Prospective new owner sees bright future for Schaumburg Flyers

Adriano Pedrelli is hoping to help the Schaumburg Flyers reach its potential as both a baseball team and community entertainment when he buys the 11-year-old franchise next month.

The sale of the team was announced Tuesday in a meeting with the Daily Herald.

"I heard about this opportunity about a year ago," said Pedrelli, who will be managing partner of a group of investors. "I've always wanted to be involved with a sports team. I'm very excited about this organization and think it has a lot of potential. It's a part of the Schaumburg identity now, just like Woodfield."

Pedrelli and his partners are hoping to close the deal next month with founding owner Rich Ehrenreich, who this year launched the rival Lake County Fielders team in Zion with co-owner and "Field of Dreams" actor Kevin Costner.

Ehrenreich, who put the team up for sale about a year ago, said there was no specific regulation against him owning two Northern League teams, but was common practice not to own more than one team in a league.

"Like anything in life, you realize when a change is in the best interests of everybody," Ehrenreich said.

Part of the reason for starting a new team in Lake County was to provide more competition in the Northern League as well as to own a team closer to his home there.

Pedrelli currently sits on the board of three Wintrust banks in Roselle, Bloomingdale and Elk Grove Village. While that part of his life won't change, he expects to spend most of his days manning an office at Alexian Field in Schaumburg as president and CEO of the Flyers.

He expects to spend most of the second half of the season meeting the staff and observing operations. Any significant changes would likely be implemented during the off-season, he said.

"I'm hoping we can figure out how to make them win a little more," Pedrelli said, referring to the Flyers' rather lackluster 9-21 season so far. "I feel there needs to be more media exposure, but don't know what form that will take. I'd like the team to be more of a household name."

As the potential owner of the Flyers, Pedrelli will be leasing Alexian Field from its co-owners, the village of Schaumburg and Schaumburg Park District - both of which have an interest in the fortunes and visibility of the team.

"I would like to see more aggressive promotion put more bodies in the stands," park district board President Dave Johnson said.

Average attendance this season has been about 3,000 people per game, but Ehrenreich said the better attended part of the season is still ahead.

Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson said the model and inspiration for a baseball team in the village was the success the Kane County Cougars, a minor league team affiliated with the Oakland Athletics, had begun seeing during the '90s. He would like Flyers games to enjoy equal popularity as a fan-friendly experience and hopes the new ownership team can provide that.

"Anytime you have a change like that, there's always a heightened expectation and a heightened promise of better things to come, and I think that's what we have here."

Pedrelli, who lives in Glenview, said he expects his 7-, 8- and 9-year-old children to share his enthusiasm for the team once they find out he will be CEO. He's held back from telling them while the sale was being negotiated to keep them from being disappointed if it fell through.

One of the other things that convinced Pedrelli that buying the team was the right thing to do was meeting the board of the Northern League and being impressed by a group of people who saw the same potential he did.

Northern League Commissioner Clark C. Griffith said simple majority of the league's eight teams is necessary to approve the sale. Ehrenreich's two votes are a sure thing.

"If I were buying another league team right now, I'd want the Schaumburg Flyers," the Minnesota-based Griffith said. "Records change quickly, too."

Though Ehrenreich wouldn't comment on the sale price or the year-by-year profitability of the private enterprise, he said the Flyers have pumped more than $30 million into the local community over their lifetime.

Both Griffith and Pedrelli expressed admiration for the $17 million stadium the village of Schaumburg and Schaumburg Park District built for the team in 1998.

"This is one of the best, if not the best, stadiums in the Northern League," Pedrelli said.

Schaumburg Village Manager Ken Fritz said the expectation is that the new ownership team will take over the remaining four years of Ehrenreich's lease, with the potential of an extension being negotiated in the near future. The village has been satisfied with how the lease has covered its costs, protecting taxpayers from any burden for the stadium, he said.

•Daily Herald staff writer Ashok Selvam contributed to this report.

<p class="factboxheadblack">Flyers timeline</p>

<p class="News"><b>July 1998:</b> Stadium groundbreaking, team name "Flyers" chosen</p>

<p class="News"><b>May 28, 1999:</b> Flyers play first game before a home crowd of 7,028</p>

<p class="News"><b>September 1999:</b> Stadium renamed "Alexian Field" in a sponsorship deal with Alexian Brothers Health System</p>

<p class="News"><b>February 2009:</b> Flyers owner Rich Ehrenreich and actor Kevin Costner announce plans for the Lake County Fielders</p>

<p class="News"><b>June 2010:</b> Flyers owner Ehrenreich announces planned sale of the team to an investment group led by Adriano Pedrelli</p>