Want to own an MLL team?

Saturday night 3,687 fans turned up to watch the New Jersey Pride take on the Philadeplhia Barrage play the first MLL game in Oregon.  The final score was 17-16 Pride but the Lumberjax General Manager, Brian Silcott is hoping this won't be the last game, but instead the beignning of a new franchise.

Excerpts taken from The Oregonian - for full article click here and our own interview with Brian and David Gross last night.

Brian Silcott is looking to put a MLL team in Portland on a permanent basis. Silcott said he is seeking investors with an eye toward having an outdoor team in Portland as early as next summer.

Brian was hoping the attendance for the game was between 3,000 and 4,000. That would show the MLL that there might be enough interest in the Portland area to support a professional outdoor team. With a final attendance of 3,687 I think they definitely got the message that it's definitely possible.

The MLL's average attendance this season is 4,556, with Boston and Denver averaging 8,000 to 11,000, respectively, and the rest of the league fewer than 4,200.

The franchise expansion fee is about $1.5 million, but and a Portland team would have to draw about 5,000 for it to be profitable, Silcott said. Including running expense for 2 years and a few other MLL fees they'd need about $3 million to make this a reality.

Should Portland land an MLL franchise, Silcott said the team would work in conjunction with the LumberJax by sharing staff but not ownership.

Some players, Silcott said, could play for both teams and become a more permanent part of the community. "That way, players could become full-time professional lacrosse players and have a vested interest in staying in Portland year-round," Silcott said.

I think you'd agree this would be a great addition for us here in Seattle as well as down in Oregon.  We'll keep you up to date on any progress.