As of today, November 9, 2008, we have a new official website. It is located at www.southmetrodragons.com. That website is dedicated to fans and family of our team and will be our public presence.  This site will still operate and will be used for the players and teams staff.  So if you need news about practices or the internal workings of our team visit this site. But, you should tell all friends and family or new fans about our public site if you are interested in more info about our team.

In other news, I am working on a deal to get us Minnetonka high school's domed football field for practices over the winter.  This should allow us to be better prepared and stronger for next season.  I should have more information this week regarding our practice times and plans for the near future.  Please keep updated and call me with any questions.

Also, returning players to her team will not have a team/league fee this year.  Though all new players on our team will need to pay a fee of $150.  $100 of which will be returned at the end of the season along with their jersey of choice.  Along these lines if you are interested in returning to her team please contact me as soon as you can so that I can order jerseys and prepare us for next season.  This will also help us focus our recruiting efforts.

Thank you, take care and get back to me as soon as you can,

Brad Svenson

Doug Allen aka Buddah (#54 for the Warriors, Wolfpack, and Dragons,) a valued member of our team will be heading to Iraq for 12 months early next year. His family(Becky our photographer is his mother) is having a sendoff party for him and she has invited the Dragons. As part of this party we will be retiring his number until he comes back to take it up again. We will also be handing out the All-star plaques for those of our team that earned them. Please read the info below and make the time to be there. It would mean an awful lot to Doug and his family.

Thank you and I will see you there,

Brad

DEPLOYMENT PARTY FOR DOUG ALLEN

Doug will be deployed for a year to Iraq in early 2009.

DATE & TIME: November 8th 2-6 pm

Party activities include: Wii, Cards, Food, Bocce Ball,
Horse Shoes, and Fire Pit.

BYOB & DD (designated driver*)
*This will be enforced - thank you for your cooperation.

If you're interested, please contact me for more details.

Thank you,
Becky Allen
email: nork1254@frontiernet.net
cell: 651/248-0574

So I messed up. I typed up this nice post about practice tonight. It had all of the specific info you needed in order to plan for practice well ahead of time. When done, I thought I had clicked the "Post News" button and walked away. Well apparently I hadn't hit the button. I checked my desktop this morning and it was still waiting there for me to send it. As I usually use my laptop I didn't catch the mistake soon enough. I'm so sorry.

But if you are still able to make it tonight here is the info:

6:30-8:00 at Westview Elementary School in Apple Valley

Here are directions from the Mall of America.

Bring Gym shoes.

Call with any questions.

612-366-3552

Brad

Returning O-Skill Position players are invited(Encouraged) to come to a workout for our new system in Apple Valley tomorrow at 6pm. If you fit into this catagory please see if you can make it and then call me for directions. There i an aweful lot to learn and we need to be prepared for next season. Please be there if at all possible.

 Just in case you were wondering: Skill position's refered to are those players that do not play O-Line or Kick. ;)

Thank you,

Brad

612-366-3552

Players Confirmed for tomorrow:

Joe Stein QB

Matt Falco RB/S

Michael Foster RB

Ben Hunter WR

Ladimor Hervey FB

Waiting on confirmation:

Rich Gray WR

Tony Fillipi WR

Joel Underwood RB

Dave Paradeise

I'm sorry it's been so long since I have updated. It's been a little rough for me and time has been scarce. I'm so deeply sorry about thi and will try to keep everyone updated much more.

1. Banquet- I'm still trying to find a place that is nice AND cost efficient. I'm waiting on a place to call back right now that sounds like a go. I will let you know asap.

2. Precious- A member of our staff (The gal who did our stats) who came to our team from the Lions just had surgery to hopefully fix an ongoing problem. Please keep her in your thoughts as she recovers from this painful surgery.

3. Sean Hall- Sean also had surgery recently. He had his ankle put back together after it was boken at our Playoff game in Duluth. You may remember the play. The one where they hit him 6 yard into the endzone... Yeah. Please also keep Sean and his family in your thoughts as he recovers.

4. The future- This is the exciting part. There are some great things coming down the chute and we will be stronger and better because of it. I'll be meeting with key Offensive personel in the next week to tart working on a plan for next year. If you'd like to work out with u as we work on the new system please call me and we'll find a gym to work in.

5. Temporary Jersey # retirement. Doug Allen, a good friend and diehard member of our team will be deploying to Iraq late this year. I am retiring his number until he comes back to us safe and sound. #54 will always be his number and only his number. On a side note, we are trying to have a get together for him down here and would love to have the team out to celebrate. Call me for info. I will also post it here when I receive it.

Thank you all and know this... I am so proud to have shared the field with each and everyone of you. We went through hell and back and we came out alive. Thank you.

Brad

We will be having a free lunch at Enjoy! Saturday morning to Celebrate our Playoff Berth. It starts at 10:30 and we will be leaving be noon for AV High School. This meal is free for players and team staff. If you bring someone to the meal they will need to pay $11 for the meal.

Please call me (612-366-3552) by  7pm Friday to confirm your seat so that we have enough food for everyone.

We will be leaving AVHS at 12:30. Please be ready as I will not wait around like the last two games. Be on time or we will leave without you.

Map to ENJOY!

Map to AVHS

Directions to Duluth Stadium from Apple Valley

Good luck and don't forget to call me,

612-366-3552

Brad

We are meeting at 2 locations on Saturday Morning.

Apple Valley High School at 9:30 - Depart at 10:00am

Rogers - Target on 101 at 11 - Depart ASAP

If you are driving yourself here is a link to the directions: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Apple+Valley&1s=MN&2c=Moorhead&2s=MN&2a=2300+4th+Ave+S

Take care and make sure you call everyone and remind them to be there on time.

Brad

With our win (by more than 7 points) over the Willmar Mustangs the Dragons have secured a Playoff Spot and will be traveling to Duluth to take on the Shoremen. This will be the THIRD meeting between the two teams this season and should be an EXCELLENT game.

I'm able to update this site now and will be doing so constantly all of the way through the end of the season. Roster moves and changes; Stats, and just general travel, League and life news.

Thank you everyone who has supported us. We will do our best to show you that we were worth your support.

Thanks,

Brad Svenson,

Owner/DT/C

SOUTH METRO DRAGONS

I'm so sorry it took me until today to get this up for everyone. I've been busy as hell with league and team stuff.

We are meeting in Apple Valley at AVHS at 11am. The bus will leave promptly at 11:30 for Rogers. We will then stop at the Target on 101 and 94 to pick people up. If you are meeting us in Rogers please be there at 12 as we will be leaving there be 12:30.

We are taking a bus and not vans this time. Please let everyone you know on the team know about the schedule and timing.

Thank you and call me with any quetions.

Brad

612-366-3552

Effective today, Tuesday June 3rd, Rich Gray is no longer our Head Coach. I (Brad Svenson) have taken this position for the remainder of the season and have Promoted Jordan Malone to Offenive Coordinator. 

 There are no hard feelings nor animosity towards Rich and he will in fact stay on as a WR with the team.  

The change in leadership will see sweeping changes in our organization that are only geared toward making the team stronger.

 Please be at practice tomorrow as we are making some changes and you will need to know what is going on for the game on Saturday.

Please feel free to contact me with questions.

Brad Svenson

p.s. My ankle is going to be fine. Well it will be in quite a few weeks. I have an Interior and Exterior high ankle sprain. This could put me out for some time but I plan on being back much sooner than later. We'll see. Thank you to everyone who has called and if I haven't called you back it's only because I had 50-60 calls to return after the game and haven't gotten to you yet. Thank you all for your concern. 

Practice is at 10am on Saturday. Your play time will be directly affected by your attendence. We will be Gearing up for the game and will have all pertinant info you will need for Sunday.

We are giving away a 36" Flat Screen TV at the game. This is a huge deal for us and will be a great prize for one lucky fan. Tell everyone you know about it. There are many place to get free tickets to game that will be used for the TV giveaway. Holiday Gas Station in Cottage Grove also ha many free tickets to give away.

Our new website hould be up very soon o please be patient.

Thank you and I will see you tomorrow.

Brad 

We will be meeting at Apple Valley High School at 2:30 pm. We will pack up and be on the road by 3:00. There will be vans for us so you do not need to drive unless you want to stay in Duluth after the game. Everyone needs to have black helmets for the Game in order to play. There are many of us that are willing to paint your helmet if you need us to. Let us know tonight so that we can take care of it. The game start time is 7:00pm. If you do decide to drive separately please be At the field no later than 6:00 as we are taking pictures of each player.

Call me with any questions.

Brad

612-366-3552

... now Park at Cottage Grove. I know that this is another change that we have to deal with but with the adversity we have had to endure it offers us the best chance to be in a community that wants us there but will allow us to also make money as a team.

As for Edina and Apple Valley High Schools... Well, Apple Valley had confirmed 3 of 5 of our dates many months ago. But as time went on and certain influences were putting pressure on them they came back and cancelled one of the 3 dates and then tried charging $2500 per game to use the field. That is just too irresponsible for us to do. Especially when you consider that the Metrodome only costs $1300.

As for Edina... well, they wouldn't allow us to use the Ticket Booth, Scoreboard, Press Box and wouldn't allow us to sell concessions... While a cheaper cost stadium (Turf too) it wouldn't be fiscally responsible of us to stay there either.

As a side note there is a change in dates for our first two games. Because of previous scheduling we had to move our first two games back a day to Sunday. SO May 24th's game is now on May 25th at 3pm and May31st's game is on June 1st at 3pm.

Brad

So when Park came knockin and opened the doors to us I had to take it. We get everything but the Locker-rooms and we don't get thos only because they are under construction.  Their field is brand new Turf and they are excited to have us.  Park High School is located about a mile off of 61 on 80th street. Which is about 20 minutes from Apple Valley and closer to Minneapolis than Farmington or Lakeville South. SO... we got it done and are confirmed.

I'm so sorry... I forgot to put this on the front page of our site here. It's been buried in the news section. Hopefully this helps.

From 35w heading south from Minneapolis:

Take the exit for Highway 13 East and follow until you hit Parkwood, take a right. Take the next left which is 122nd and follow this until you see the park on your left. There are Goal post on the field and it is next to the Humane Society Building...

From Cedar ave.:

Take Cedar south to Cliff Road and take a right. Go to Highway 13 and turn left. Follow to Parkwood and turn left. Take your next left on 122nd. Follow until you see the Field with the goal post on your left just after the Humane Society building.

You can park on the street or in the parking lot of the 2 office buildings next to the field opposite of the Humane Society Building.

Here is a link to mapquest that shows where the Dairy Queen that is next to the Humane Society. You can see the field just to the east of Dairy Queen if you switch to Ariel View. Click here to see it...

Call me if you have any questions: 612-366-3552

Brad

We are playing a game against the Fargo Moorhead Liberty this saturday in Burnsville. We will need everyone there to play. If you want to keep your place on the team now is the time to show your stuff. If you do not play in this game we will move you down the depth chart and you may see you play time completely disappear for the season. We are serious about having a winning team and need you there to do your part. We will have practice jerseys so that is not a problem. Just make sure you are there on wednesday and saturday.

Brad

Tomorrow at practice we will be taking a collection for Dante and his family . Anything you can give will help. I know that money right now is the hardest part though, so if at all possible please bring a financial contribution for the family. Coach D has spent most of his days running and helping Dante's family and we should follow his leadership on this, if only a little.

Please help bring our brother's family some comfort and stability in their time of need...

Thank you,

Brad Svenson

Dante Johnson (TE #82) a dedicated, Father, Friend and teammate of ours is in the Hospital on life support after suffering an Asthma attack. He has been there for a few days and is need of your thoughts and prayers. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding Dante.

Because of the news of Dante and our visit there I was not able to meet with the guy who has extra pads and helmets. I am meeting with him tomorrow at 2 though and should have equipment for those that need it then. If you are one of those people I would like to have you set up with the equipment BEFORE Wednesdays practice. So call me tomorrow and set up a time to meet. So far I know of 3 players that need this equipment: Jacob, Darrin, Cody. If there are others that need to be added, call me asap.

Brad

We are going to set up a carpool from Apple Valley High School both April 9th (Weds) and April 12th (Sat). The High School is just two blocks up from our indoor arena and we are meeting there 30 minutes prior to practice. This means that on Weds meet at AVHS at 6:30; on Saturday we meet at 9:30. We will be leaving the High School Parking lot at 6:45 and 9:45 respectively so please if you'd like to carpool with us be there early to find a spot.

You will need cleats and pads tomorrow. There are a few of you that don't have equipment yet but we are working on getting you taken care of. We'll have news tomorrow on that.

JERSEY #'s and NAMES ON THE BACK!!!!

You will need to attend tomorrow's practice if you would like your name on the back of your Jersey. If you do not attend I will order the Jerseys nameless and if you'd like to have your name added to it later you will have to pay for it.

There are benefits to coming to Practice. Aside from becoming a better unit you as a player get certain things; like the Jersey at the end of the season. But if you can't find your way to practice or bother to call us to let us know why you won't be there, we will not be going out of our way to put your name on the Jersey or even give you that Jersey because of poor attendence.

Good luck and we'll see you tomorrow,

Brad

Well guys, the time has come for us to finally put the pads on and start hitting each other. I know that March was an exhausting month and we're gonna keep the pace moving through April and May.

For now our practice field is the Dakota County Fairgrounds. This may change in the next day or two so keep checking in with us. But the first practice is on Saturday April 5th from 10am-12pm. Pads and cleats are a must. If you do not have gear please let me(Brad) or the Coaches know and we will help you locate some. There are many players looking to sell some extra gear as well so make sure you call around or ask the guys.

Directions to Dakota County Fairgrounds:

From I35
Take I35 to Hwy 50. Follow East to Cedar Avenue. Follow Cedar south (right) to Hwy 50. Follow Hwy 50 East (left) to Denmark Avenue. Follow Denmark South (right) to 220th Street West. Turn left onto 220th Street West to entrance of the Fairgrounds on right-hand side.

From Hwy 52
Take Hwy 52 to Hwy 50. Follow Hwy 50 west to Hwy 3. Cross Hwy 3 to Ash/220th Street West. Follow Ash/220th St to Fairgrounds on left-hand side.

From Hwy 77
Take Hwy 77 to Hwy 50. Follow Hwy 50 East (left) to Denmark Avenue.  Follow Denmark South (right) to 220th Street West. Turn left onto 220th Street West to entrance of the Fairgrounds on right-hand side.

Be ready,

Brad

The Five P's:

Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.

Also, as a reminder... There were only 23 players at practice on Monday. That means that there were 30+ players who didn't show. Only 6 of you called to let us know you weren't coming. That is not acceptable. If you don't have a coaches or my number then just ask us for it. If you are not going to be able to make it to practice you need to call. Yes I know that it was snowing but practice was not cancelled.

I just wanted to thank all of the guys who were at practice on Saturday. I see that some of you are in much better shape than I am right now too. It appears that Weds. should be even better as the players who couldn't make the Saturday Practice will be there. Good job guys and keep kicking.

Brad

So we have lined up our first meeting and set of practices. The first date listed below is for a 50/50 meeting. The first half will be informational. The second half of the meeting we're gonna dive right in. The Practice place is an indoor hockey arena with field turf but the arena says Tennis Shoes are required and that we can not use cleats. Second, dress for working out and bring your HELMET, but don't worry about pads. ALSO, we expect to announce Coaches at the first practice.

Remember to bring Tennis Shoes! Not cleats!

 Where?: Hayes Park Arena.  14595 Hayes Road.  Apple Valley, MN 55124 

 When?: Sat. March 8, 10am-12pm

             Wed March 12, 7pm-9pm

             Wed March 19, 7pm-9pm

             Sat March 22, 10am-12pm

             Wed March 26, 6pm-8pm

This is it, everything starts now. Be ready to bust ass guys. With the amount of talent that we've lined up there is no reason we can't take this to the National Championship.

I'm very proud of the strides we've taken. If there are any questions or concerns please email me asap so we can deal with them now.

Take care and I'll see you all on March 8 in Apple Valley.

Brad Svenson

brad@SouthMetroDragons.com