Silverbacks prepare for their 13th season

HOPE, Ark.—The Arkansas Silverbacks have embarked on their 13th season as a semi-professional football organization.

“We strive to give our players every opportunity we have possible to maximize their ability. It’s not far-fetched for players to get calls from some of the higher leagues,” Arkansas Silverbacks General Manager Ray Burns said.

The Silverbacks play their home games at the Hope Soccer Complex.

“We have to play our games in Hope but we encourage the surrounding area to support the Silverbacks. A large majority of our team comes from this area but due to circumstances, we have to play our games a few minutes down the street. Hopefully it’ll bring new fans to the Silverbacks football team,” Burns said.

Patrick Patterson is the owner of the Silverbacks and he also juggles the duties of being a player.

“I know that I’m an older guy but I felt like I still had some juice left in the tank. We have players of different ages but it’s nice that I can keep up with the younger guys at stages of the game,” Patterson said.

The 42-player squad plays 10 games during the regular season. There is also a postseason, if the Silverbacks win enough games to qualify.

Both Patterson and Burns believe that there is an abundance of talent in the area, so tryouts in September should hopefully bring a fresh crop of Silverbacks.

“Although our season is almost over, we would like for the community to get familiar with the team. We have tryouts in September, which are free of charge, to begin our offseason training,” Burns said.