THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 15, 1995 TAG: 9511150359
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
The Shreveport Pirates say they're coming to Hampton Roads, but much remains to be done before the Canadian Football League team begins play next August at Foreman Field.
Among the most daunting tasks:
The team has yet to negotiate a lease with Foreman Field, which is owned by Old Dominion University. ODU athletic director Jim Jarrett has met three times with Pirates officials, but sources say negotiations are far from complete.
The Pirates recently completed a survey of Foreman Field to determine what improvements are needed to bring it up to CFL standards and how much they will cost. That report will be passed on to area officials later this week. Both the team and ODU have said they won't pay for the improvements. The city of Norfolk has yet to commit.
The Pirates will seek formal approval for their shift to Hampton Roads at the CFL's board of governors meeting Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in Toronto. CFL commissioner Larry Smith said approval would not be automatic.
The Pirates acknowledge they have to do a major selling job to overcome negative publicity from what at times has been a disjointed effort to move to Hampton Roads. Much of the bad publicity resulted the negative reaction of Shreveport officials to the Pirates' departure and the team's delays in paying its bills in Louisiana.
Pirates coach Forrest Gregg said Tuesday he would begin immediately working to overcome the hurdles. He had expected to leave today for Regina, Saskatchewan to watch the CFL championship game. But he likely will stay here indefinitely.
``There's a lot to do, and some of it needs to be done quickly,'' he said.
Gregg, a former NFL player and coach and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, is the most well-known member of the Pirate organization, and will be pressed into service as a promoter and ticket seller.
The team has tried to compensate for previous public relations gaffes by hiring area firms, largely at the behest of local civic leaders.
They retained Kaufman and Canoles, one of the area's largest and most prominent law firms, to help negotiate the lease and renovations to Foreman Field.
The advertising firm of Barker, Campbell and Farley was hired to assemble a business plan and chart an advertising campaign.
``They've made some good decisions on hiring local people,'' said Jeff Sias, sports promotions director for the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.
The CFL has yet to endorse the team's move to Norfolk, though Smith, the CFL commissioner, and Saskatchewan president John Lipp say they like the Hampton Roads market.
``It sounds like an exicting market, the kind of market we ought to be looking at,'' Lipp said.
Smith said the fact that the Pirates and Baltimore Stallions briefly competed for the rights to Hampton Roads is a promising sign.
``It's an indication that this is a real good potential marketplace,'' he said.
Regardless of what the CFL decides, Glieberman said the team is coming.
``U.S. antitrust laws forbid the league from interfering,'' he said. ``But we want their approval. I don't foresee that being any problem.'' ILLUSTRATION: TICKET INFO
The Shreveport, La., Pirates, who plan to move their Canadian
Football League team to Hampton Roads, have set up a 24-hour phone
line for ordering season tickets: 486-7115.
Tickets are priced at $235 for seating between the 30-yard lines,
$185 for other sideline seating and $125 for end zone seating. There
is also a family plan of $399 for four tickets in an end zone.
A $50 deposit is required for each ticket and can be made by
credit card. Ticket orders can be faxed to 486-7341.
by CNB