[Previous entry: ""] [Next entry: "Look who's coming to practice"]

08/27/2005: "AMATEUR TEAM SEEKS STABILITY -- AND FANS"

Aaron Blake, Special To The Star Tribune
June 29, 2005

A good portion of the owners, coaches and volunteers who help run the Midwest Pioneers amateur football team are tied, in one way or another, through family.
That's about all the stability the organization can boast after three years of existence. And it's not alone. "At points, this is almost like a softball league, where players jump teams from year to year just because one friend went somewhere or they want to try something different," Pioneers co-owner and special teams coach Dan Mitchell said.
Some things are beyond your control in amateur sports. But after three ownerships, three head coaches and three home stadiums in three-plus years, a trio of new owners is trying to salvage what constancy it can.
A move to the northern suburbs, where two of the owners live, was among the first steps in forming a new identity -- one the owners hope will last. After playing at two locations in St. Paul in years past, the team will move its home games to the revamped field at Mounds View High School this season.
The Pioneers, who up until last month had been called the St. Paul Pioneers, are the two-time defending champions in the 10-team Mid-America Football League (MFL). They also played in the national championship game two years ago at the Metrodome.
But that doesn't mean some changes weren't in order.
"Where we've located is a smaller, more tight-knit community," said co-owner and head coach Scott Ramsdell, who lives in Brooklyn Park. "We feel that we can draw a better fan base by basically embedding ourselves in the community."
To that end, Ramsdell, Blaine resident Mitchell and fellow co-owner and defensive lineman Tony Aitkin have tried to create visibility for the team by being in parades, arranging partnerships with local businesses and creating the Pioneer Outreach Program. The first-year effort supports charities including the American Cancer Society and the Alzheimer's Association with 5 percent of the ticket and concessions sales from home games, beginning with the opener July 9.

Diehards wanted
But getting people into the stands is hard for an amateur team. The Pioneers have drawn an average of 200 to 300 fans per game, and Mitchell said he hopes to raise that number to between 300 and 500 this year.
That begins with getting their own families involved through picnics and get-togethers that aim to turn teammates into friends and individual families into a larger family. "None of us get paid to do this, so we want to make it as friendly for the families as we can," Ramsdell said. "The way we start doing that is by bringing our own family in the fold, and it reaches out from there."
Having a good football team is another factor, and the Pioneers' early success can only help.
But with about a 30 percent yearly turnover rate, sustaining talent is a constant effort. Infusing the team with new talent often means using word-of-mouth and hoping somebody worthy gets the message. Many aren't even aware of the league before they catch on with a team.
Kicker and Blaine native John Dierkhising is a case in point. He hadn't even played football and was a goalkeeper on the Minnesota Thunder professional soccer team when a former Blaine High School teammate got a call to try out for the Minneapolis Lumberjacks, another MFL team.
Now Dierkhising is one of the few in the league who has realistic aspirations of playing at the next level. He's tried out at an NFL combine and for teams in the Arena League.
Starting running back Brian Warden is another example. He happened to run into an old college teammate who was on the Pioneers when the team was looking for a back three years ago.
Several months ago, Warden ran into a fan who recognized him in Eagan. Now the goal is to get that in the northern suburbs.

The family is working on it.
"We want to represent them," Warden said. "If we can represent Mounds View and Brooklyn Park and this area up here, it's just going to be a cycle."
Home games are at Mounds View High School.

7 p.m. July 9 Home vs. Shakopee Warriors
7 p.m. July 16 Home vs. Racine Raiders
7 p.m. July 23 Home vs. Twin City Titans
7 p.m. July 30 Home vs. Duluth/Superior Shoremen
3 p.m. Aug. 6 At Central T-Birds, St. John's
7 p.m. Aug. 13 Home vs. Minnesota Maulers
TBA Aug. 20 At River City Rough Riders, Winona State
TBA Aug. 27 At Minneapolis Lumberjacks, Augsburg
Tickets are $7 for ages 12 and up. For more information, go to www.midwestpioneers.com.