OREM - The Arena Indoor Football Association dropped one franchise but gained another - and possibly a second - as the Orem-based Utah Valley Thunder logo was officially unveiled and head coach introduced Wednesday in the McKay Center at Utah Valley University.
The 16-team developmental league will also hold its championship game, the AIFA Bowl scheduled for July, in Orem. The team will do tryouts in mid-November.
"I still feel like I can play football," said former Brigham Young linebacker Chris Bolden, who played for the now-defunct Utah Saints last season. "I want to move to [the Arena Football League]."
The AIFA, a second-tier indoor league, was formed in 2006. Mike Mink and John Morris are the founders and owners of the AIFA. Excluding the franchises in Baltimore and an expansion team in Washington, D.C., the majority of teams are located mostly in small to mid-size markets in the eastern United States and the Rocky Mountains.
The Thunder will play in the West Division of the Western Conference. Other divisional teams are Wyoming (Casper), Arizona (Prescott) and New Mexico (Albuquerque). The league is also working to create a team in Ogden.
Utah owner - Orem businessman Dave Affleck - purchases the franchise rights two months ago when the Utah Saints, located in Kearns, folded after last season.
Chad DeGrenier, a seven-year veteran of the Arena Football League at Arizona under coach Danny White, was named head coach. The 14-game schedule begins in March.
"We have a few football fans around here," said Affleck in predicting that the team will enjoy solid fan base. "Seeing how they pack LaVell Edwards Stadium for BYU games leads me to believe. . . this could be a good deal if done right."
