What goes into the foundation of a new semi-professional sports team? Read the Owner's Blog posts for the team's organizational blog.
Every journey has a beginning - the first step, the call to action, something that can be likened to planting a flag in the ground and saying "We started here."
For the Fort Worth Panthers, that came last spring when one European member of the US Men's U19 Team asked the staff: "Is there any place in the States that I can come and play floorball while I go to school?" The answer, unfortunately was no. From that conversation, the germ of the idea that would become the NAFL, and ultimately the Panthers, grew.
In late July, NAFL Commissioner Ryan Connor approached me and asked if I would be interested in joining a new semi-professional league in North America. One that was dedicated to growing the game a different way, by establishing 4 to 8 high-end teams with top US-based players and high-end players from around the world. One that would drive floorball in the US as a spectator sport, not simply a pickup or amateur sport. He described his vision for the league and outlined what he thought it would take for a team to be successful. Then he pitched a franchise to me.
I went back to the house and discussed it with my wife, Leigh. Ultimately, we decided that we had a unique opportunity to make a difference in floorball for a little more than just North Texas. We had both been very active in North Texas Floorball (www.ntfa.us) and we thought this was a chance to leverage that into something bigger. On August 1, I met Ryan at Floorball Planet here in town and I handed him the earnest money check. Just like that, we were team #1 in the NAFL.
This blog will highlight the growth of the Panthers. Not the news, not the game results, but the owner's journey from an idea and a dream to the reality, for good or bad! Thanks for reading and joining me on this journey. I can't wait to see where it goes.
