The Force is with Gwinnett again

By LARRY HARTSTEIN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/11/07

The Georgia Force is returning to Gwinnett Arena, and this time the Arena football team is staying for a long time.

The Force has agreed to a 10-year lease with the arena in Duluth. At a 3:30 p.m. news conference today at the arena, team officials will discuss the decision to return to Gwinnett after three seasons at Philips Arena.

Longtime season-ticket holder Erik Richards applauded the Force's return, and not just because the arena sits closer to his Duluth home.

"Arena football is a 10,000- 12,000-seat sport, no more, no less," said Richards, who has owned season tickets since the Force's inaugural 2002 season. "When you get in those 18,000- to 19,000-seat basketball arenas, the place looks like a ghost town because it's only 60 [percent] or 70 percent full.

"With the type of talent they have accumulated since Arthur [Blank] bought the team, in a matter of four or five games you're going to see the Gwinnett Arena at 90 percent capacity or more," Richards added. "It's going to make it a better overall experience for the fans."

The Gwinnett Arena seats 11,200 for football, while Philips holds about 18,000. The team averaged 11,489 tickets sold per game last season, when the Force went 15-3 and reached its conference championship game.

The Force played its first season at Philips, then moved to Gwinnett when the arena opened in February 2003. Blank bought the Force in summer 2004 and took the team downtown, calling it a gift to the city of Atlanta. At the time, he said a survey of fans showed they preferred going to Philips.

But when the three-year lease expired, the team began exploring its options, and Gwinnett leaders wanted the Force back. According to a team news release, the move will give fans more affordable lower-level seating and tailgating opportunities. Not to mention free parking.

"The Gwinnett Arena is perfectly built for this sport," Richards said. "Every seat is a good seat."