Saturday marked the first official Sacramento Mountain Lions fan club meeting at Hangar 17 in Midtown. Present parties, other than upwards of 75 fans, included Mountain Lions head coach Dennis Green, who claims Minnesota Viking and Arizona Cardinal fame, and five of his players. The idea behind this party was for fans to be able to rub elbows with the professional football players that will be representing their city.

“We’ll be doin’ [more fan club gatherings], each time we’ll try to get more and more fans to come out.

That’s the idea; we want them to be a part of it,” coach Green said.

The Mountain Lions are the most recent addition to the Sacramento professional sports scene, and, as such, hope to make an immediate impact on the community. According to the Mountain Lions’ director of business management, Joe Wagoner, coach Green requires each player to make one community appearance each week during the season.

“You gotta make [the players] accessible. Watching a game on TV is one thing, but coming to an event like this and seeing how big THAT guy is. It’s like, ‘That’s awesome, I wanna see that guy play,’” Wagoner said, pointing in the direction of six-foot one-inch, 320 pound defensive tackle Jason Stewert.

Indeed the players were accessible Saturday, enjoying food and drink with their fans; a general buzz of excitement radiated throughout Hangar 17. Amid the din of lively conversation and laughter, players mingled from table to table, politely introducing themselves and having brief conversations with fans.

Sacramento native Ron Dulay followed the Mountain Lions last season when they were the Redwoods and, as would seem fitting, thoroughly enjoyed being able to meet the players: “They’re so personable, nice, and friendly, just being right there with [the players] is awesome.”

“It’s to show that the guys you’re chearin’ for - we’re down to earth people. It makes you feel a part of the team,” former standout Cal linebacker Worrell Williams said. “We can’t go out there and play football the way we like to if we have no fans, it’s not fun, you know?”

Williams, a Sacramento native and Grant High School graduate, is excited to be playing in front of his home fans again. He, like many others, knows what Sacramento sports fans are capable of (See: Arco Arena 1998-2005) and fully expects to do them proud by bringing home the championship this coming season.

Fans, too, expect to see competitive play from their new team.

“There’s a track record of some good football teams here,” Sacramentean Andrew Skwara said, referring to the Sacramento Surge and the Sacramento Gold Miners as well as local high school football programs.

Fans also said they feel that the addition of a successful professional football team to Sacramento’s resume of contending teams will bolster the city’s prominence.

“It’s gonna be a great way for Sacramento to really show that we’re not just the capitol, we’re not just the Kings, we’ve got everything,” Sacramentean Marc Griffin said.

However, it isn’t meeting players or the prospect of a thriving Sacramento, it’s the chance to see professional football at an affordable price in a local venue that has Sacramento sports fans giddy. According to coach Green, tickets will be sold for approximately $20, far less expensive than NFL tickets. Baseball may be America’s pastime, but football is America’s sweetheart, and if you play it, they will come.

Season tickets go on sale this coming Friday, it should be interesting to see what things may come.