The Quad City Steamwheelers Professional Arena Football Team is preparing to begin play this February after nearly a decade absence.  The team is coming off a wildly successful open tryout and Head Coach Cory Ross is formulating a winning team that includes 14 local athletes on the 35-man training camp roster.

Now the Steamwheelers focus their attention towards the core philosophy of representing the Quad Cities in all facets.  One main initiative will be to tie local school districts into each of 7 home games in an effort to have local students part of the Quad Cities pro football team.  A key element of this tie in would be featuring local High Schools Jazz/Pep Bands performances from the grandstands throughout the game and having the Marching Band perform halftime routines.  We will also invite local cheerleading squads to join the Steamwheelers Deckmate Dancers in a couple routines during each game.  Finally we want to give special recognition to local athletes that have earned Varsity Letters on the field during each home game.

The Steamwheelers are implementing this philosophy in two different ways.  One, inviting local schools to sign up and join us with their student athletes, musicians, and cheerleading squads for each of our seven (7) home games.  Secondly, we want to help them raise funds for each of their causes.  Each school will be issued a “promo code” tracking every ticket that is purchased via that promo code for any of the Steamwheelers regular season and playoff games.  Shortly after each game the Steamwheelers will issue a donation to said schools for 20% of the total dollar amount of tickets sold under that promotional code.  The Steamwheelers marketing department will assist each school with building a social media campaign that will allow students and their families to share the message about the Steamwheelers and the schools fundraising initiative. “We want each and every school in the Quad City region to know we want them to be part of this team, we want them to benefit from being part of the game day production as well as being part of the financial model through ticket sales affiliated with their promo codes”, said Steamwheelers owner Doug Bland. Bland went on to say “We feel that by making the regional schools, their students and their family’s part of the fabric of the Quad City Steamwheelers it will create a cohesive entity similar to the community of Green Bay, WI has with its NFL franchise”.

The Steamwheelers would like to work with every school in the Quad Cities region, even communities on the out lining areas like Geneseo, Monmouth, Burlington, DeWitt, and Maquoketa just to name a few.  Schools interested in participating in the Steamwheelers School program simply need to contact their offices and speak with one of the team representatives.  Scheduling of Bands, cheer squads and Varsity Letter recognition has already started, so we welcome everyone to reach out to us and get involved.  Contact us at 309-517-2019 or via email at info@steamwheelersfootball.com

About the Quad City Steamwheelers: The Steamwheelers are a proud member of the Champions Indoor Football League and will be competing for the Champions Bowl during the 2018 season.  The action kicks off on Sunday Feb 25th against the Indiana Renegades, Bismarck Bucks on March 23rd, Kansas City Phantoms on March 31st , Sioux City Bandits on April 21st, Wichita Force on May 12th, Omaha Beef on May 19th and Dallas Marshals come to town on June 9th.

Support the River Cities' Reader

Get 12 Reader issues mailed monthly for $48/year.

Old School Subscription for Your Support

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Old School Subscribe now.



Help Keep the Reader Alive and Free Since '93!

 

"We're the River Cities' Reader, and we've kept the Quad Cities' only independently owned newspaper alive and free since 1993.

So please help the Reader keep going with your one-time, monthly, or annual support. With your financial support the Reader can continue providing uncensored, non-scripted, and independent journalism alongside the Quad Cities' area's most comprehensive cultural coverage." - Todd McGreevy, Publisher