Salt Lake Stallions ready to play their first ever home game

SALT LAKE CITY – Saturday is a big day for football fans in Utah as the Salt Lake Stallions gear up for their first home game against the Arizona Hotshots.

The players made their final walkthrough at Rice Eccles stadium before they take their first snap as the home team.

Team President Tyler Howell says, “We’re thrilled to have them home.  They’re thrilled to be home and we get to have them in-market and have the home field advantage.”

The team had been practicing in a facility in San Antonio for the last few days.  Howell says many of the players are coming home to Rice Eccles, and they know what it’s like to play here.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that are local and have played in Utah, so they understand what it’s like with the altitude and the weather.  A lot of those guys from Arizona haven’t.”

But, how are ticket sales going?  Howell admits they’re slightly lower than their goal.

“It’ll come in time, but, for year one and this first game, I think we’ll see about ten thousand people,” he says.

Even if the ticket sales are low, Howell says Alliance of American Football has a business model is a lot more stable than other professional sports leagues.  The league itself owns all the teams, so, if one city has low sales revenue, another city’s success could make up the difference.

Howell says, “In the front offices, we’re all on the same team.  So, I’m as vested in seeing Birmingham, Arizona and San Antonio succeed as Salt Lake.”

Plus, Howell says the new league already has good TV contracts that will provide a lot of revenue.

The game starts at 1 p.m., and will be streamed on Bleacher Report Live.