1st MARIANAS BOWL Saipan hosts MFL in March

Harmon, Guam –– In effort to promote and expand the competitive play of amateur American football in the Western Pacific, the Miller Football League (MFL) of Guam has announced that the first annual Miller Lite Marianas Bowl will be played on Saipan on March 1, 2000 at Saipan International Airport Recreational Field.

It will be the first-ever organized football game between an adult team from Saipan and Guam and the first game to be ever played by the CNMI Warriors, a team made up of Northern Marianas residents and coached by Vince Castro, Mark Sasaki and Jess Stein.

Team Guam will consist of players from Guam-based MFL teams the Miller Bears, the Pepsi Giants, the Mobil Angels, the Triple J Typhoons, and the PacSports Cardinals. Team Guam will be led by Miller Bears coach Leonard Calvo.

The Marianas Bowl will become an annual friendship game that Guam and the CNMI will take turns hosting.

“The CNMI would eventually like to have a team in the MFL. They’ve been practicing for two months and they want to play us, so we’re eager to square off and see how our two styles of play match up,” said Mr. Calvo.

Because joining the MFL is a more expensive proposition for an off-island team wishing to compete on Guam, Mr. Calvo says that the Warriors will need a sponsor who’s willing to foot seasonal travel and accommodation expenses.

By August of this year CNMI organizers aim to have two teams on Saipan, so games can be played on that island without expensive travel costs. By August 2001, it is hoped that Saipan will have four teams. While sponsorships and league development are part of the master plan, Warriors co-founder John Blanco says for now local organizers and coaches are fully concentrated on preparing for the Miller Lite Marianas Bowl. “I have total respect for Team Guam; those guys have been playing for years,” said Mr. Blanco. ‘But now that CNMI adult football is finally starting, whatever the outcome of the Marianas Bowl, we still win.”

Mr. Blanco added that a number of Warriors have football experience from high school, college, and even amateur adult leagues. He said Warriors’ ages range from 17 to 37 and that, so far, the whole team is from Saipan, although invitations are open to qualified candidates from Tinian and Rota.

Marianas Bowl organizers thank sponsors Mid-Pacific Liquors, Pacific Trading Company, Bank of Saipan, and KUAM for making this new annual sporting event a reality.

For more information, please call Leonard Calvo at (671) 472-4215/4 or John Blanco at (670) 664-4005.