UFC Legend Urijah Faber Leading Effort To Bring Indoor Football League Team To Sacramento
By: Jason Anderson
Article: Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (August 1, 2023) – UFC legend Urijah Faber is leading an effort to make Sacramento the new home of the Indoor Football League’s Bay Area Panthers.
The Panthers will play the Sioux Falls Storm in the IFL championship game on Saturday at Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada, but beyond that their future is uncertain.
Team owners Marshawn Lynch, a former NFL All-Pro running back, and Roy Choi, a gaming and entertainment entrepreneur, are considering relocation after two seasons in San Jose. They have issued a request for proposals from four Northern California cities: Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose and Stockton.
Each market will have an executive community board to help rally support from the local business community. Faber, a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, is serving as chairman of the executive community board for Sacramento.
“I’ve had an opportunity to experience arena football and it’s an incredible family environment,” Faber told The Sacramento Bee. “It’s exciting. It’s fast paced. There’s a lot of cool things on top of the actual football game. I have two kids now, almost 3 and 4, and this is perfect for kids. I think it’s a great thing to bring to our community.”
The proposal process is being led by PIVOT Agency founder and CEO Ben Shapiro, who is involved in talks with the Sacramento Kings regarding the use of Golden 1 Center. Shapiro said the team will choose its home by mid-September with the 2024 season expected to begin in March.
Shapiro, a former Sacramento State tennis player, said Faber will play an important role in the process.
“Urijah is the perfect person to lead the executive community board in Sacramento,” Shapiro said. “He might be known as ‘The California Kid’ from his UFC days, but he’s the King of Sacramento after years of community involvement and success at the highest level of sport. As we continue to work through the RFP process, we’re excited to see what Urijah and his team can put together. Sacramento has a strong sports history, and the market continues to grow both in population and economic viability.”
The Panthers were set to begin play at Oakland Arena in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic caused their inaugural season to be canceled. The Panthers then withdrew from the 2021 season before announcing they would play their home games at SAP Center in Jose beginning in 2022.
The Panthers are coached by Rob Keefe and Dixie Wooten. The Panthers (12-5) have won four games in a row, including playoff wins over the Tucson Sugar Skulls and Northern Arizona Wranglers, to reach the IFL championship game.
Faber believes Sacramento can pledge enough support and sponsorships to make a strong bid.
“I definitely feel like we’re a serious player for the spot,” Faber said. “I just feel like we’re a big enough of city, but with enough of a hometown vibe where it can really be supported. I think we’ll have powerful people who love to have things to cheer about in our community to get behind it and that’s really what needs to happen for us to win the bid. We have to get community leaders involved who want it and support it.”
Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/sports/
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact panthersrfp@pivot-agency.com.
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