The Pittsburgh Crossefire, in its first season in the Steel City after thirteen as the Baltimore Thunder, has closed its downtown office and is up for sale.

Owner Dennis Townsend, a real-estate investor based in Baltimore, has decided he does not want to own the team anymore, according to Chad Amond, the team's director of sales and marketing.

The CrosseFire, which averaged a disappointing 4,500 fans per game last season, could well be moved if the team is sold, although that is far from certain, Amond said.

"The attendance was a little less than we anticipated," Amond said. "But that is not why he is selling. His heart is in the wins and losses."

Amond said Townsend - who was an integral part of the coaching staff and was behind the bench at every game - thought his team should have easily made the playoffs and was even a potential first-place team. Instead, the CrosseFire went 6-6 and missed the playoffs.

A small staff of "about half a dozen" was affected by Wednesday's closing of the team offices, Amond said. All could be retained by the new owner, especially if the owner is local and keeps the team here, Amond said.

Amond estimated the deal could take anywhere from two days to two months to complete, and he was hopeful that local investors, who have expressed some interest, would step forward, a situation he said was favored by the NLL.

"In talking to (NLL officials), I get the impression it is very important to have a franchise in Pittsburgh," Amond said, "especially since attendance consistently was going up. We have a strong foundation here, in one of the league's bigger markets."

The NLL has eight teams which includes teams in Buffalo, Philadelphia and Long Island. The league is considering expanding to ten teams next season with Detroit and Columbus being considered for franchises, Amond said.

CrosseFire coach John Tucker wasn't surprised the team is up for sale.

"I'm not shocked," Tucker said. "He put so many resources into the team, and he lost a significant amount of money. He gave it a shot, and things just didn't work out."

Tucker said he hadn't talked to Townsend recently but knew he was frustrated. Tucker also said Townsend wanted to bring a winner to Pittsburgh and had the players to do so. One of the problems was the team had to practice in Baltimore and play in Pittsburgh. The lack of fans didn't help either.

"The curiosity seekers didn't even come out to see us," Tucker said. "He can't continue losing this kind of money. If there was a light at the end of the tunnel, he might have considered not selling, but the crowds didn't grow."

Townsend could not be reached for comment.