In a surprising upset, the independent American Association lands the lease for Schaumburg‘s Alexian Field, despite not promising to field a team there for the 2011 season; Alan Oremus will own the team.
Other leagues had made proposals for the lease, including the independent North American League and at least three groups with ties to the Frontier League. The other proposals would have called for a team playing in the 2011 season, something that had been a priority for Schaumburg officials. We’re also told the North American League was willing to pay the most in base rent, but was not willing to make a long-term commitment to the city.
The decision was confirmed by City Manager Ken Fritz and several American Association owners. The lease must be approved by the city council and the park board.
We would expect some cascading effects from this; it would not be surprising to see a shift from the Rockford RiverHawks from the North American League as well.