ottawa is suing Glieberman for $150,000 it says it is owed. Glieberman has put $150,000 in an escrow account but is contesting the lawsuit.
Pirates coach Forrest Gregg and his wife accompanied Glieberman on what will be a weeklong trip to Hampton Roads. Gregg, a former Green Bay Packers star and NFL Hall of Famer, spent much of Monday and Tuesday scouting potential training sites in Virginia Beach.
His wife, Barbara, scouted potential houses for the Gregg family.
All three will join Pirates general counsel Spencer Steel today in inspecting Foreman Field and continuing a series of meetings with area government and business leaders.
Glieberman, on his third trip to Hampton Roads in less than two months, made his impromptu announcement at a forum at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott on the subject of bringing major league sports to Hampton Roads. The forum featured host Joel Rubin, and panelists Jeff Sias of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Hampton Roads Admirals owner Blake Cullen, Page Johnson of the Hampton Roads Mariners and Norfolk Tides, and Virginian-Pilot columnist Bob Molinaro.
However, once Glieberman was introduced, he took center stage as panelists and audience alike pelted him with questions.
Gregg, on his first trip to Hampton Roads, said he was impressed.
``If tonight is indicative of the interest in sports in this area, I think a franchise would have an excellent chance of succeeding,'' he said. ``From what I have seen, this is an area that's very, very hungry for professional football.''
Hired by the Chamber of Commerce to recruit sports teams and events to Hampton Roads, Sias will spend most of the week with Glieberman.
``So far, we like what we see'' of Glieberman, Sias said.
Cullen, whose team likely would be hurt by a CFL team, nonetheless endorsed the concept.
``I've always thought the CFL would work here,'' he said. ``I see no reason why it wouldn't work.''
But hurdles remain. If the ticket drive is successful, Glieberman must receive permission from the CFL to move to Hampton Roads.
Foreman Field, which seats 25,400 could be an obstacle. The stadium has inadequate press, locker-room, restroom and concession facilities for the CFL. Moreover, its field is shorter than CFL standards. An exception would have to be made to allow the Pirates to play there.
That vote likely will come in January at the CFL's Board of Governors meeting.
``This community has so many positives in its favor,'' Glieberman said. ``The only negative is the facility. If we go to the meeting with 15,000 season-ticket holders, then they would say fine. If we have 4,000, they would say no.''
Glieberman must also work out a lease with Old Dominion University, which owns the stadium. Moreover, if improvements are needed to Foreman Field, it is undetermined who would pay.
Glieberman acknowledged that Foreman Field can only be a temporary home for the Pirates; that if the CFL team is successful, area cities must combine to build a 40,000-seat stadium. The Sports Authority of Hampton Roads has estimated that the minimum price for a stadium that size would be $40 million.
Glieberman said it wouldn't be financially feasible for him or any CFL owner to finance a stadium.
``If after a season or two we're selling 23,000 tickets per game, we'll have a stadium,'' Glieberman said. ``This is a democracy, and if people speak in that number, then the politicians will react.
``If we're selling 13,000, then we won't have a stadium and it won't work.''
Glieberman said the team must average at least 23,000 per game to break even on a budget of about $8 million.
``We're not coming in here expecting to get rich overnight,'' he said. ``We'll probably lose money the first two years, or until a stadium is built.
``But in the long run we feel like we will make money, that CFL football will succeed.''
T.J. Morgan agrees, but the Virginia Beach chiropractor had hoped to be the man to bring the CFL to Hampton Roads. Morgan, who owns the Hampton Roads Sharks semi-professional team, attended the forum and spoke briefly.
Afterward, he said he still hopes to raise the $10 million necessary to purchase a CFL expansion team for the 1997 season.
``I'm pretty certain that in time, we may finally get our opportunity,'' he said, adding that the Sharks will continue to operate even if the Pirates come to Hampton Roads. MEMO: Staff writer Ed Miller contributed to this story.
STEPS
What must happen for the Canadian Football League's Shreveport
Pirates to come to Hampton Roads:
A season-ticket sale, to be announced early next month, must be
successful. A sale of 10,000 tickets is probably a minimum, though no
goal has been set.
Owner Lonie Glieberman then must sign a lease with Old Dominion
University, which owns Foreman Field.
The CFL must approve the move of the franchise, probably at its
January Board of Governors meetings in Toronto.
Some of Foreman Field's facilities likely would have to be upgraded,
including the press box and dressing rooms. It has not been determined
who would pay for the improvements.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by L. Todd Spencer
Lonie Glieberman
KEYWORDS: PROFESSIONAL SPORTS by CNB