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110-700: The Xtreme were the first indoor football team in the Louisville area since the af2 's Louisville Fire folded in 2008. The co-owners of the CIFL Xtreme were Victor Cole and Mario Urrutia . While in the CIFL, the Xtreme played their home games at Freedom Hall in Louisville, but was suspended by the league after Urrutia abandoned the team to join the Winnipeg Blue Bombers midseason. Cole remained

220-540: A strike ). Efforts to reformat the league's business model were placed under the leadership of Columbus Destroyers owner Jim Renacci and interim commissioner Policy. High hopes for the AFL waned when interim commissioner Ed Policy announced his resignation, citing the obsolescence of his position in the reformatted league. Two weeks later, the Los Angeles Avengers announced that they were formally folding

330-464: A 13-week schedule during which each team played 12 games and had one bye week. Each of the six teams played each opponent at least once. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams participated in the ArenaBowl playoffs, in which the top seed faced the 4th seed while the 2nd seed faced the 3rd seed in a home and home series. The team in each series with the higher aggregate score advanced to

440-404: A Chapter 7 liquidation if the league did not do so voluntarily. This request was granted on August 7, though converted to a Chapter 11 reorganization on August 26. Following the suspension of the AFL's 2009 season, league officials and owners of af2 (which had played its season as scheduled) began discussing the future of arena football and the two leagues. With its 50.1 percent ownership of af2,

550-652: A familiar name to the league, an AFL mainstay, the Iowa Barnstormers, departed the league to join the Indoor Football League . The San Antonio Talons folded on October 13, 2014, after the league (which owned the team) failed to find a new owner. On November 16, 2014, despite a successful season record-wise, the Pittsburgh Power became the second team to cease operations after the 2014 season. This resulted from poor attendance. It

660-556: A lack of capital and unresolved liabilities. On February 1, 2023, G6 Sports Group (based in Toronto, Ontario), a new ownership group that had acquired the league's trademarks and social media accounts, announced another revival of the league which began play in 2024. This league is not directly related to the previous league. The league lasted one season before all of its remaining teams left to form Arena Football One prior to 2025. The second iteration's final 2019 season consisted of

770-726: A logo was developed and venues had begun to be lined up, the league and its nine teams were purchased by the AF2 on July 29, 1999, and the Xtreme Football League never played a single game. The AF2 finally took the field in March 2000 in a game between the Birmingham Steeldogs and Tennessee Valley Vipers (two of the acquired XFL teams). Fifteen teams were fielded in 2000 with the rights for several more cities quickly secured. The Orlando Predators also purchased

880-480: A longer history than competing leagues. From a high of 19 teams in 2007, the league contracted to a low of four teams in 2018, all in the northeastern United States. There were six teams playing in 2019 , the league's final season. On October 29, 2019, league commissioner Randall Boe confirmed reports that the league had discontinued operating teams in local markets for the 2020 season. Four weeks later on November 27, league commissioner Boe announced via Twitter that

990-633: A minimum $ 50 victory bonus. The AF2 was founded in 1999 by the Arena Football League in an attempt to bring the game to mid-sized markets following the success of AFL on the national level. The AF2 was not intended to be a farm system for the AFL like the American Hockey League and Minor League Baseball are to the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball , respectively. The league

1100-404: A new deal on a four-year CBA was reached, nearly doubling player compensation and granting expanded health insurance benefits. On March 27, 2018, the AFL announced that commissioner Scott Butera would be replaced by former AOL counsel Randall Boe prior to the 2018 season. The AFL also partnered with DraftKings to bring back AFL Fantasy Football. The league continued organizational changes for

1210-548: A player to go out of bounds presently is if he is tackled into or deliberately contacts the side boards. This was also the first year the ArenaBowl was played at a neutral site. In 2007, free substitution was allowed, ending the "iron man" era of one-platoon football ; also, games ending in ties were abolished. The next season, in 2008, the "jack" linebacker was allowed to go sideboard to sideboard without being penalized for "illegal defense". After 12 years as commissioner of

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1320-466: A return of the league for 2013, but that did not materialize. Kurz had also mentioned af2 in an interview on The AFL Podcast in 2024. The ArenaCup was the AF2's championship game, held annually in August. For the league's first five years, it was held at the home arena of the higher-seeded remaining team. However, as the old AFL has changed, the AF2 also changed. In the same year that ArenaBowl XIX

1430-409: A success, the league returned for a second season and returned all 15 original teams as well as 13 expansion teams. For legal purposes, the league was effectively dissolved on September 8, 2009, when no team submitted the paperwork to return in 2010. Since the original AFL had suspended 2009 operations and later suspended all operations indefinitely after declaring bankruptcy , the minority owners (as

1540-500: A touring model similar to the Premier Lacrosse League or basketball's BIG3 ) and that a decision on the league's future would most likely be announced near the end of 2019. Approximately a month after the announcement of the closure of teams, on November 27, 2019, commissioner Boe announced via the league's Twitter account that the league would be filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and fully cease operations, citing

1650-530: A two-year leave of absence while their arena, shared with its primary tenant the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers , was undergoing construction during the basketball offseason. The next month, the longest-tenured AFL team, with franchise roots to the inaugural AFL season, the Tampa Bay Storm , also suspended operations citing financial problems. In February 2018, the 2018 season schedule was finalized with only

1760-629: The 2012 CIFL season , the Xtreme played another exhibition game against the CIFL's Indianapolis Enforcers , where the Xtreme defeated the Enforcers 20–16. In July 2012, the Xtreme announced that they would be playing at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, and had officially joined the CIFL as an expansion team in the South Division for the 2013 season. The team named former Louisville Fire assistant coach Roy McMillen as their first head coach. The Xtreme went on to have 7–3 record and made

1870-597: The Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) until the AFL closed in 2019. The AFL played a formerly proprietary code known as arena football , a form of indoor American football played on a 66-by-28 yard field (about a quarter of the surface area of an NFL field), with rules encouraging offensive performance, resulting in a typically faster-paced and higher-scoring game compared to NFL games. The sport

1980-719: The Daytona Beach ThunderBirds , from the WIFL , and the Austin Wranglers moved down from the AFL . After the season, Austin and Daytona Beach folded, along with Louisville , Lubbock , and Texas . The league was expected to expand to Toledo, Ohio and Worcester, Massachusetts by 2011. When AF2 folded, some teams joined the AF2 Board of Directors in forming the new "Arena Football 1" that soon became

2090-829: The Fort Wayne Fusion , the Cincinnati Jungle Kats , and the Laredo Lobos . The Everett Hawks , Alabama Steeldogs , and the Bakersfield Blitz also ceased operations. For 2008, the league fielded one team fewer, at 29. Two teams were reactivated: the Iowa Barnstormers and the Peoria Pirates , and the league admitted three new teams that were transferring from other leagues. The Lexington Horsemen came from UIF ;

2200-573: The KFC Yum! Center . The Xtreme were one of four teams to start the 2021 IFL season before the rest of the league on April 24. The team's June 12 home game against the Green Bay Blizzard was then postponed for undisclosed reasons. On June 14, 2021, the IFL terminated the Xtreme's membership after five games played due to failing to maintain the league's minimum obligations and did not finish

2310-846: The Los Angeles Kiss , owned by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the rock band Kiss , and the Portland Thunder . In 2014, the league announced the granting of a new franchise to Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil , previously part-owner of the Jacksonville Sharks. That franchise, the Las Vegas Outlaws , played their home games at the Thomas & Mack Center , previously home to the Las Vegas Sting and Las Vegas Gladiators . After 20 years as

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2420-569: The Milwaukee Mustangs , the name of Milwaukee's original AFL team that had existed from 1994 to 2001. In 2012, the AFL celebrated its silver anniversary for its 25th season of operations. The season kicked off on March 9, 2012. The Tulsa Talons moved to San Antonio, Texas , and Jeffrey Vinik became owner of the Tampa Bay Storm. The Dallas Vigilantes were left off the schedule for the 2012 season with no announcement from

2530-585: The National Indoor Football League , a rival indoor league, saw large numbers of expansion teams after beginning play in 2001 but many struggled financially and played only briefly, incurring considerable financial losses before folding. In more recent years, the American Basketball Association has exhibited the same situation to an even greater degree. Nine new expansion teams were approved for 2007 in

2640-503: The Professional Indoor Football League , Indoor Professional Football League , and Indoor Football League . Each of these leagues, though they would eventually fold, managed to last for multiple seasons, proving that the game had some traction in the smaller cities. With Jim Foster 's patent on arena football, the AF2 had the advantage of being the same game as was being seen on the national level with

2750-590: The Spokane Shock officially left the AFL and joined the IFL under the new name Spokane Empire , becoming the fifth active AFL/af2 franchise to leave for the IFL since the 2009 AFL bankruptcy ( Iowa Barnstormers , Tri-Cities Fever , Green Bay Blizzard , and Arkansas Twisters left previously). On November 12, the league announced the defending champion San Jose SaberCats would be ceasing operations due to "reasons unrelated to league operations". A statement from

2860-726: The Steel before ultimately folding after the 2016 AFL season. After the 2014 AFL season, the Iowa Barnstormers changed leagues from the AFL to the Indoor Football League. After the conclusion of the 2015 season, the last AF2 team remaining in the AFL, the Spokane Shock, joined the Barnstormers in the IFL as the Spokane Empire , and then also folded in 2017. After the conclusion of the 2019 AFL season ,

2970-475: The United States Patent and Trademark Office to patent his invented sport. The patent application covered the rules of the game, specifically detailing the goalposts and rebound netting and their impact on gameplay. Foster's application was granted on March 27, 1990. The patent expired on March 27, 2007. From its inception, the AFL operated in a state of semi-obscurity; many Americans had heard

3080-601: The 1994 season, the AFL had a number of other teams which it considered "dynasties" between 1994 and 2016. The most successful of these were the Tampa Bay Storm and their arch-rival the Orlando Predators , as well as the San Jose SaberCats and their rivals, the Arizona Rattlers . Among those four teams, they won 14 of 22 ArenaBowls in that time span and appeared in all but two. In 1993,

3190-543: The 2015 season. The Milwaukee Iron rebranded itself in 2011 as the Mustangs, adopting the name of a previous Milwaukee team . Tulsa relocated to San Antonio before the start of the 2012 season, retaining the Talons' name and history and folded after the 2014 season. Milwaukee suspended operations for the 2013 season, and the team relocated to Portland, Oregon for the 2014 season, becoming the Portland Thunder , later renamed

3300-511: The 2019 season with Philadelphia Soul owner Ron Jaworski taking over as chairman of the executive committee, moving the league's headquarters from Las Vegas to Philadelphia , and naming John Adams as president and chief operating officer. On December 27, 2018, the AFL introduced a new set of logos to be used beginning with the 2019 season. The league announced an expansion team in Atlantic City, New Jersey , on January 22, 2019, that

3410-552: The 2020 season on March 13 before playing a game citing the COVID-19 pandemic . The AAL also ultimately cancelled its season due to the pandemic. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, the Xtreme announced they were joining the National Arena League (NAL). On July 24, 2020, former NFL player Chris Redman , a Louisville native and resident, was named the team's new president, also taking an ownership interest in

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3520-545: The AF2, saying how one day he envisioned the league growing to 100 teams. The AF2 started off with 15 teams in 2000, then expanded to 28 teams in 2001, and finally to 34 in 2002. The number of teams the league fielded dropped every year from there on after, until the 2006 season; 27 teams were fielded in 2003, 25 in 2004, and 20 in 2005. Finally, in 2006, the AF2 saw its first expansion in four years, fielding 23 teams, and continued that into 2007 with 30 teams. The drop in teams between 2002 and 2006 could be partially attributed to

3630-891: The AF2: the Boise Burn , the Cincinnati Jungle Kats , the Fort Wayne Fusion , the Laredo Lobos , the Lubbock Renegades , the Mahoning Valley Thunder , the Texas Copperheads , the Tri-Cities Fever , and the Corpus Christi Sharks . The Texas, Laredo, and Tri-Cities teams moved to the AF2 from other indoor football leagues. For the 2007 season, the league fielded 30 teams. After the 2007 season, three of those teams folded,

3740-667: The AFL for an unintended reason, when the Pittsburgh Gladiators' head coach, Joe Haering, made football history by punching commissioner Jim Foster during a game with the Chicago Bruisers . The national media ran with the story, including a photo in USA Today . The game was played between the two teams in Sacramento's ARCO Arena , as part of the AFL's 'Barnstorming America' tour. Foster had walked onto

3850-521: The AFL for the IFL on October 17, leaving the AFL with four teams. They were the sixth AFL team to leave for the IFL since the 2010 relaunch. On November 14, the AFL announced that it had granted a second franchise to Washington Valor owner Ted Leonsis to be based out of Baltimore for the 2017 season, the Baltimore Brigade , bringing the league up to five teams. On August 23, 2017, the week of ArenaBowl XXX , multiple sources revealed that

3960-419: The AFL owned 50.1%) of AF2 were wary of being owned by and paying money owed to the bankrupt league's creditors. The remaining teams and Board of Directors of AF2, and some former members of the AFL joined to create a new league, originally called "Arena Football One", which was announced at a press conference on September 28, 2009. Legally, Arena Football One, later doing business as the Arena Football League,

4070-569: The AFL planned to expand to Albany, New York , and Newark, New Jersey , for 2018. The Albany Empire was confirmed October 24, with the team owned by Hearst Communications executive George Randolph Hearst III and sharing non-football management with the Philadelphia Soul. There was never another mention of a Newark team in the offseason. On November 28, the Cleveland Gladiators announced that they would have to take

4180-620: The AFL remained in the league. The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz ceased operations after the 2010 season. In the 2011 season, the Alabama Vipers relocated to suburban Atlanta and assumed the identity and history of the former Georgia Force before folding after the 2012 season, while the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings moved to New Orleans and became a continuation of the VooDoo and then ceased operations after

4290-438: The AFL was played in cities like Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Chicago, the AF2 fielded teams in cities which are part of metropolitan statistical areas ranging in size from Milwaukee (with 1,739,497 residents) to Albany, Georgia (with 164,000 residents). Also in common with other minor professional sports leagues, players also earned less than in the AFL, with each player making $ 200-$ 500 per game, with

4400-425: The AFL's bankruptcy and dissolution prompted the dissolution of af2 as well. That league was formally considered disbanded on September 8, 2009, when no owner committed his or her team to the league's eleventh season by that deadline. For legal reasons, af2 league officials and owners agreed to form a new legal entity, Arena Football 1 (AF1), with former AFL teams the Arizona Rattlers and Orlando Predators joining

4510-545: The AFL, David Baker retired unexpectedly on July 25, 2008, just two days before ArenaBowl XXII ; deputy commissioner Ed Policy was named interim commissioner until Baker's replacement was found. Baker explained, "When I took over as commissioner, I thought it would be for one year. It turned into 12. But now it's time." In October 2008, Tom Benson announced that the New Orleans VooDoo were ceasing operations and folding "based on circumstances currently affecting

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4620-504: The AFLPA for the AFL to suspend the entire 2009 season in order to create "a long-term plan to improve its economic model." In doing so, the AFL became the second sports league to cancel an entire season, after the National Hockey League cancelled the 2004–05 season because of a lockout . The AFL also became the third sports league to lose its postseason (the first being Major League Baseball , which lost its postseason in 1994 because of

4730-683: The American and National Conferences. The conferences were further subdivided into three divisions each. Each division represented a region of the country in which teams played. Unlike most sports leagues, the alignment of teams into divisions was not even; in 2009, the Central division featured three teams while the West featured five teams. Teams were placed in divisions based on geographic rivalries to reduce travel costs as teams played division opponents more often than non-divisional opponents. Alignment

4840-587: The Arena Football League filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased operations in November 2019. Arena Football League The Arena Football League ( AFL ) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season , making it the third longest-running professional football league in North America after

4950-528: The Arena Football League with four teams: the Pittsburgh Gladiators , Denver Dynamite , Washington Commandos , and Chicago Bruisers . Foster appointed legendary Darrel "Mouse" Davis , godfather of the "run and shoot" and modern pro offenses, as executive director of football operations. Davis hired the original coaches and was the architect of the league's original wide-open offensive playbooks. The first game in Arena Football League history

5060-597: The Desperados' properties around those of the Dallas Cowboys , making the two inseparable. The auction occurred on November 25, 2009. The assets were awarded to Arena Football 1 on December 7, 2009, with a winning bid of $ 6.1 million. On February 17, 2010, AF1 announced it would use the "Arena Football League" name. The league announced plans for the upcoming season and details of its contract with NFL Network to broadcast AFL games in 2010. AF1 teams were given

5170-678: The Drive regularly played before sold-out crowds at Joe Louis Arena , and went to the ArenaBowl every year of their existence (1988–1993). The AFL's first dynasty came to an end when their owner, Mike Ilitch (who also owned Little Caesars Pizza and the Detroit Red Wings ) bought the Detroit Tigers and sold the AFL team. Although the Drive moved to Massachusetts, becoming the Massachusetts Marauders for

5280-462: The New York Dragons did not return. The league added one expansion team, the Pittsburgh Power . Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann was one of the team's owners. It was the first time the AFL returned to Pittsburgh since the Pittsburgh Gladiators were an original franchise in 1987 before becoming the Tampa Bay Storm . The Brigade changed its name to the Command, becoming the Kansas City Command. Even though they were returning teams,

5390-429: The Toledo Thunder 7–6. The team went dormant until it updated its team name to Louisville Xtreme in 2017. It then began to pursue joining a league in 2019 and played a game against the Indianapolis Enforcers , who had become a member on the American Arena League (AAL), and lost 40–6. The Xtreme were then accepted as an expansion team in the AAL for the 2020 season and named Mark Stoute head coach. The team withdrew from

5500-442: The VooDoo came during the Platinum Equity conference call, leading to speculation that he had folded because of the deal. Because of the sudden loss of the New Orleans franchise, the league announced in October that the beginning of the free agency period would be delayed in order to accommodate a dispersal draft . Dates were eventually announced as December 2 for the dispersal draft and December 4 for free agency, but shortly before

5610-463: The Xtreme Football League were: Birmingham, Alabama ( Birmingham Steeldogs ), Greenville, South Carolina ( Carolina Rhinos ), Huntsville, Alabama ( Tennessee Valley Vipers ), Jacksonville, Florida ( Jacksonville Tomcats ), Norfolk, Virginia ( Norfolk Nighthawks ), Pensacola, Florida ( Pensacola Barracudas ), Richmond, Virginia ( Richmond Speed ), Roanoke, Virginia ( Roanoke Steam ), and Tallahassee, Florida ( Tallahassee Thunder ). Although

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5720-412: The closure of all six of the league's teams. The closure came as the league re-evaluated its business model and worked to respond to a lawsuit filed against the league by its former worker's compensation insurance provider. Boe also stated that they had not made the decision to suspend operations for the entire league at that time (raising the possibility that if the league did return, it would do so under

5830-426: The competitor Indoor Football League; several teams would be absorbed into the AF2 for the 2001 season . The first season concluded with over 868,000 people attending AF2 games, averaging over 7,200 per game; several teams ended with average attendances over 10,000 fans. In addition over 9,200 fans attended ArenaCup I between the Tennessee Valley Vipers and Quad City Steamwheelers in Moline, Illinois . Deemed

5940-447: The draft the league issued a press release announcing the draft had been postponed one day to December 3. Shortly thereafter, another press release announced that the draft would be held on December 9 and free agency would commence on December 11. However, the draft still never took place, and instead another press release was issued stating that both the draft and free agency had been postponed indefinitely. Rumors began circulating that

6050-428: The field of play to mediate an altercation between the two teams when Haering, a former NFL assistant, punched him in the jaw. Haering was suspended without pay. One of the league's early success stories was the Detroit Drive . A primary team for some of the AFL's most highly regarded players, including George LaFrance and Gary and Alvin Rettig, as well as being a second career chance for quarterback Art Schlichter ,

6160-443: The first non-motorsports-related professional sports league in the United States to have a title sponsor, renaming it the NET10 Wireless Arena Football League. The redesigned website showed the new logo which incorporated the current AFL logo with the one from NET10 Wireless. The title sponsorship agreement ended in 2014 after a two-year partnership. In 2013, the league expanded with the addition of two new franchises to play in 2014,

6270-479: The first-ever televised AFL game the next night, on June 20, 1987, at the Rosemont Horizon in suburban Chicago on ESPN with Bob Rathbun and Lee Corso calling the play-by-play. The broadcast showed a short clip of the Commandos-Gladiators game. Each team played six games, two against each other team. The top two teams, Denver and Pittsburgh, then competed in the first-ever AFL championship game, ArenaBowl I . On September 30, 1987, Foster filed an application with

6380-486: The former af2 Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings moved to New Orleans as the Voodoo, the identity formerly owned by New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson. The former af2 Alabama Vipers moved to Duluth, Georgia , to become the new Georgia Force (the earlier franchise of that name having been a continuation of the first Nashville Kats franchise). On October 25, 2010, lt was announced that the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz would not return. The Milwaukee Iron also changed names to

6490-399: The former af2. All assets of the Arena Football League were put up for auction. On November 11, 2009, the new league announced its intention to purchase the entire assets of the former AFL; the assets included the team names and logos of all but one of the former AFL and af2 teams. The lone exception was that of the Dallas Desperados ; Desperados owner Jerry Jones had purposely designed

6600-462: The four remaining teams, matching the size of the league in the original "demonstration season" in 1987 . However, the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the AFL and Arena Football League Players' Union (AFLPU) had expired after the 2017 season. A new agreement had not been made despite several proposals and supposed ultimatums between the two parties leading to rumors that the season and league's existence were in jeopardy. On March 16, 2018,

6710-415: The franchise. One month later, the league missed the deadline to formally ratify the new collective bargaining agreement and announced that it was eliminating health insurance for the players. Progress on the return stalled, and no announcements were made regarding the future of the league. On July 20, 2009, Sports Business Journal reported that the AFL owed approximately $ 14 million to its creditors and

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6820-407: The history of the league have enjoyed little success either on or off of the field of play. There were a number of franchises which existed in the form of a series of largely-unrelated teams with little to no continuity of either coaching staffs or players under numerous management groups until they folded. One example of several which could be cited is the New York CityHawks , whose owners transferred

6930-399: The host city's evident lack of interest in its team or the sport as a whole. The year 2000 brought heightened interest in the AFL. Then- St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner , who was MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV , was first noticed because he played quarterback for the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers . While many sports commentators and fans continued to ridicule the league, Warner's story gave

7040-414: The idea to a few friends at the NFL offices, where he received praise and encouragement for his concept. After solidifying the rules and a business plan, and supplemented with sketches by a professional artist, Foster presented his idea to various television networks. He reached an agreement with NBC for a "test game". Plans for arena football were put on hold in 1982 as the United States Football League

7150-409: The individual AF2 teams also prevented players from leaving for the parent league mid-season; this preserved the quality of play in the lower league and did not destroy team dynamics with players coming and going throughout the season as they do in the NHL and MLB. The foundation of the AF2 was a response to the launch of several small-market indoor football leagues in the mid-to-late 1990s, including

7260-453: The initial test game that Foster decided to put on a second, "showcase" game. The second game was held on February 27, 1987, at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago with a budget of $ 20,000, quintuple the $ 4,000 for the test game. Foster also invited ESPN to send a film crew to the game; a highlights package aired on SportsCenter . Following the successes of his trial-run games, Foster moved ahead with his idea for arena football. He founded

7370-409: The league and the team". Shortly thereafter, an article in Sports Business Journal announced that the AFL had a tentative agreement to sell a $ 100 million stake in the league to Platinum Equity ; in exchange, Platinum Equity would create a centralized, single-entity business model that would streamline league and team operations and allow the league to be more profitable. Benson's move to shut down

7480-402: The league as a whole had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, dissolving the league for the second time. Jim Foster , a promotions manager with the National Football League, conceived of indoor football while watching an indoor soccer match at Madison Square Garden in 1981. While at the game, he wrote his idea on a 9 x 12 envelope, with sketches of the field and notes on gameplay. He presented

7590-424: The league expanding too rapidly in its first three seasons. Many teams were financially unstable and folded . This could have been at least in large measure due to higher expenses, even compared to those of similar leagues. Franchise fees in the league ranged from $ 600,000 to $ 1 million. Historically, massive sports league expansions have had little success, either in indoor football or other sports. For instance,

7700-427: The league held a teleconference with the remaining team owners and issued a statement the next morning declaring that the league would continue in the long-term, although the league did not expressly commit to playing in 2017 at that time. On October 14, the AFL held a dispersal draft with the five teams selecting players from the Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Orlando, and Portland rosters. The Rattlers then officially left

7810-430: The league indicated that the AFL was working to secure new, long-term owners for the franchise. This left the AFL with eight teams for 2016 . On January 6, 2016, the league took over "ownership and operational control" of the Portland Thunder from its previous owners. The AFL stated this move was made after months of trying work out an arrangement "to provide financial and operational support." On February 3, 2016, it

7920-426: The league positive exposure, and it brought the league a new television deal with TNN , which, unlike ESPN, televised regular season games live. While it was not financially lucrative, it helped set the stage for what the league would become in the new millennium. The year also brought a spin-off league, the af2 , intended to be a developmental league , comparable to the National Football League 's NFL Europe . There

8030-792: The league staged its first All-Star Game in Des Moines, Iowa , the future home of the long-running Iowa Barnstormers , as a fundraiser for flood victims in the area . The National Conference defeated the American Conference 64–40 in front of a crowd of 7,189. The second All-Star event was in October 2013, with two games, the first in Honolulu , Hawai'i , the second being in Beijing , China. While some teams have enjoyed considerable on-field and even financial success, many teams in

8140-576: The league to cancel its 2009 season, though the af2 did play. Later that year both the AFL and af2 were dissolved and reorganized as a new corporation comprising teams from both leagues, and the AFL returned in 2010. The league's average game attendance after returning in 2010 was approximately 9,500. The league historically had a nationwide footprint, and was recognized as the most prominent professional indoor football league in North America, offering higher payment, more widespread media exposure, and

8250-498: The league was in trouble and on the verge of folding, but owners denied those claims. It was soon revealed the players' union had agreed to cut the salary cap for the 2009 season to prevent a total cessation of operations. However, the announced Platinum Equity investment never materialized. Although the af2 played its tenth season in 2009, a conference call in December 2008 resulted in enough votes from owners and cooperation from

8360-605: The league's website on December 10, 2015, showed an eight-team league playing a 16-game regular season over 18 weeks, with two bye weeks for each team, one on a rotational basis and the other a "universal bye" for all teams during the Independence Day weekend, the first weekend in July. All teams qualified for the postseason, meaning that the regular season served only to establish seeding . On February 10, 2016, The Washington Post and radio station WTOP-FM first broke

8470-674: The league, with Jacksonville establishing the National Arena League and the Predators , after a period of dormancy, being reclaimed by some of its former players and also joining the NAL in 2019. The next day, it was reported that the Arizona Rattlers were in the planning stages to also leave the AFL for the Indoor Football League for 2017. In the same report, it was stated the Los Angeles Kiss and Portland Steel had apparently folded after both teams failed to return calls or respond to inquiries into 2017 season ticket purchases. Later on October 13,

8580-502: The management, and the team was subsequently quietly folded with no formal announcement ever being released. The AFL postponed the free agency period to October 31 due to Hurricane Sandy , noting that the National Football League was simultaneously doing the same thing with regard to its trade deadline. It was announced on December 12, 2012, that the AFL had reached a partnership agreement with NET10 Wireless to be

8690-758: The managing owner after the team was removed from the CIFL. The Xtreme was organized in 2012 when Victor Cole and five other partners decided to use the money they had saved up from their tours in Afghanistan . The Kentucky Xtreme played in the Interstate Football League, winning the 2012 championship. In 2012, the Xtreme played a preseason exhibition game against the Evansville Rage of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL), losing 26–56. After

8800-607: The new Arena Football League. Iowa, Milwaukee, Tennessee Valley (which changed its name to Alabama to reflect the state, rather than the region), Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Bossier-Shreveport, and Spokane all moved to the new AFL to join "old" AFL teams Arizona, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Chicago, and Cleveland, along with expansion teams in Dallas and Jacksonville, and the American Indoor Football team in Utah that had also been in

8910-468: The old AFL. Kentucky, Tri-Cities, and Arkansas also committed to the new league, but Kentucky folded, and Tri-Cities and Arkansas followed Green Bay and Amarillo to the Indoor Football League . Albany did not play in 2010 while seeking an expansion into the "new" AFL in 2011, along with a planned addition in Toledo. By the conclusion of the 2015 AFL Season , none of the seven AF2 franchises that moved into

9020-821: The option of restoring historical names to their teams. In addition to the historical teams, the league added two new expansion franchises, the Dallas Vigilantes and the Jacksonville Sharks . For the 2011 season, the Philadelphia Soul , Kansas City Brigade , San Jose SaberCats, New Orleans VooDoo, and the Georgia Force returned to the AFL after having last played in 2008. However, the Grand Rapids Rampage, Colorado Crush, Columbus Destroyers, Los Angeles Avengers, and

9130-479: The original arena arrangement for the 2008 season. With the exception of ArenaCup V , all AF2 championships were televised either nationally or locally. The inaugural and second ArenaCups were broadcast on TNN Motor Sports/TNN Sports , which carried AFL games on Sunday afternoons at the time. However, when the AFL broadcast rights were purchased by NBC , the ArenaCup national telecast was lost. The 2002 ArenaCup

9240-522: The playoffs, where they lost the Erie Explosion 55–6 in the semifinal game. The Xtreme returned to the CIFL in 2014. In August 2013, the Xtreme named LaKunta Farmer the team's second head coach after McMillen resigned. In November 2013, former Arena Football League Rookie of the Year Award winner Mario Urrutia joined the Xtreme ownership group and would also play on the team. They started

9350-605: The same group which owned the NFL teams in their host cities, after NFL resolution to allow league owners to own the individual AFL clubs. Also, on February 8, 1999, the NFL purchased, but never exercised, an option to buy a major interest in the AFL (49.9%). Of all of these teams, only the Philadelphia Soul were still playing in the AFL in their last season before folding. In 2003, the season expanded to 16 games. There were also several rule changes in this period. In 2005, players were no longer allowed to run out of bounds. The only way for

9460-504: The season 0–5, including two forfeit losses. After their second forfeit, the CIFL announced that the Xtreme had been suspended by the league and that affiliate teams would fill out the Xtreme's remaining road games. Following the season, the CIFL effectively ceased operations. In 2015, the Kentucky Xtreme played in the indoor/outdoor Minor League Football Alliance (MLFA). The team made it to the championship game, where they lost to

9570-582: The season. y - clinched home playoff game x - clinched playoff spot Kane County played the second game on their schedule, but forfeited the other nine. Running backs Wide receivers Defensive linemen Defensive backs Special teams rookies in italics Roster updated February 19, 2013 26 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 PS Running backs Wide receivers Defensive linemen Linebackers Kickers Exempt list Af2 The AF2 (often styled as af2 , and short for arenafootball2 )

9680-564: The story that Monumental Sports & Entertainment ( Ted Leonsis , chairman), which also owns the NHL 's Washington Capitals , NBA 's Washington Wizards , and WNBA 's Washington Mystics , were "close to a deal" in bring a new expansion franchise to the Verizon Center . On March 10, 2016, AFL commissioner Scott Butera announced that the deal was finalized and that the new Washington, D.C., team would begin play in 2017. On July 14, 2016,

9790-573: The team from New York City to Hartford to become the New England Sea Wolves after two seasons, then after another two seasons were sold and became the Toronto Phantoms , which lasted another two seasons until folding. There are a number of reasons why these teams failed, including financially weak ownership groups, lack of deep financial support from some owners otherwise capable of providing it, lack of media exposure, and

9900-476: The team name was revealed as the Washington Valor . There was also talk for franchises to return to San Antonio and St. Louis as well as a potential new team for Sacramento. However, when the 2017 schedule was announced, there was no mention of any San Antonio, St. Louis, or Sacramento teams. On October 12, 2016, both the Orlando Predators and Jacksonville Sharks announced their departure from

10010-415: The team. On October 30, the NAL announced the team's league membership was terminated citing they did not present the league with a required letter of credit and did not want to participate in the 2021 season, but the team then announced it had joined the Indoor Football League (IFL) on November 6. On February 22, 2021, the Xtreme announced that they had signed a three-year lease to play their home games at

10120-493: The term "arena football" but knew little to nothing about the league itself. From the 1987 season until the late 1990s, the most exposure the league would receive was on ESPN, which aired tape-delayed games, often well after midnight, and often edited to match the allotted time slot. The league received its first taste of wide exposure in 1998, when Arena Bowl XII was televised nationally as part of ABC 's old Wide World of Sports . On July 23, 1989, much of America learned of

10230-656: The use of the rebound nets. Working on a smaller scale, the AF2 would try to capitalize on local and regional rivalries. The Xtreme Football League was another upstart league trying to capitalize on the arena football phenomenon. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama , with the intent to begin play in 2000 , this XFL (which was not related to the WWE-backed outdoor league ) used East Coast Hockey League ownership to keep team costs low while providing established ownership and arenas for play. The cities that were to take part in

10340-496: Was a lot of expansion in the 2000s. Expansion teams included the Austin Wranglers , Carolina Cobras , Los Angeles Avengers , Chicago Rush , Detroit Fury , Dallas Desperados , Colorado Crush , New Orleans VooDoo , Philadelphia Soul , Nashville Kats , Kansas City Brigade , New York Dragons and Utah Blaze . Some of these teams, including the Crush, Desperados, Kats, and VooDoo, were owned for at least part of their existence by

10450-483: Was an entity-model league in which the league owned the individual teams and hired local management groups to operate them, rather than the traditional North American sports league model where each team is a separate business and the league is a non-profit association formed and controlled by the various team owners in order to co-ordinate and govern operations. There had been rumors of a possible return of AF2, after Arena Football League commissioner Jerry Kurz had stated

10560-405: Was an entity independent of the original Arena Football League and AF2 and was made up of former AFL and AF2 teams with several new (expansion) teams and one team from another league. After acquiring the assets of the former Arena Football League in a bankruptcy court sale, the new entity formally became the "new" Arena Football League. Unlike the previous Arena Football League and AF2, the new AFL

10670-681: Was announced that the franchise would start from scratch and no longer be called the "Thunder" as the name and trademarks belong to former franchise owner Terry Emmert (similar to the Jerry Jones move with the Desperados). AFL commissioner Scott Butera announced that a new identity would be announced at a later date. On February 24, 2016, the Thunder were rebranded as the Portland Steel . The league's 2016 schedule , announced on

10780-421: Was considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In early August 2009, numerous media outlets began reporting that the AFL was folding permanently and would file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The league released a statement on August 4 to the effect that while the league was not folding, it was suspending league operations indefinitely. Despite this, several of the league's creditors filed papers to force

10890-508: Was effectively disbanded in September 2009 when no team committed to playing in 2010, but several of the stronger franchises transferred into the reconstituted AFL. Like most other minor sports leagues, the AF2 existed to develop football players and also to help players adapt to the style and pace of arena football . In addition, the AF2 was similar to other minor leagues because AF2 teams played in smaller cities and smaller venues. While

11000-439: Was instead designed as a league that would develop the players in the interest of the higher league as a whole. The lack of AFL–AF2 team affiliations would prevent the AFL from "stashing" players in the lower league for later use. Players in the AF2 were signed to one-year contracts, after the expiration of which they essentially became free agents to sign with whichever league and team they would prefer. The 16-week contracts with

11110-498: Was invented in the early 1980s and patented by Jim Foster , a former executive of the United States Football League (USFL) and the NFL. Each of the league's 32 seasons culminated in the ArenaBowl , with the winner being crowned the league's champion for that season. From 2000 to 2009, the AFL had its own developmental league , the af2 . The AFL played 22 seasons from 1987 to 2008; internal issues caused

11220-611: Was later announced by the league that the Power would go dormant for 2015 and were looking for new ownership. No new ownership group ever materialized, however. Jerry Kurz also stepped down as commissioner of the AFL as he was promoted to be the AFL's first president. Former Foxwoods CEO Scott Butera was hired as his successor as commissioner. On August 9, 2015, ESPN reported that the New Orleans VooDoo and Las Vegas Outlaws had ceased operations. On September 1, 2015,

11330-584: Was launched. Foster left the NFL to accept a position in the USFL. He eventually became executive vice-president with the Chicago Blitz , where he returned to his concept of arena football. In 1983, he began organizing the test game in his spare time from his job with the Blitz. By 1985, the USFL had ceased football operations and he began devoting all his time to arena football, and on April 27, 1986, his concept

11440-700: Was played at a neutral site in Las Vegas , ArenaCup VI was the first AF2 championship to be played at a neutral site in Bossier City, Louisiana . The practice continued the following year when ArenaCup VII was played in Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan ; the title game returned to Bossier City in ArenaCup VIII . Citing lower attendances at the neutral site ArenaCup games, the league returned to

11550-461: Was played on June 19, 1987, between the Gladiators and Commandos at Pittsburgh Civic Arena in front of 12,117 fans. The game was deliberately not televised so that it could be analyzed and any follies and failures would not be subject to national public scrutiny. Following the inaugural game, tweaks and adjustments were made, and the first season continued. The Dynamite and Bruisers played in

11660-606: Was realized when the test game was played. The test game was played in Rockford, Illinois , on April 27, 1986, at the Rockford MetroCentre . Sponsors were secured, and players and coaches from local colleges were recruited to volunteer to play for the teams, the Chicago Politicians and Rockford Metros , with the guarantee of a tryout should the league take off. Interest was high enough following

11770-442: Was subject to change each year as new teams joined the league and others dropped out. Because of legal issues regarding the bankruptcy and subsequent dissolution of the original Arena Football League, no team committed to continue with arenafootball2 operations. This list is the final alignment of AF2 at the end of the 2009 season. In a June 2003 interview with Sports Illustrated , AFL commissioner David Baker briefly mentioned

11880-552: Was televised by the Vision Network , and ArenaCup IV was televised by KWHB , a local station in Tulsa, Oklahoma . After having no television coverage in 2004, the national telecasts returned to the airwaves with Fox Sports Net in 2005 and Comcast Sports Net in 2006, 2007, and 2008. ArenaCup IX, as well as the season in its entirety, was broadcast online via NiFTy TV. The league's teams were divided into two conferences,

11990-484: Was the Arena Football League 's developmental league ; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup championship in August. The AF2 continued to operate while the AFL suspended operations for its 2009 season. The league

12100-556: Was to be operated by the same ownership group as the Albany Empire. On February 7, 2019, the league re-added the Columbus Destroyers as another expansion team to bring the league back to six teams. On May 3, 2019, the AFL and ESPN Inc. announced a new media rights agreement to broadcast all games on ESPN3 with ArenaBowl XXXII to be broadcast on ESPN2 . After the season, league commissioner Boe announced

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