Imagine running a business where outsiders get to select management and key employees and have a say in not just day-to-day operations but make moment-to-moment decisions. That’s the plan for a first-of-its-kind venture, in the form of a yet-to-be-named indoor football team that will start play in February at the Maverik Center in West Valley City.
Imagine running a business where outsiders get to select management and key employees and have a say in not just day-to-day operations but make moment-to-moment decisions.
That’s the plan for a first-of-its-kind venture, in the form of a yet-to-be-named indoor football team that will start play in February at the Maverik Center in West Valley City. A mix of crowdfunding, technology-based interactivity and fantasy sports, the “Project FANchise” team is being hailed as the first fan-run professional team in sports history.
“When we say, ‘We’re going to let fans run the team,’ we’re going to let fans run the team,” Sohrob Farudi, chief executive officer and co-founder, said in a website video about the team.
“They’re going to make the decisions on the general manager that we hire, they’re going to make decisions on the coaching staff, we’re going to get fans involved in scouting the players, choosing which players make the roster, and when it comes to game time, actually calling plays in real time on the field.”
Fan input decided that Utah would be the site for the team, beating out four other markets, and the team website indicates that by using an in-development app they will also decide the team name, colors, logo, mascot, jersey style and fan apparel; who makes the cheerleader squad; the types of beer and music in the arena; the general manager and coaching staff; the players who make the roster; the playbook and game plans; and the plays, in real time during games.
The venture is a combination of two companies. Project FANchise Technology is working on the mobile technology platform allowing the fans to run the team. Project FANchise Team is the organization set up to execute what the fans desire.
The Utah team will be among 11 in the Indoor Football League, which has teams across the Midwest, Colorado, Texas, Montana and Washington.
“The first question you’re probably asking is, is this actually real?” Farudi said on another website video. “I know it’s hard to believe. We sometimes can’t believe it ourselves. But this is happening. We are really going to create a professional football team that you run.”
Farudi said the team will be supported by top-notch professionals “and we’re going to make sure we surround this team with pros that can help the fans be successful.”
While the team’s base and game venues have been selected, the venture is in the midst of raising $50,000 to complete development of the app. As of the middle of last week, $27,500 had been raised.
The app will enable several levels of participation by fans, who will accumulate “FanIQ” points by demonstrating football knowledge through quizzes, games and challenges. Each level provides more voting power and voting options.
For example, the lowest level, dubbed Rookie, allows access to the film room — live streaming and archive footage of practices, coaches’ meetings, film breakdown and front office meetings. A higher level allows for calling plays in real time from anywhere.
Participants will get real-time feedback and be notified if the team ran the play a participant picked, with the participant earning more points if the play was successful.
“Project FANchise is really going to be embarking on a journey of really incorporating fan interaction, fan engagement, in an experience in owning and operating a professional sports team,” said Mike Allshouse, the IFL commissioner, who first discussed the concept with Farudi about a year ago.
“The ideas that Sohrob presented me, I was very intrigued by and just thought, hey, this has got some merit, this is kind of the wave of the future. You see e-sports nowadays, fantasy football, things of that nature. The way that our fans are consuming our sports product is constantly changing, and this is the next step of that evolution.”
“This is the right time to do this,” Farudi said. “Technology has advanced so far so fast in the last couple of years and this is an idea that I’ve had in my head for five years now, and I think it’s just the right time to do it.”
Farudi is hoping for a large group calling the shots.
“The collective intelligence that we can all bring to this project is going to make this thing successful, and the more people we can get involved, the better we’re going to be, because, at the end of the day, we’re all going to be contributing,” he said. “My vote’s not going to count any more than your vote is. We’re going to make this happen, and the day a FANchise beats a traditional team is the day that the game changes forever.”
As for the Utah location, Farudi said the city and state “are going to be perfect” because of a “really a good blend of what we’re looking for with football being a big part of the community, and technology really, really growing here.”
In addition to fan participation through the app, the team is offering, for a price, some experiences connected with the team. For example, for $75 a person can try out for the team, for $500 a person can lead the team out of the tunnel, or for $750 a person can warm up the quarterback before the game.
Details about the team are at utahprofootball.com.
Utah has been the site of several indoor football teams. The longest-lasting was the Utah Blaze, which played from 2006-13. Most of the other teams lasted only a season or two.
The other teams in the Indoor Football League are based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Des Moines, Iowa; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Wichita Falls, Texas; Loveland, Colorado; Grand Island, Nebraska; Billings, Montana; Spokane, Washington; and Kennewick, Washington.