Player tryouts for the new Kent Predators of the professional Indoor Football League are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at The Soccer Center, 2610 Bay St. E., in Tacoma.
Registration begins at 2:30 p.m. Saturday followed by the tryout at 3:30 p.m. Players also must be available for a second tryout from 7:30-9 a.m. Sunday at The Soccer Center.
The fee for the tryout is $65, which includes a T-shirt. Players must pay in cash at the tryout. Participants must be at least 18 years old.
Team officials will evaluate players in the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, a four-cone drill, the standing-broad jump, agility drills, position-specific drills and 7-on-7 drills.
Kickers will be evaluated on kickoff and field goal proficiency.
Players can pre-register at www.kentpredators.com or by calling the team office at 253-239-3254. Players who re-register can pay by credit card.
Kent is an expansion team in the 26-team league that started last spring with 19 teams.
The Predators will play home games in 2010 at the ShoWare Center.
The Predators will play seven home games and seven games on the road on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday from March through June.
The IFL schedule is expected to be released later this month.
The opponents for Kent are expected to include the Tri-Cities Fever and the Billings (Mont.) Outlaws, the only other teams in the Pacific Northwest, as well as a couple of teams in Alaska. The league has teams in 15 states.
Players will receive $225 per game and a $25 bonus if their team wins, Kent co-owner Chris Kokalis said at a press conference last week.
Former college players form the rosters for many of the teams for the eight-on-eight games.
“It will be great to get the ball rolling on the football side,” Kokalis said in a team media release.
“This is an opportunity to get paid to play professional football. We are looking to assist players in taking their game to the next level such as the CFL (Canadian Football League) or NFL.
“Our league is definitely a stepping stone to help get them to that level.”
Team officials expect to announce a head coach within a week or so.
THE SCOOP
WHO: Kent Predators, Indoor Football League
WHAT: 26 teams
WHEN: March-June. 14-game schedule
WHERE: ShoWare Center, 7 home games
RULES: 8-on-8 players; field 50 yards long; no punting; 21 players on roster; each team may have one coach on the field
TICKETS: Season tickets range from $96 to $252
WEB SITE: www.kentpredators.com
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