Lingerie football won’t play at Family Arena in St. Charles
June 23, 2012 by admin
Filed under Latest Lingerie News
ST. CHARLES • Lingerie football won’t be played at the Family Arena after all.
The Lingerie Football League’s new St. Louis franchise and county officials failed to work out a contract, the county announced Friday.
“In the end, we just felt it wasn’t a good fit and didn’t make sense from a business or a public relations standpoint,” County Executive Steve Ehlmann said.
The league wouldn’t provide financial guarantees that the county had required to reserve two home dates next year at the county-owned facility in St. Charles, according to an Ehlmann aide. Two road games also are planned.
The league — which features women in sports bras, shorts, football pads and helmets — said it still plans a St. Louis squad, which was recently named the Saints.
“We cannot comment on current discussions with several other venues until we have a signed agreement,” Mitchell Mortaza, the league’s founder and chairman, said Friday.
Tryouts will be Sunday as scheduled at Vetta Sports’ south St. Louis County location at 12320 Old Tesson Road from noon to 3 p.m.
The league’s website asks potential players to be prepared for speed, agility and strength drills and to bring “a full body picture” to leave with the team.
The league announced a month ago that a St. Louis expansion team would begin play next April at the Family Arena. County officials said then that the league jumped the gun because a contract had yet to be worked out.
The county decided against the team although a three-person county committee had determined that the lingerie league didn’t violate an arena policy barring events advocating violence, sexual depravity, illegal behavior or degradation of certain groups.
Mortaza didn’t comment on the contract talks but took a jab at the county. “Family Arena was never Plan A,” Mortaza said. “Our arenas and stadiums around the country are all top-tier NBA/NHL/NFL type facilities run by sophisticated groups. Family Arena did not meet either of those requirements.”
