BUTLER TWP — The cost is steep. The move is worth it.

Such is the feeling of the Butler County Bears, a second-year semi-pro football team that will be calling Art Bernardi Stadium home this summer.

The Bears finished 2-6 in their inaugural season, playing in the United States Football Alliance with their home games at Karns City. The USFA has since folded and the Bears will compete this season in the six-team Gridiron Football Alliance (GIFA) based out of Steubenville, Ohio.

Canton, Erie, Youngstown, Pittsburgh and Rochester (NY) are other teams in the circuit.

“I looked at three different leagues and this is the only one that has a commissioner, president and vice president not affiliated with any of the teams,” Bears coach and owner Kirk Bergbigler said.

“They’re going to add two or three teams per season and gradually grow,” he added.

The Bears are hopeful the move to Bernardi Stadium will put the team on the map.

“A lot of people out there still don’t know we exist,” lineman T.J. Sommers, a Slippery Rock High graduate, said. “Playing in Butler’s stadium should help us in that regard.”

Heavy storms swept through during three of the Bears’ four home games last year.

“This move to Butler is the main reason I decided to play again,” 1993 Butler graduate Don McCoy said. “I’m 36 years old and thought about hanging it up. But I love the idea of playing in my old stadium.

“At Karns City and with that bad weather, we were lucky to get 100 people to the games. We’re hoping to draw at least 500 to 1,000 in Butler.”

Calling Butler home is not cheap, however. The Bears had to spend approximately $1,500 per home game last year, covering stadium rental, officials, etc.

Butler is charging $1,500 just for stadium rent. Additional funding must be used to pay game officials, ambulance personnel, scoreboard operator, announcer, event manager, security and a custodian.

Only one locker room will be available for the Bears’ games. That will likely go to the visiting team.

“We have to respect the traveling team. I’m working on some other possibilities for our locker facility,” Bergbigler said.

“Our total cost is approximately $2,500 per home game. We’re doing some fundraising for as much as we can. We’ve raised about $3,000 so far.”

Home games are June 11, July 16, July 23, Aug. 6 and Aug. 13. The Bears will need at least $13,000 to cover their total stadium bills.

“It’s all worth it to us,” Karns City graduate and Bears receiver-defensive back Stephon Conto said. “We’re a Butler team and we should be playing in Butler. The central location will get the team into the public eye a lot more.

“Guys on this team love to play the game,” Conto added. “It’s not for somebody just looking to work out. This is a tough game. You get banged up, but you love to play.”

A drawing for three $500 fuel cards, a pizza kit sale and soliciting local businesses are a few of the ways the Bears are trying to raise funds. The team’s cheerleaders are organizing fundraisers as well.

“At some point, we want to have enough money to give a scholarship or two out to someone who wants to play for us, but can’t afford the cost,” Conto said.

The Bears’ roster stands at 26 players. Other local products on the team include receiver Shane Kerr, linebacker Tylor Williams and lineman Alex Brown from Butler, quarterback Erik Fuhrer from Karns City, fullback-linebacker Quinten Fair from Slippery Rock and lineman Mike Rapp from Mars.

Bergbigler is hopeful of getting the roster up to 35 to 40 players by the time the season starts.

“I know how big football is in this area,” Sommers said. “Butler, Karns City, Mars, Moniteau, Slippery Rock, Knoch ... There’s tradition at all of those places.

“I’d love to see us get more players, more people in the stands, really see this thing build up.”

For more information about the team, visit www.butlercountybearsfootball.com.