Reggie Peoples of the Ohio Invaders catches a pass from quarterback Doug Laughlin during a game against the Beaver County Warriors in June. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Invaders happy to call Fairview home
By Kevin Kelley
Fairview Park
Published Aug. 15, 2007

In 1999, the return of the Browns through an expansion franchise enabled Berea to lay claim as the non-gameday home of the NFL team.

It may not be as lucrative or prestigious, but this year Fairview Park can proudly say it’s home to a minor/amateur league football team — the Ohio Invaders.

The Invaders, a member of the North American Football League, signed an agreement in the spring with the city’s recreation department to practice and play their home games at the city-owned athletic field at Fairview High School.

Both parties say the agreement has worked out well.

“It’s been a good relationship,” said Invader General Manager George O’Hamill, who handled the negotiations to bring the Invaders to Fairview. “It’s centrally located. It’s not too far on the West Side.”

The Invaders signed a one-year agreement with the city recreation department to rent the field for $5,000.

“It’s worked out great,” said city Recreation Director Tim Pinchek. “They’ve been a great tenant.”

Last season, the Invaders split their games between stadiums at Lakewood High School and Cleveland’s John Marshall High School.

O’Hamill also is impressed with the improvements made to the field — new spectator stand, new state-of-the-art artificial turf, and a new scoreboard — as part of the city’s Gemini Project.

The Ohio Invaders run the ball during a home game in June. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

“It’s a tremendous facility,” O’Hamill said.

O’Hamill, who also serves as the team’s coach, brings 30 years of coaching experience from the high school and collegiate levels. He’s been an assistant at the U.S. Naval Academy, Long Beach State and Oberlin College. He served as head football coach at Brookside High School in Sheffield from 1988 to 1992 and was an assistant at Westlake High School from 1995 to 1996.

He was a tailback during his high school days in Florida. Coaches at North Carolina State switched him to strong safety when he played there.

O’Hamill is in his third year as the Invaders head coach.

“We’ve gotten better every year, and we’re right in the middle of a playoff race,” he said.

The level of play in the NAFL is high caliber college-level football, O’Hamill said, equivalent to Division II or better.

The NAFL sees itself as a development league for the pros. Over the last three years, four NAFL players made it to the NFL, O’Hamill said.

The 118 teams of the NAFL are divided into regional conferences. The Invaders play in the Lake Erie Division of the Great Lakes Region in the Northern Conference. The league’s playoff structure is set up very much like the NCAA basketball tournaments, O’Hamill said.

By league rule, none of the players get paid. Not only that, the players have to pay a $200 fee each season as well as provide their helmets and shoulder pads.

Team practices, which are Tuesday and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Fairview High athletic field, are open to the public.

The typical Invader, therefore, is “someone who really want to play,” O’Hamill said.

Mark Clement, was one of those who played for the Invaders just for the love of the game in the team’s first season in 2004. When the owner put the team up for sale at the end of the season, Clement purchased it because he thought he could do a better job running it.

His wife, Stephanie, is co-owner.

“I actually hate football,” she told West Life. However, she allowed Mark to purchase the team because he, along with their son, Dave, were on the team.

Stephanie helps the operation by doing the books, taking photos, updating the team’s Web site, and selling sponsor ads in the Invaders program.

Does she still hate football nearly three years later?

“I guess it’s growing on me,” she said, “but I still don’t understand it.”

Thirty years ago, semi-pro football leagues were thought of as “beer leagues,” O’Hamill acknowledged. But he said that many people who attend games are surprised by the quality and competitiveness of the play today.

The Invaders promote themselves as a family-oriented semi-pro team. “We do a lot of things in the community,” O’Hamill said.

For example, the Invaders have a youth camp scheduled for boys and girls in grades three through eight Sept. 8 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Fairview High athletic field. The $20 fee includes an Invader T-shirt and other extras, O’Hamill said.

The next home game on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. will be “Youth Night” when kids get in free and parents get tickets for half price. At halftime, area recreation league and CYO teams will be introduced on the field at halftime. Tickets are $8 per adult, $5  for veterans and seniors, $3 for students ages 13 to 18 with an ID and free for all children 12 and under.

For the Sept. 2 home game against the Pittsburgh Colts, all gate proceeds will go toward the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Last year the Invaders raised $2,500 for the MDA; the goal this year is $4,500, O’Hamill said.

For more information about the Invaders, including a schedule of remaining home games, go online to http://eteamz.active.com/InvadersFootball/ or http://www.leaguelineup.com/invadersfb/.