When the General Manager for the new football team coming to Long Island says he wants this to be a "Long Island" team that is not just a talking point.
Peter Schwartz, who was named the new GM for the Long Island franchise in the Entertainment Football Association, expressed over and over how much of the Island will be represented on this team and speaking with him you could not be more impressed by his vision.
Schwartz is as knowledgeable as anyone I have spoken to about these different football leagues. Schwartz is best known for his work at WFAN and as a radio personality, but his passion comes through as I spoke to him about football. He expressed that he is "Excited and nervous at the same time, really it's simplistic to say (being named the GM) is a dream come true, but that is what it is for me. I reached a point that I thought this could never be possible and now I get to begin from the start, and with something brand new."
Schwartz is certainly not new to the arena football world. It's not a leap to say that he is synonymous with arena football. He was the radio announcer for the Dragons from 2001-2008. After that eight year run the arena league shut down in 2008. Even though they picked the league back up, the Dragons were not one of the returning teams. He stayed close with the league though doing some TV work after that, and worked part time in the front office, as well as working on the website and wrote articles for the program.
He was a jack of all trades, which makes him a great candidate to now run the new team. Schwartz was hired as youth football liaison, he worked on group tickets and in 2019 worked for another football league called the National Arena League, who had a team in Westchester County.
Then last year the original Arena Football League came back and hired him to get ready for the press conference about their Arena Bowl Game. He was a consultant and public address announcer for the Arena Bowl, which was held in the American Dream Mall in New Jersey. They took the ice skating rink inside the mall and transformed it into the football field.
When Schwartz heard about a new team coming to Long Island he was caught off guard. A friend from the AFL told him about the plans and he soon became a part of the press conference. He brought interested fans to the event and packed the place with enthusiastic Long Islanders. Five minutes after the press conference it was obvious that he was the man for the job and he was asked to become the GM.
Schwartz's job is not an easy one. He has to get Long Islanders excited about something brand new. This is a place where there are plenty of sports and entertainment options, but from the looks of their vision, Long Islanders will flock to see the product they are putting out. This isn't just a football game but a full fan experience Schwartz explained to me. The event will be a whole day experience. Your day begins with an organized tailgate party outside the Coliseum. Then it's inside to watch the game, but it doesn't end there. After each game there will be an opportunity to get autographs and pictures on the field with the players and dancers. Then after the game they will put on a full 30-45 minute concert.
The concert will be a Long Island based musical act. Just like the rest of the franchise. The most impressive thing that Schwartz told me is that everything he does will be Long Island based. He will be hiring a new head coach in the new few weeks. The candidates are all former high school or college coaches from Long Island. That head coach will then select each player on the team. But again, Schwartz reiterated that the coach will pick the players, but every single member of the roster will be from Long Island.
This will be Long Island's team. He said the local feel will energize the community to come see their hometown hero's play, and electrify those towns to come see the product they are putting on the field. The team will be out in the community, doing clinics with the PAL league, going to local festivals and parades, and want to be seen and attached to the community.
They have already begun to sell tickets despite the name and logo being weeks away from being selected. They have secured a corporate partner in the Embassy Diner in Bethpage and are looking for more.
Schwartz also told me that there will be open tryouts for those who want to be a part of the team. If you are a Long Island high school graduate that wants to continue your playing career, you can be a part of a true Long Island team. Just go to www.goentfla.com and send an email for when open tryouts will take place
Long Island has a new team, and this is looking like it will be the most local-focused team the area has ever had.