RailHawks end season with win, players excited about new owner

The 2015 season proved to be a year of highs and lows for the Carolina RailHawks. Their third place in the spring season table soon became overshadowed by the indictment of Aaron Davidson, the president of the RailHawks’ then-parent company, Traffic Sports USA.

The RailHawks’ play on the pitch reflected the disarray at the ownership level, as they finished the fall season at a paltry 6-11-3 (W-L-T).

On the eve of its final match of the year, the clouds parted, as the team announced that local entrepreneur Steve Malik would be taking ownership of the club.

The RailHawks picked up their first win under their new ownership, defeating the Indy Eleven 3-1 Friday night.

“Perfect season as far as I’m concerned,” Malik said. “One and oh!”

Colin Clarke, who will be enter his fifth season as the RailHawks’ coach in 2016, is content knowing his squad’s worries will finally be at ease.

“A lot of players have been told for a long time that ‘It’s going to get better, it’s going to get better,’ and as time has worn on they’ve thought ‘Is it going to get better?’” Clarke said. “Now they know, it’s really going to get better.”

Tiyi Shipalane, who signed a multi-year extension within 24 hours of Malik taking helm of the team, is ready to put the off-the-field drama behind him and focus on winning.

“We had our challenges during the season, it’s kind of hard to balance things when there is actually a bigger issue going on in the background,” Shipalane said. “When you lose so many games, you get disappointed, but we’re happy to finish strong and celebrate with each other.”

Malik’s commitment to a higher financial investment into the team will be a change from former ownership.

However, it’s not just Malik’s money that is bringing excitement to coaches and players. Team captain Connor Tobin sees a new culture as being what new ownership brings to the table.

“What you want to hear, is not necessarily the amount of money they’re going to put into it, the bigger part is hearing his first thing off the bat, ‘We need to create the culture.’ That’s not just the players, that’s the front office and everyone pulling the same way,” Tobin said.

Going through many years with Davidson at the helm from Miami, Clarke is ready for an owner that has North Carolinian roots.

“He’s local and he has a passion for the community,” Clarke said. “He’s not an owner who’s going to be outsourced looking in from the outside, he’s going to be hands on and involved.”

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 11:49 PM with the headline "RailHawks end season with win, players excited about new owner."