SAN DIEGO, Jan. 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Freedom Football League (FFL), a groundbreaking player-centric and fan-focused professional football league recently formed by a legion of former National Football League (NFL) players, today announced the management team and ownership structure in its first market, San Diego. Emphasizing diversity in its executive team and establishing a model where all fans can become owners, the San Diego Warriors is the first of ten teams in the FFL to offer this opportunity.
The Warriors leadership team includes CEO Byron Chamberlain, a two-time Super Bowl Champion tight end; General Manager Jeff Garcia, a four-time NFL Pro-Bowl quarterback with a deep background in alternative professional football leagues; CMO Juli Jordan, a 25-year veteran of the sports marketing industry, attorney and former NFL player agent; and Angela Abshier, an attorney and executive from both the eSports and gaming industries. The team will announce its head coach, additional executives and board members in the coming weeks.
Accredited investors will be able to buy shares through a planned Regulation-D offering and, in early 2019, the San Diego Warriors plan to file for SEC qualification to enable all fans to invest in and own a piece of the Warriors, joining a movement started by former NFL players who consider the league and themselves agents of change. This innovative concept is designed to empower players with financial control and a transparent platform to speak on social justice issues and their various passions, while forging an authentic alliance with football fans. To encourage a unique, distributed ownership model, which prevents any one individual or entity from having a controlling position, the FFL does not allow investments larger than $1 million, but rather, will encourage ownership from as many San Diego fans as possible. Fans who invest in the team will also get various unprecedented perks including time with the players, owners’ box and sideline access and different season tickets bundles as a premium reward for becoming an owner, varying by investment amount.
“What makes this league and team different from others is the unique ownership model that benefits the masses – not just folks at the top of the food chain,” said Jeff Garcia, General Manager of the San Diego Warriors. “As a San Diego resident and someone who has a keen interest in improving player safety, I look forward to participating in the entrepreneurial spirit of this league designed to level the playing field for athletes and fans.”
As economic justice and ownership equality are at the heart of the FFL’s philosophy, the Warriors will pioneer a first-of-its kind professional sports governance and ownership model in which players, fans and investors will each have an opportunity to elect a board member to represent their respective group’s interests. The FFL plans to announce additional board directors in early 2019 and will pursue gender diversity in its board composition, with the goal of exceeding the California-state corporate gender-equality guidelines for public companies, which requires at least one female board-member per public company. All teams will also endeavor to have industry-leading racial and gender balance across executive, coaching and staff hires.
“San Diego is a city with a rich Marine Corps, Naval, and Coast Guard history, a theme that resonates with me as the son of a military father,” said Byron Chamberlain, CEO of the San Diego Warriors. “It’s only fitting that we named this team the Warriors as our way of paying tribute to the fighting men and women who have guarded our freedom for centuries and continue to defend and protect our country each day.”
The Freedom Football League will officially celebrate the arrival of the Warriors in San Diego at two upcoming dinners hosted locally, where prospective owners, community business partners and other preferred investors will be invited to meet with former players and members of the ownership and management team. For those interested in attending, please visit: https://www.freedomfootball.co/events/initial-san-diego-investors/.
About the Freedom Football League
The Freedom Football League (FFL) is a professional football league established by 50 former National Football League players. The league has a player-centric approach to its structure, upending the traditional ownership model in professional football and enabling fans and players to join the movement by purchasing ownership of the individual teams. The league was founded upon four pillars: ensuring adequate health and wellness support for players; empowering athletes to use their platform to address societal issues they are passionate about; creating a new spectator experience which leverages technology and makes the game affordable for all; and establishing economic justice by replacing the exploitative power dynamic between owners and players. To learn more about the FFL or to join the movement, please visit: www.freedom football.co.
Media Contact:
FischTank Marketing & PR
Tel: +1 (646) 699-1414
FFL@fischtankpr.com