The Salt Lake Lions aren't taking the field this season.
March 6, 2015 by Charlie Eisenhood in News
The American Ultimate Disc League has shut down the Salt Lake Lions franchise for 2015, the league reported today.
Though the team may return in a future season, the costly travel burden and lack of competitiveness made Salt Lake a hard sell from the start of the franchise in 2014.
“Let’s be clear: this was a territory that was sold prior to the board taking control of the league in 2013,” said AUDL board member and Madison Radicals owner Tim DeByl. “Everyone in the league, including the team owner, knew that it would be a challenging location to own a team. It took a difficult season for the owner to fully come to grips with just how hard it would be.
“The good news is that we managed to work out an agreement that allows him to keep the territory rights, while waiting for the league — and ultimate in Salt Lake — to develop. This is a great outcome for the league, the team owner, and of course the other six owners in the West.”
In a press release, Lions owner Jonathan Orlofsky remained positive.
“The vibrant ultimate culture here in Salt Lake is growing quickly,” he said. “We look forward to working with the AUDL to build a strong franchise that will represent the best our community has to offer.”
It remains uncertain whether Salt Lake will rejoin the league in a future season.
