Time flies when you’re having fun — and enjoying a championship.
“I can’t believe it’s year three,” said Jeff Bouchy, Jacksonville Sharks managing partner.
“It seems like we just started the franchise and I’m thinking back and can’t believe we won the Arena Bowl in year two. That does not happen every day.”
Between the playoffs and post-championship festivities, Bouchy said the offseason was cut short by about five weeks.
The 2012 season begins on the road Friday against the Kansas City Command before the first home game of the year March 24 against the Georgia Force.
That home opener will be “Championship Pride Night” and “City of Jacksonville Employee Night” and will celebrate last year’s achievements.
Bouchy said fans have positively responded at the ticket office. Last year, season tickets hovered at 4,000. They’re 6,000 already this year, he said.
“The fans have really accepted the Sharks into the community, into the sports family here in Jacksonville,” he said. “I think they appreciate the product.”
Bouchy credits the family-affordable pricing and the “got hit in the head with a frying pan” effect fans experience after the multiple styles of entertainment associated with the game itself.
“They say ‘we had a blast,’” he said.
Bouchy said this year’s team will be different, especially on offense, but he “absolutely” believes the team will defend.
“The fans should always expect us to compete for the division title,” he said. “If you win the division, you get a ticket to the dance and a shot to win the Arena Bowl.”
Each home game will have a different theme for the fans.
Fans should expect to see others dressed in space costumes (“Star Wars Night”), tacky Southern attire (“Redneck Night”), and capes and tights (“Superhero Night”), throughout the season. There also will be “appreciation nights.”
Bouchy said the team is “lean and mean” with about 10 full-time staff in the front office supplemented by interns to keep operations running smoothly.
“What we accomplish out of here is amazing,” he said.
He also credits corporate sponsorships, which also have increased around 31 percent, with making Arena Football a success in Jacksonville.
“Without them, we wouldn’t be here,” he said.
For more information about the team and season, visit www.jaxsharks.com.
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