Lawrence Walden

A Letter to the Creative Minds of the United Furry Football League
by Lawrence "Larry" Walden
Hello everyone. First off, I'd like to thank you for your patronage. It is my pleasure to represent this newly-established league as the Vice President of Operations. Our fine committee is pleased to see so much enthusiasm and excitement from the managers, players, and fans of our community - and we hope this enthusiasm and excitement continues once we carry through our inaugural season as the UFFL.
I'd like to formally introduce myself to you, the reader - although I have never been an active football player in the major-league sense, I played on the offensive line during my time in college and worked my way through the managerial ranks of various coaching positions at Otter State University. After receiving my Master's in Business Administration from the Avian School of Business in Portland, Oregon in 2005, I was hired as the Head Coach of Otter State. In 2006, I moved from this position to Dallas to develop the Dallas Knights before the untimely decline of the FAFF League left hundreds of players and coaches without a job - including myself. Since then, I have been working with Beaux and several others to restart a national American football league for our many talented players.
It has been quite a struggle to establish the twelve teams that will represent us, after many attempted failures in the past to begin a league. Although the desire has been there, often the time commitment and logistics of running a league interfere with our daily lives. We know that many of you may be doubtful of our ability to succeed this time around, but we have been working constantly behind the scenes to guarantee that a season will be enjoyed this year by all.
As the VP of Operations, it is my job to guarantee a healthy environment for our players and coaches. Although we are of several different species; whether you are an owl like myself, a fox, a bear, a lizard - whatever type of anthropomorph you are, you are welcome to experience this league with us. We believe in a league of respect, where the players play fair and the coaches are strong and involved. Football is not just a chance to create winners and losers; it is also a chance to build a community. We want our players to be successful both on and off the field - this is why you see many of them around your neighborhood donating their time to charities, going to church, playing in bands, or even working out in your gym.
It's also important for me in my position to note that we do have our rules as well. Since we are of varying backgrounds and lifestyles, we must balance diversity with equality. We are known for turning away players who do not meet a certain set of guidelines, and even though this may not seem fair, it is what must be done to guarantee other player's safety and prosperity. Scouts are tasked with the job of deciding who is of prime quality for our league, and who may need a few more years to develop their skills.
I remember vividly the first time I talked with Beaux about restarting the league. Both of our eyes lit up, and excitedly we sat down and worked off our tails to make it happen. It is this strength, this drive, this emotional attachment to what exists here - that we hope to see from you all as well.
In closing, we welcome you to our league and wish you the best of luck! Let's hope we see you on our big stage - the FurBowl - tearing up the turf and going in for the score! I'll be hooting and rooting for you!
 Cordially,
 
 Lawrence E. Walden