At a meeting this morning, the Polk County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to purchase the field system for an Arena Football 2 League team for approximately $125,000, bringing investors a step closer to finalizing a deal for the team to play at Wells Fargo Arena.

Attorney Jeff Lamberti has been actively working to bring 12 to 18 investors on board and the group is close to signing a deal with Global Spectrum for the Iowa Barnstormers (the tentative name) to kick off their first season this spring and play in Des Moines for the next three years.

Lamberti believes local ownership will help make the team successful; an earlier Barnstormers team ceased operations here in 2001. “The key is trying to get the community involved and behind these efforts rather than saying, ‘Here we are. We hope you show up,'” he said. “And I think it makes a stronger case when you have that strong local ownership. It’s easier to get companies involved and sponsors.”

Former Barnstormers coach John Gregory has been hired as the head coach and is in the process of actively recruiting players. The investors are also in the process of hiring a general manager to run the business operation.

The football team would play from March through June, overlapping slightly with the Iowa Stars hockey schedule. At today’s meeting, Homan assured the supervisors that the schedule, which would include eight home games, would not interfere with the arena booking non-sports events.

The cost for the field system includes buying a lightly used turf field, which Homan said is about $70,000 to $80,000 cheaper than a new field, and painting the team’s name and logo on it. Homan said the field would likely hold up for seven to 10 years with minor repairs.

He encouraged Polk County to purchase the field because it would give the county a field to use when hosting other events, such as national soccer and lacrosse competitions, which the Iowa Events Center is already discussing. He added that adding the Barnstormers to Wells Fargo Arena would help boost suite and club seat membership, especially when many of the suite contracts are coming up for renewal.

“I think the No. 1 question I get is … when is arena football coming back,” Homan said. “I think there’s a really strong opinion in the public that wants that.”