WF Force future on thin ice

WICHITA FALLS, TX (RNN Texoma) - Officials say the future of the Wichita Falls Force is unknown at this point.

General Manager of the MPEC Michael Tipton says the Wichita Falls Force players requested this morning to be allowed into the building in order to clear out their lockers.

League officials have told NewsChannel 6 that this weekend’s games have been cancelled by the Arena. They cite financial issues as having forced the cancellation.

However, others appear to be throwing in the towel. The Wichita Falls Force Booster Club posted on Facebook “It is with a heavy heart we announce that this will be the last post from the Wichita Falls Force Booster Club. The boys venture home Monday.”

Mary Albertson, the billet family coordinator says “some of these families rely on these payments to house these players and it will impact them.” She says each family is owed about $350 per family, or around $2,100 total.

League officials said they were unsure of the future of the Force when we contacted them Saturday afternoon.

If confirmed, the Force would be the second team in the league to fold in just a week.

On Thursday, November 29, the McAllen-based Texas Lawmen ceased operations.

MPEC Manager Michael Tipton told NewsChannel 6, on Saturday, that while a pending wire transfer is still waiting to be processed, at this point the team owes the arena more than $10,000.

Nothing official has been said about the team leaving Wichita Falls completely, but Wichita Falls Force Booster Club Vice President Abby Morris said in a Facebook message, “we as the Booster Club, watched the boys pack their gear today. We didn’t feel right about sending them off without officially letting them know that there are people in this town who were 100% behind them.”

She also said that “(the players) want the community to know that they appreciate all the support they received and they are sad to leave.”

Stay with NewsChannel 6 for more on this developing story.

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