Sports

AF2

Pioneers ink new arena lease

Team will be at the Wachovia Area at least through the 2009 season.

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

WILKES-BARRE TWP. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers will be playing at Wachovia Arena for at least another two years.

The team signed a two-year lease with the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority effective Feb. 18, the team announced on Thursday in conjunction with the authority and facilities manager SMG.

“We are pleased to have an agreement in place to retain the Pioneers as tenants of Wachovia Arena,” said Rebecca Bonnevier, general manager of SMG.

The contract takes effect with the start of the 2008 season in April, and continues through the conclusion of the 2009 season. The lease includes a three-year renewal option for the 2010-2012 seasons.

The Pioneers, a member team of the arenafootball2 indoor football league, began play at Wachovia Arena in April 2002. The team was purchased in 2007 by Philadelphia-area businessman Cosmo DeNicola.

The new contract is the result of “several months of hard work” by the authority, including new chairman Patrick Judge, the Pioneers and SMG, according to a press release.

Great teamwork made this deal possible, and “all parties will benefit from the goodwill and synergy created throughout the negotiation process,” Cosmo DeNicola said.

The Convention Center Authority will benefit from increased rental fees in the new lease.

Last season, the Pioneers paid the authority $6,500 in rent per home game.

According to the new lease, the team will pay the authority $7,404 for each home game during the regular season. The rent will adjust upward each year in accordance with the Consumer Price Index.

The Pioneers will be allowed to defer $656 in rent payments from each game of the 2008 season and add that amount to rent payments in the 2009 season.

The lease also stipulates that holders of club seats will have the right to purchase their seats on a season-ticket basis before anyone else, and any unsold club seats shall be made available to the general public for purchase.

The authority will pay the Pioneers $5,000 each season for 12 complimentary suite tickets for each of the 32 suites for all pre-season and regular-season games, and it will also receive 40 complimentary seats for each home game of the season and 40 free parking spaces, the lease stipulates.

The Pioneers’ first home game of the 2008 season will be 7 p.m. April 11 against Mahoning Valley. The Pioneers will raise a banner celebrating their 2007 American Conference Championship before the game.

“The team is important to this community, as demonstrated by their increase in fan base each year,” Bonnevier said.

“They provide good programming for the venue and offer our guests an opportunity to comfortably experience live, action-packed football games during spring and summer.”

Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 459-2005.

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