Nashua Silver Knights owner John Creedon, left, shown with manager Kyle Jackson after the team won the 2023 FCBL title, is selling his other team, the Worcester Bravehearts. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Nashua Silver Knights owner John Creedon, Jr. is all in on the franchise.

And that’s because the Knights, if things progress as planned in the next few weeks, will be the only Futures Collegiate League franchise he and his family will own.

Creedon confirmed that he is indeed negotiating to sell the Worcester Bravehearts, a process that has held up the release of the FCBL’s 2024 schedule.

The prospective buyers, said to be a Worcester area ownership group with community baseball ties, will keep the Bravehearts in Worcester.

Thus, the Creedon Bowl – the battles between the family’s two teams, the Knights and Bravehearts – will be no more in the sense of dual ownership.

“It’s likely that there is going to be a new owne for the Bravehearts for the 2024 season,” Creedon said the other night at a Knights function downtown. “I can tell the good people of Nashua I am all in on the Red Team.”

Creedon admitted the family was not actively seeking a buyer, but was approached last summer and finally decided at the end of 2023 to move forward. They created the franchise that plays at the College of the Holy Cross a decade ago, and it has enjoyed incredible success on and off the field. Under the Creedon ownership, the franchise averaged over 2,000 fans a game and had reached the FCBL finals for for an amazing eight straight seasons with titles in 2014 (their first season), ’15, ’18, and co-champs in ’19. They have had three epic FCBL title bouts with Nashua with the Knights winning all three, the last one in 2020 with the Creedons owning both teams. The family purchased Nashua from former Lowell Spinners owner and original Silver Knights owner Drew Weber in 2019.

“We were approached at the end of last year by a very enthusiastic, interested party,” Creedon said. “And so we’re having those discussions with that party now.

“I can tell personally for me and my family that, in a point of reflection, once we were approached, we said it probably makes sense to entertain this idea. The more we thought about it and talked with the interested party, things made sense to make a change there.”

Possibly factoring into the decision to sell the team may be the presence now of the popular Triple A Worcester Red Sox, who moved to the city from Pawtucket in 2021 with a brand new stadium (Polar Park). That cut into attendance and likely sponsorships, although the team still averaged 1,985 in a rain-plagued season last year, second in the league.

But the bottom line is Creedon, once that sale is final, will now not have to split time and resources between two FCBL teams, which should be good news for the Silver Knights.

“It gives me more of an opportunity to focus on our core business, Creedon & Company – the catering, tents,” Creedon said. “I’ll also have an opportunity to focus solely on the Nashua Silver Knights, which is terrific.”

Creedon had emerged during his time in Worcester, and after he acquired Nashua, as a driving ownerhip force and decision maker in the FCBL as chairman of the ownership board. That likely won’t change. Creedon also said longtime Worcester general manager Dave Peterson, who does a lot of the behind-the-scenes work with the FCBL, is expected to remain with the Bravehearts.

“We just had the league meeting (last) Friday, I’m still very active in the league, chairing the board there,” Creedon said. “The best days of the Futures League certainly lies ahead in the future, I’m very bullish on the summer collegiate baseball model.”

Creedon has been very active in the off-season in Nashua, talking with the city about potential improvements to Holman Stadium. Just recently the left field brick wall has been replaced with a similar structure.

“We’ve had wonderful discussions this past fall and winter with the folks from the city of Nashua,” Creedon said. “They’re super supportive of everything we’re doing, super supportive and open minded about Holman Stadium and improvements. At all times they’ve had tractors and work crews out there, fixing walls, making physical improvements, which is wonderful to see. We certainly appreciate the commitment from the city leadership.”

Does the fact that the Creedon family’s resources won’t be used for Worcester mean even more will be used for Nashua?

“Potentially,” Creedon said, noting that the Silver Knights have never been shortchanged. “I can say that there’s going to be more time for me (in Nashua) and time is a precious commodity … We’re super excited, the fan base is terrific.”

Indeed, the Knights had their best attendance ever last summer, despite all the rain, averaging 1,624 fans per game over 30 dates.

“I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to grow year after year up here since 2019,” Creedon said. “We keep building it year over year. This has been the best off-season. We keep making strides. Keep making improvements. Build on the momentum year after year, that’s the formula for the success.”

And Creedon confirmed he is fully committed to Nashua. “One hundred percent,” he said.

Meanwhile, it had to be a tough decision for the Worcester native to sell the team he and his family created.

“It is,” he said. “We had an incredible decade of success down there, created a culture of winning and excellence … We’re very proud of it.”

He said he still he still has an interest in future sports ownership besides Nashua.

“To the extent that opportunities make sense, absolutely open minded to exploring all of that, and see where things go from there,” he said.

Creedon confirmed the Worcester sale is a factor with the release of the schedule, that other league sources say should be ready to be released on or around February 7. It can hold up some ticket sales, etc., but Creedon said the Silver Knights and other teams have been able to work around it and fellow FCBL franchises have been patient with the process.

“While we’re waiting for clearance on the league on that, we’re still able to book groups,” he said. “And that’s what attendance is driven by. … It’s companies, youth sports groups – we have two Education Days already scheduled, both are going to be banged out, and we’re going to set another attendance record in 2024. Mark my words on that.”

Sounds like an owner who is all in on the Silver Knights, doesn’t it?