RailHawks and seven other teams and prospective franchises threaten to bolt USL after sale to NuRock
UPDATE 6:39 p.m.: Moments ago, the USL announced an executive restructuring. The gist: “NuRock’s Rob Hoskins will serve as Chairman with Alec Papadakis being named CEO. USL’s Tim Holt has been named President of the organization with founder Francisco Marcos transitioning to the position of President Emeritus and Senior Director of International Development.”
Last Thursday, Nike sold the USL to NuRock Soccer Holdings, an Atlanta-based concern. As the days passed, it became increasingly clear that Nike’s failure to sell the league to a group of USL club owners caught everyone by surprise.
This afternoon, the Carolina RailHawks released a statement that is something like a thrown-down gauntlet. Titled “Team Owners Association Chills Relations with USL After Nike Sells USL to Non-Team Third Party,” the message couldn’t be more plain.
Selby Wellman, a member of the RailHawks’ ownership group, is listed as the spokesperson for the dissident owners’ group.
The bottom line is that five of the 11 currently active USL-1 clubs have not committed to playing in the league for the 2010 season, including Carolina, and that they are aggressively pursuing all alternatives—which presumably include an oft-rumored breakaway league. Clearly, the sale to NuRock displeases these owners and they feel that NuRock will not be the solution to frequently expressed concerns about the leagues’ organization and marketing.
The statement was issued on behalf of the Team Owners Association, a group of owners formally established in January 2008. Member clubs include existing USL-1 franchises Carolina, FC Miami, the Vancouver Whitecaps, Montreal Impact and Minnesota Thunder; a former USL-1 franchise, the Atlanta Silverbacks; one 2010 expansion franchise, the Tampa Bay Rowdies; and one prospective future franchise, St. Louis.
Notably absent are USL stalwarts Portland (which, like Vancouver, is joining the MLS in 2011), Rochester and Charleston, along with FC New York (which is slated to begin USL-1 play in 2010).
There are many questions that remain unanswered, and we hope to find out some soon. Following is the text of the statement by the Team Owners Association. Here is our post on the announcement last week that NuRock had bought the USL pyramid. Continue reading »
