Lodi to host semi-pro football

Central Valley Rams will play 10-game season at Grape Bowl

Semi-pro football is coming to Lodi. The Central Valley Rams of the Northern California Football League are making the Grape Bowl their home stadium starting this season.

The Rams, formerly of Stockton, will play a 10-game season starting March 14 with a game against the Central Coast Barnstormers at 6 p.m.

"We are excited about being in Lodi," said Louis Byrd, the team's owner, general manager and head coach. "We are here and we are here to stay."

The Grape Bowl was saved this week by a City Council vote to go ahead with a $3.3 million renovation to make the stadium more handicapped accessible and even put in more lighting and synthetic turf. Without the project, the stadium would have been shut down and the Rams would have had to find somewhere else to play.

The NCFL is a 16-team semi-pro league with teams ranging from the Bay Area to Sacramento to Marin. It is modeled after the NFL, only smaller. It has Northern and American Conferences. The Rams play in the AFC East along with the River City Gators, Woodland Wolfpack and Sacramento Cobras.

Central Valley is in its fifth year of existence. Byrd is in the process of setting his 54-man roster which is made up of a handful of local players — including former Tokay High player Herman Mitchell — as well as players from anywhere from Sacramento to Fairfield. The players have various playing experience on their resumes from former Division I college players, to D-II and D-III as well as high school standouts. Byrd said he is planning on recruiting more locally next year, wanting to focus on the Lodi, Galt, Tracy and Manteca areas.

The team holds open tryouts each year prior to the season. This year's squad isn't taking any new players and is practicing every Saturday to prepare for the season.

In 2005, Central Valley was the AFC Champion. Last year, the Rams, who were mostly made up of rookies, went 3-7. Byrd is optimistic his team will be able to compete this year despite a tough league.

"It is true AAA. There are ex-pros, ex-arena players, former DI, DII, DIII college players," Byrd said. "It is a very competitive league."

Byrd said the organization is very involved in the community and is looking into starting youth football programs, running camps and having players and different members of the organization volunteering time in the community.

He is also hoping to provide a family experience at games. He cut prices to try and help families be able to attend even during the hard economic times. Season passes, for the five home games, are $20 per person. Individual game tickets are $7 and kids 5 and under are free.

"We just want everyone to come out to support their new home team," Byrd said.

Contact reporter Joelle Milholm at joellem@lodinews.com.

This story was updated at 1 p.m. Feb. 26, 2009, to correct the league's Web site address.