Ohio Invaders move to Perry

Lake County Gazette / Tribune

By John Broom, sports@gazettenews.com

PERRY — There’s some new minor league sports action in Northeast Ohio, and it’s not baseball.
The Ohio Invaders have moved to Perry High School for the 2008 season. While the team is based on Lake County, team officials said they want to draw fans from all across Northeast Ohio, and possibly players as well.
The team is part of the North American Football League - a collection of 100 teams across the country.
While described as “minor league,” the NAFL is an amateur league (players don’t get paid) that has been around for nine years. Players can play in this league, and possibly go on to college or professional football, acccording to the NAFL’s media kit.
The leauge was started to unify the small club and semi-pro adult football teams that existed across the country. By unifying they have several goals to reach.
Teams vie for playoff contention in the hunt for the National Championship while players hope to get enough votes to represent their team in the All-star game.
Both games were held in Las Vegas in 2007.
Player experience in the NAFL includes high school, college, arena league and former NFL and CFL players.
There are more than 6,000 people playing in the NAFL across the country.
The season gets under way June 14th with the first home game on June 21st.
All games kickoff at 7 p.m. on Saturday nights throughout the summer.
The team looks to build upon last year’s 7-3 regular-season record.
Team owner Mark Clement made the decision to move from the west side of Cleveland to Perry, because of the high school’s state-of-the-art facility, and the response the team got when they hosted at game at Perry High School last August.
Mark, along with wife Stephanie, look forward to the team playing at Alumni Stadium as they look to get deeper into the playoffs this year.
The Invaders are part of the Lake Erie Division, with teams from Leetsville, Pa., Slippery Rock, Mahoning County, and elsewhere in Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania.
The Red Bulls from Youngstown were the Division champions last year.
The Invaders want to be part of the community and to offer a great night of football for families to enjoy. Invaders general manager (and player), Randy Brewster (#73) believes that in order to become part of the community and get its’ support, the team must give back.
The Invaders already have planned visits to Rainbow Babies and Children’s hospital as well as assisted-living homes in the area.
Additionally, the Invaders have already scheduled another Youth Football Night for August 23rd. All area youth leagues should contact Coach Brewster at coach@painesvillebuckeyes.com.
The Invaders held a tryout in March. However, they are still accepting walk-on players. They are also still looking for dancers to serve as team support and representatives.
Please visit www.ohioinvaders.com for more information. Team owner, Mark Clement, may be contacted at 216.965.7779 or OhioInvaders@aol.com for further information including sponsorship and advertising opportunities for the 2008 season.