Pacific Football League to kick off inaugural season in April

Published 1:01 pm Friday, January 7, 2011

The Pacific Football League, a minor league nonprofit football organization, will launch its inaugural season this spring.

League play will begin April 16.

The league is comprised of 16 teams – eight from Washington, eight from Oregon – who will participate in a 10-game regular season followed by an eight-team playoff and championship game on Aug. 6. The playoff format is still being determined.

The league was born Nov. 7 when the Oregon Football League merged with the Northwest Amateur Football League. Several other teams were invited into the PFL from other existing leagues.

All 16 teams are non-profit organizations geared toward helping charities in their communities. Various food banks, Boys and Girls Clubs and other agencies stand to benefit from ticket sales, donations and corporate sponsorships, organizers said.

Players in the league will not command big contracts. In fact, they don’t earn any money at all.

“It’s a chance for adults to continue playing football and helping out in the community at the same time,” said Tim Reynolds, owner of the Sumner-based South King County Colts. “We’re not in this for the money. We’re all working together to give back to our communities we represent.”

PFL Commissioner Ipo Ross is excited about the upcoming season and is pleased the league progress so far.

“Our focus is to solidify amateur football in the Northwest,” Ross said. “We’re trying to find the strongest teams to be able to have a vested interest into their community.”

According to Ross, some teams in the past have given the impression of being “sandlot” football organizations. Not only were they unable to help out in the community, Ross said, but the teams did little in the way of demonstrating good sportsmanship on the field.

Ross hopes those issues will be a thing of the past by inviting teams that have the best chance to remain financially stable to consistently make a difference in their communities, as well as provide good sportsmanship and leadership on game day.

The league will be split into two divisions.

The North Division consists of the eight teams from Washington – Bellingham Bulldogs, Snohomish Vikings, Kitsap Bears, South King County Colts, Yakima Mavericks, South Sound Shockers, Grays Harbor Bearcats and Clark County Vipers.

The eight teams from Oregon that will make up the South Division include the Portland Monarchs, Portland Raiders, Oregon Outlaws, Springfield Buzzards, High Desert Lightning, Klamath Crusaders, Rogue Warriors and the Southern Oregon Renegades.

For more information about the league, visit www.pacificfootballleague.com.

Ron Lassen is the sports information director for the South King County Colts