Everett Hawks voted into NIFL

Published 9:00 pm Monday, September 27, 2004

EVERETT – The Everett Hawks indoor football team is first and goal.

As part of the National Indoor Football League’s annual meeting in Las Vegas, the Everett Hawks expansion team was approved for 2005 play.

The team hopes to call the Everett Events Center home, and could roll out green turf in March for a 14-game season with seven home games.

The expansion team is owned by a local group headed by National Football League player Sam Adams, a former Seattle Seahawk. Adams now plays for the Buffalo Bills.

“I’m very excited. Normally, I’m not a man of few words, but this is very – just – exciting,” Adams said. “I’m thinking about the first game and the fans and how we’re going to involve ourselves with the fans and the community. The fun is about to start.”

For competition and travel reasons, the league originally said it would induct Everett only if expansion teams in Tri-Cities and Boise were also added. Boise didn’t make the cut Tuesday, but after crunching some numbers, league officials decided to add Everett and Tri-Cities.

The Everett Hawks’ other opponents could include Billings, Mont., Casper, Wyo., Sioux Falls, S.D., and Omaha, Neb.

“We just did a few things, organizational things, that would help make sure they were successful traveling. We took a painstaking look at all the miles to every place,” said Carolyn Shiver, NIFL president. “We want our teams to be successful, so we have to be very diligent.”

Everett Hawks spokeswoman Lisa Balmes said the organization is ready to roll with its brand of “affordable family fun.” Ticket prices range from $7 to $43, she said.

“We want to be a part of Everett,” she said. “We hope to bring arena football to Everett and be successful.”

The next step, Balmes said, is to work out a lease agreement with the events center.

Fred Safstrom, executive director of the arena’s public facilities board, said Tuesday’s vote was a big step forward.

“We have made the outline of a contract proposal to the Hawks, they have responded with questions,” Safstrom said. “I would be optimistic that we will have football here this spring.”

That doesn’t leave much time for dilly-dallying — there are coaches to hire, a team to put together and fans to woo.

“Look out, here we come,” Adams said.

Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.