EVERETT — Sports fans might once again have a hometown indoor football team.
The co-owner of the Kent Predators, members of the 2-year-old Indoor Football League, is talking with officials at Comcast Arena about starting a new team in Everett in 2012.
Owner Ken Moninski said it’s not for sure yet, but he and his business partners are doing the legwork to make it happen.
“Our interest is sincere,” he said. “We are confident we could do this by 2012.”
Moninski never played indoor football but he likes the fast-paced action. He is the owner and operator of the Tukwila-based aviation services company Global Aircraft Services.
The Predators, who play their home games at the ShoWare Center in Kent, finished the 2010 season with a 5-9 record and failed to make the playoffs. Owners have committed to a second season in Kent.
One of the reasons Everett is so appealing to the Predators owners is another Northwest team in the IFL means reduced costs and travel time for away games.
Moninski also likes the rivalry that inevitably develops between area teams. The league’s Pacific North Division includes two other franchises in Washington — the Wenatchee Valley Venom and the Tri-Cities Fever.
Moninski said he initially thought they could launch a team here next year, but decided instead to spend more time here doing their homework.
“We want to make sure we are drawing good crowds and strong corporate partners,” he said. “We want a strong organization.”
Everett fans got a taste of the sport when former NFL player Sam Adams brought a team to town in 2005. The Hawks’ first season in Everett was deemed a success, drawing an average of about 4,000 fans a game to Comcast Arena, said Kim Bedier, the arena’s general manager.
The next year the team moved up to a more competitive league. The Hawks didn’t win as many games and attendance dropped. Financial problems eventually forced the franchise to fold in 2007.
The success of the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League and the Washington Stealth indoor lacrosse team, new to Comcast Arena in 2010, makes the city an appealing choice for potential professional sports team, Moninski said.
“We know there is a fan base that responds well to this type of spectator sport up here,” he said.
That success, however, also means a crowded field of Everett teams competing for the same corporate sponsor dollars and weekend game dates at the arena.
The IFL’s season runs from February to July and overlaps with both lacrosse and hockey. Finding enough open weekend dates will be a considerable challenge, Bedier said. Still, arena officials want to sit down and see if they can make it work, she said.
Indoor football has a strong pocket of fans in the area. They call the arena and ask when it’s coming back, Bedier said.
“Our goal is a win-win for everybody,” she said.
Others have talked about — and so far failed — to bring minor-league basketball and indoor football teams to Everett.
The one exception was Marysville native Nathan Mumm, who brought in the International Basketball League. His Everett Explosion lasted one season in Comcast Arena before moving to Monroe High School.
Moninski said he and his partners expect to make a decision as early as spring next year.
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com
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