Eastern Shore Vikings recruiting for first training camp

Semi-pro football team to be based in Baldwin County and led by former Robertsdale, Davidson coach Fred Riley

Tony Whitehead, GCM Sports
Posted 10/20/18

Fred Riley is retired from high school coaching, but his passion for the sport and the opportunities to continue to teach it will keep him in the game at a new level.

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Eastern Shore Vikings recruiting for first training camp

Semi-pro football team to be based in Baldwin County and led by former Robertsdale, Davidson coach Fred Riley

Posted

DAPHNE, Ala. – Fred Riley is retired from high school coaching, but his passion for the sport and the opportunities to continue to teach it will keep him in the game at a new level.

The former high-school and college coach is looking for athletes interested in continuing to play the game for fun as well as future advancement in the professional ranks. The first season of the American South Football Alliance is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2020, but the recruiting process starts in earnest in 2019.

“We’re looking forward to playing in 2020. But it really begins this spring when we will begin with a mini camp, an OTA type workout with non-padded run throughs. We are still in the process of securing a practice facility as well as a playing facility right now, but by early 2019 we hope to be on the field somewhere getting ready to play ball.”

Riley, who retired from the state education system, said five assistant coaches and two front-office personnel have already been hired since he came on board as general manager and head coach. An organization-wide meeting is also set for Nov. 10 in Mobile to further establish the franchise and business model for the league to be known officially as The America South Football Alliance. Teams will range geographically from Houston, Texas to Florida and northward to Tennessee and include Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia and South Carolina.

“We’ll be looking for players out of Baldwin and Mobile county who are in that gap between having finished high school and of or near college ages. Maybe some who played in college or had dreams to play in the arena league. Or wanted to and didn’t get the chance to. Also, guys who just enjoy the game of football and want to give it one more shot and want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”

The Vikings are a part of the new American South Football Alliance (ASFA) which will have 18 teams affiliated with Arena Football, other pro franchises and the NCAA. The league is scheduled to start play in the spring of 2020.

Players interested can find more information about the Eastern Shore Vikings at: Americasouthfootballalliance.com (See RELATED LINK below).

Riley, who also coached at Robertsdale and lived in the Belforest area for many years, leads the Davidson Warriors in all-time wins with a 110-50 record. The 110 victories also leave him fourth all-time among Mobile County Public School coaches. His teams reached the playoffs 10 times in 14 years and made a pair of Class 6A semifinal appearances in 2008 and 2010.

In addition to the Vikings, Mobile will be home to the Port City Warriors and there are four other teams expected to be based in Alabama including the Bessemer Rhinos, the Birmingham Bears, Opelika’s Rams and Tuscaloosa’s Ravens.