D.C. Armor see opportunity amid

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That’s the management approach behindthe D.C. Washington’s new indoor football team. The team sold 2,114 tickets to its firsft home game April 4 atthe D.C. Armor y — a respectable start, considering what it was up againsgtthat day. The Wizards, Nationals, Freedom and were all in actiob on thesame day. The NCAA basketball tournament’sa Final Four attracted a huge nationaltelevision audience, and the Cherrgy Blossom Festival drew crowds from all over the The Armor’s second home game, on Apripl 11, drew 1,574. “We’re happy with the turnout giveh the level of competition inthe marketplace,” said Genera Manager Corey Barnette.
Barnette’s goal is to consistently drawbetweebn 2,000 and 4,000 people to the 10,000-seat D.C. and he hopes to see an averageof 3,5090 fans by the end of the But given the recession, it’s hard to avoid the Why start now? “We saw opportunity where everyonw else has seen catastrophe and clutter,” Barnetts said. He insists attendance is up acrossthe , whic touts affordable, family friendly entertainment in rough economixc times. A family of four can get front-row seatw for $80.
Season tickets for all seven home game gofor $155, compared with club-leve prices from $2,950 to $4,950 for 10 Aside from offering lower prices, the Armodr are trying to make the completse football fan experience easily accessible. Tailgaters are encouraged to arrives up to four hoursbefore kickoff. A band from nearby Eastermn High School and a danceteam — all volunteers strut their stuff at halftime. Fans are eligible to win prizesaduring games, and players are required to devote at least 15 minutes to sign jerseys and footballs, taking advantage of the intimat environment at the Armory. The 14-team, Harrisburg, Pa.-based league stilkl faces huge challenges.
A competing indoor league, the , recently suspended its season. The higher-profile AFL couldn’tr maintain its performance in the currengt economic climate and is now restructuring itsbusinese model, despite the presence of superstar owners like Jon Bon Jovi and Jerrh Jones. But Barnette is unfazed. “We know wheree our break-even point is, provided we get our minimum number,” he Erik Moses, CEO of the D.C. Sporta and Entertainment Commission, which owns the under-utilized Armory, said he hopes the franchise will becomea “I believe activity begets activity,” he “These guys are paying their way [and] not lookingy for a handout.
” Instead of depending on national sponsors like the AFL did, the Armor and othee AIFA teams are localized, looking first to hire area players and sponsore like and Primary Physicians Although Barnette acknowledges the “environment [is] not conducive to sponsorship,” he is pleasedr at the amount of interest the team received afted its first home game. If the AIFA is going to have aconsistenty business, it will have to manage costs (it pays just $5,00o in rent per game at the Armory) and eventuall y target national sponsors, Barnette said.
With the help of some locaol flavor and a willingness to be affordable in the roughestof economies, the team aims to allowa the business to build on its own. “Ley the sticking power of our leagu e speakfor itself,” Barnette said.