Welcome to the official blog for the Monterey Bay Vikings. We are proud to be the newest expansion team in the NCFL Football League and we look forward to bringing Semi-Pro Football to our home town of Watsonville, California. Come out and enjoy our home games at the Watsonville High School Stadium.
Congratulations on your first regulation win as the Vikings. We really didn’t expect the Rhinos to be all that but on the other hand we didn’t want to tell ya’ll up front either. The Islanders, on the other hand, are all that and we’ll need your full attention to detail in this week’s practices, and moreover at the game. We all knew we had this last game won after the first quarter and it showed. We have to be able to put teams away while we have the chance. I think a good place to start is this next game.
Thank God we’ll be in the friendly confines of home and not playing on some overgrown weed patch. I’ve already sent a note to the Commissioner about the inferior status of that facility and the lack of attention to the basics like water and ice.
Although we’re 3-0 in those black rentals, our new uni’s come in this week and we’ll be handing them out at Thursday practice. Please keep an eye on the website for changes in times and/or dates. With a little luck we can cop some time at Aptos and possibly Watts to get in two good, focused practices. Tentatively practices are Tuesday and Thursday this week (High School sports willing). Have your work schedules arranged accordingly please and explain to your respective bosses that this is a very important game and it means the world for you to be at practice. Also TURN IN YOUR UNIFORM MONEY!!!!!!! Since the invention of dirt guys have been paying a basic fee to play sports. This years fee of $132.00 is minuscule in comparison to other leagues and you get jerseys to keep. Pay up now or I’ll shoot the neighbor’s dog.
Tell all your friends and family about this weeks game. We’re going to be announcing it on the local radio stations as well as hanging posters all over town. Everywhere you go talk up the game. The more butts in the bleachers the easier it will be on everyone involved and you never know, the neighbor’s dog might possibly live to see the end of the season.
Here we go Gentlemen! The season is upon us and it should be interesting in many ways.
What started out as a conversation between a few players and a coach has grown into a solid football organization fielding 66 players, a coaching staff of 8, team doctors, trainers and a front office staff all dedicated to one proposition. Championship Football on the Monterey Bay.
The reality is, with the organization that has been carefully assembled we have the potential to be wearing championship rings at the end of our first year. That’s a bigg statement no doubt! So big it needs 2 g’s. It’s also one that can be a reality if focus and dedication are maintained without the distractions that are so often present in minor league or semi-pro sports organizations.
So now we see what we’re made of. Week one we have a couple of pre-season wins under our belts and we’re feeling confident and a bit apprehensive. The Rhinos are also an expansion team like ourselves and a complete unknown as far as coaching, athletic talent and game style. We’ll see manana Gentlemen.
The game will be held at Burrell Field just off Interstate 880 at Marina Blvd in San Leandro and kick-off is at 2:05 pm. for a map go to the “Player’s Page” of the Vikings web site.
Tickets will be $10 at the gate unless you are one of our luck Fans on Facebook that won our weekly drawing for game tickets. Visit us on Facebook to see if you won and sign-up if you’re not a fan. There’s always next week’s tickets. See you at the game!
The Monterey Bay Vikings, Championship Football on the Monterey Bay!
It was almost as if a time machine visited Geiser Field at Watsonville High.
A good number of former Wildcatz stars were among the members of the fledgling Monterey Bay Vikings minor-league football team that is calling Watsonville home and played its inaugural scrimmage Saturday night. And one of them, Shawn Benjamin, who still holds the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League record for points in a season, scored two touchdowns in the second half as the Vikings overcame an early deficit to defeat the Stockton Trojans 18-6.
“It brought back some memories,” said safety Efrain Lomeli, who starred with Benjamin on the 2002-03 Watsonville High squads. “It was kind of weird. I never thought I¹d step back onto that field, but there I was. It felt good, though.”
The Vikings will play in the Northern California Football League, which boasts the Nos. 1, 2 and 6 teams in the nation. Although the team is new,
many of the players are familiar with minor league football. A good number played with the Soquel-based Tri-County Gladiators of the now-defunct California State Amateur Football League, and while the Gladiators are still in existence, many players were unhappy with the Gladiators¹ administration, Vikings principal owner and general manager Chuck Messimer said. Messimer said while he runs the team as a business, his goal isn¹t to make money.
“I started it because I love the game of football and the guys that I know were fed up with the organizations offered here in Santa Cruz County.”
Team captain David Adams ‹ an outside linebacker and fullback who is also a part-owner and handles promotion for the team ‹ said he and Messimer spoke over the phone several months about starting a team in the Monterey Bay, and had a handful of cities to choose from. “We both agreed to start the team in Watsonville because Watsonville has never had a minor league football team before,” Adams said. “We thought if we presented ourselves correctly we would get full support from the community.”
Saturday night¹s scrimmage, watched by a crowd that the Vikings reported at “400-plus,” did not feature special teams play, but all aspects
of play will be included when the Vikings host the San Jose Vikings of the Pacific Coast Football League in a scrimmage on March 13. Part of the
proceeds from that game will benefit relief efforts for the Haiti earthquake.
Messimer said Saturday night¹s scrimmage gave the Vikings a chance to work out the kinks both in the atmosphere of the game ‹ including lighting, music, announcing, security ‹ and on the field. “The good thing about a scrimmage is it really gives you a chance to evaluate,” he said.
When the regular season starts March 27, one thing that will certainly change is the Vikings¹ look. On Saturday night, the Vikings wore their
powder-blue helmets, but were using rental jerseys that were black with maroon lettering. The Vikings¹ permanent jerseys will match the helmets,
Messimer said. Although the team is new, Messimer said he believes the team will be competitive this year, noting that he was encouraged that, while it was just a scrimmage, the Vikings defeated Stockton, which won the state title two years ago. Eventually, he said, the goal is to bring a championship to Watsonville, the city from which the most players of the 54-player squad hail. There are also players from Salinas, Marina, Seaside and Santa Cruz, as well as a group of former San Lorenzo Valley High players, Messimer said.
Adams said the players come from two groups. One group ‹ consisting of players ages 18-24 ‹ is trying to catch the eyes of scouts, while the other group ‹ some of whom are over 30 ‹ is simply enjoying a second chance to play football. A few players from the NCFL have signed pro contracts, Adams said.
Lomeli counts himself among the first group. He said he¹s playing to improve his game and stay in good shape. “I know there¹s a lot of guys who can still play and still want to play,” he said.
Although sometimes called semi-pro football, the players aren¹t paid, and they also have to provide their own equipment and pay for their uniforms. Adams said minor league squads developed out of annual high school alumni games, as participants decided they wanted to play more than once a year and different communities formed their own teams.
Adams, who runs the production company 831 Entertainment, said he was pleased with the crowd at the opening scrimmage, and added that the team hopes to build from this point forward. “We¹ve created a buzz already,” he said. “Now my focus is getting people in the stands and getting our name floating throughout the town and the community.”
http://MontereyBayVikings.com for full training camp & regular 2010 NCFL season schedules.
Championship Semi Pro Football on the Monterey Bay. http://MontereyBayVikings.com
On behalf of the Monterey Bay Vikings and myself, I would like to invite all football players on the Central Coast to try out for the Vikings’ inaugural season. We have been accepted into the NCFL (the best of minor league football) for the 2010 season and will practice and play out of Watsonville High School. At this time mini-camps are scheduled to begin October 17, 2009 and held every Saturday thereafter (excluding holidays) with Wednesday night practices to follow as scheduling allows (more than likely beginning in the new year). We will also be participating in at least two exhibition games (more than likely charity games) possibly one in December and two more before the season begins in early April.
The 2010 season promises to be a good test for players in the region, many of whom have played semi-pro ball before. After many seasons of disappointments due to administrative malfunctions, the Monterey Bay Vikings ownership group feels they have the right mix of drive, business savvy, and football knowledge at their disposal to lead the core group of players already assembled to the championship level.
That being said, The Monterey Bay Vikings are looking for serious ball players to come and try-out. There are currently no try-out fees and season player fees have yet to be set. It is the goal of the management to have a 40-man roster play for free through serious sponsorship arrangements although players still need to provide their own equipment. So far Watsonville has embraced the Vikings with support coming from many sectors of the community.
The Vikings’ first OTM was held last Sunday at Cilantro’s in Watsonville and attended by a healthy amount of returning players as well as a large number of new players who had heard about the new team in town and wanted to check it out. Director of Football Operations (and player) Robert Housek, spoke about the need for professionalism from the players and how a majority of them have always wanted to play at this level which is the highest in Northern California. He outlined the practice schedule and the need for two-a-days on Saturdays. General Manager and Coach Chuck Messimer went over some of the requirements for playing in the NCFL, game scheduling, opponents, proposed and potential sponsors. Also in attendance were the two remaining owners David Adams (also a player) Dennis Reagan, and Head Coach Richard Castillo.
In closing I would like to say that I’m surprised how events and circumstances have made it relatively simple in setting up this new organization. So far the toughest part has been getting accepted into the NCFL because of their stringent requirements. However, the difficulty being accepted by the league only proves to me that they are serious about the quality of teams involved and makes for sound business policy. The ownership group is confident that through its dedication to quality football and the players innate talent and hard work, the Vikings can bring a championship to Watsonville and the Monterey Bay.
Thank You all who attended our inaugural Owners and Players Meeting at Cilantro’s, which just happens to be football headquarters for our home town of Watsonville, Ca.
Team owners Dennis Regan of North Pacific Cellular, David Adams of 831 Entertainment and Director of Promotions and Marketing, Robert Housek Director of Football Operations, and Chuck Messimer General Manager were onhand to meet and greet the new team and fans. And from the looks of the turnout, the 2010 should be a season to remember.
The Monterey Bay Vikings were officially introduced as the newest expansion team in the Northern California Football League which has a total of 16 teams throughout Northern California. All 16 teams in the NCFL achieved AAA national ranking in the 2009 season and the Rattlers and Islanders were ranked number 1 and 2 in the nation. With the caliber of the teams in the NCFL and the dedication of the Monterey Bay Vikings, we’re looking for some excellent football at the Watsonville High Football Satium for the 2010 season and beyond.
A full schedule of games and events will be posted here on this site and on our Facebook and Myspace
