Arena Football League relaunching with 16 teams in 2024

[MMC]

Click to read more...

 

[famicommander]

There is no way in hell they're launching 16 brand new teams by early 2024. These guys are jokers that simply bought the AFL name and trademarks out of bankruptcy. I'll be shocked if they even play a down and I'll be even more shocked if the level of play is anywhere close to half of the level of AFL 3.0 (2018-2019), which sucked compared to AFL 2.0 (2010-2017), which was orders of magnitude worse than AFL 1.0 (1987-2008).

 

[MMC]

 

[famicommander]

I live in Denver and I loved the Crush, but I am pretty skeptical that a team could succeed here without Stan Kroenke's involvement (the original Crush were co-owned by John Elway, former Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, and Stan Kroenke himself).

There aren't very many arenas in the Denver area capable of seating decent crowds.

Ball Arena - the main arena in town, owned by the Kroenke family and home to the NBA's Denver Nuggets, NHL's Colorado Avalanche, and NLL's Colorado Mammoth (all three also owned by Kroenke)

Denver Coliseum - gigantic craphole. Construction began in the 1940s, it was considered decrepit and outdated in the 1970s when it was replaced by McNichols Arena, and McNichols itself was demolished over 20 years ago for being outdated. Horrible building with horrible bathrooms and concessions, bad parking situation, bad neighborhood, nobody wants to go there for any reason.

Magness Arena - home arena of the Univesity of Denver hockey and basketball programs. It's a really nice little building but the University has never rented it to anyone else and DU sports prices tend to be really high, rivalling NHL and NBA games.

1st Bank Center - not actually in Denver but in the suburb of Broomfield. Also controlled by the Kroenkes. Too far out of the way. We've already seen a CHL team and an NBA D-League team go belly up there. EDIT: This arena is actually scheduled to be demolished, so cross that one off the list.

Bottom lines are:
1. An AFL team is likely going to need access to parking and concessions revenue to succeed. The only situation where they're going to get that is if they play at a Kroenke building with Kroenke ownership.

and

2. Denver is a major league town. The Crush were popular here because they were presented as a cousin franchise of the Broncos, Nuggets, Avalanche, Rapids, and Mammoth and they had John Elway's face and Pat Bowlen's 2 Super Bowl rings worth of goodwill backing them. They played in the big league arena and drew big league crowds. Denver fans have the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, and NLL plus several major college sports programs in the general area. We're not going to spend money to watch minor league sports in a minor league barn.

 

[GindyDraws]

They poached three teams from the NAL, but somehow Jacksonville wasn't one of them. Jesus Christ.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I’ve seen an arena football game, not the best. Don’t see this lasting.

 

[MMC]

How will they compete with the IFL which now has a partnership with the XFL?

 

[famicommander]

How will they compete with the IFL which now has a partnership with the XFL?

The IFL pays less than McDonald's so if the AFL offers something close to a living wage the XFL won't be relevant.

I’ve seen an arena football game, not the best. Don’t see this lasting.

I mean, the real AFL lasted from 1987-2008 with a very high level of play. The indoor football leagues that have existed since then were just a sad imitation.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Oh wow, a football league not inexplicably avoiding the third largest market in the country. How about that?

 

[MMC]

They poached three teams from the NAL, but somehow Jacksonville wasn't one of them. Jesus Christ.

Believe it's just two, the West Texas Warbirds and the Orlando Predators

 

[GindyDraws]

Oh wow, a football league not inexplicably avoiding the third largest market in the country. How about that?

Watch as they'll somehow magically pick the Allstate Arena as their home venue.

 

[PCSPounder]

Believe it's just two, the West Texas Warbirds and the Orlando Predators

No, I think those teams were running from the NAL.

More important: journalists assigned in Boise and Salem are calling around and figuring out that, unless the AWFC Idaho Horsemen (based in Nampa) are involved, no leases are secured. This league announced cities, and it’s likely only the NAL teams have arenas.

Salem really only has the Pavilion at the State Fairgrounds, it might seat 5,000, and from pictures I’ve seen, the ceiling is on the low side. SMH

 

[wildthing202]

Is it weird that another league calling itself the Arena League also made an announcement that they are making a 4 team league including a team in Kansas City which was in the AFL before?

The Arena League – Pushing the Boundaries of Football

thearenaleague.football

Arena Football Is Coming to KC, Will Most Fans Care About It?

Arena Football is coming to Kansas City next year, will football fans embrace it?

kxkx.com

Also the AFL teamed up with HUMBL as it's Official Technology Platform thru 2028

HUMBL Selected as the Official Technology Platform of the Arena Football League Through 2028 Season

Los Angeles, CA, July 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HUMBL, Inc. (OTCM: HMBL) and the Arena Football League (AFL) announced today that HUMBL has been selected as the Official Technology Platform of the AFL through the 2028 season. HUMBL and the AFL will work together on website, digital wallet...

finance.yahoo.com

 

[nickp91]

I wish Arena football would come back to Los Angeles

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Watch as they'll somehow magically pick the Allstate Arena as their home venue.

It's definitely not going to be the United Center, the only options are Allstate or Hoffman Estates.

 

[ponder719]

I hope this works. I loved the Soul when I was following the league closely, from about 04 to 08. (Got into it the year before they were announced as an expansion team, and hopped over from the Chicago Rush bandwagon as soon as I got a Philly team.) Never got to see a game in person, as that period overlapped with me being mostly out of Philly, and when I got back, the league had folded and reopened, and it wasn't quite the same. If this builds, and sticks, I'd love to get back into the AFL.

 

[HisIceness]

Some really random locations in there (Odessa, Boise, Lake Charles, Salem, Tallahassee, Bakersfield)

 

[MMC]

Some really random locations in there (Odessa, Boise, Lake Charles, Salem, Tallahassee, Bakersfield)

Dunno about the others but Odessa = West Texas Warbirds moving from the NAL to AFL

 

[DanielPlainview]

I figure this league would be a bigger hit in cold climates during the late fall through early spring.

With there now being two legit Spring leagues, even being niche, there's not much of the football pie left. And NFL-wannabe players are likely to pick the "real game". The landscape was different during the hay day of indoor leagues. Maybe it's time to let it go.

 

[MMC]

 

[MMC]

I hope this works. I loved the Soul when I was following the league closely, from about 04 to 08. (Got into it the year before they were announced as an expansion team, and hopped over from the Chicago Rush bandwagon as soon as I got a Philly team.) Never got to see a game in person, as that period overlapped with me being mostly out of Philly, and when I got back, the league had folded and reopened, and it wasn't quite the same. If this builds, and sticks, I'd love to get back into the AFL.

 

[BMN]

There is no way in hell they're launching 16 brand new teams by early 2024. These guys are jokers that simply bought the AFL name and trademarks out of bankruptcy. I'll be shocked if they even play a down and I'll be even more shocked if the level of play is anywhere close to half of the level of AFL 3.0 (2018-2019), which sucked compared to AFL 2.0 (2010-2017), which was orders of magnitude worse than AFL 1.0 (1987-2008).

I went to Georgia Force games here and there at Philips Arena (which falls under 1.0) and then attended a game at the Gwinnett Arena (2.0). And for *multiple* reasons, the latter was an infinitely more depressing experience.

 

[HisIceness]

Dunno about the others but Odessa = West Texas Warbirds moving from the NAL to AFL

Ah, admittedly I know nothing about the NAL. The old AFL IIRC had teams in the "usual suspects" (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, Arizona, Los Angeles, etc)

 

[famicommander]

Many of the cities/alleged arenas involved with this have said that nobody from the AFL has contacted them at all.

I'm telling y'all, if this league launches at all it won't be anywhere near the absolute lowest level that any previous league calling itself the Arena Football League ever reached. It might be better than the IFL but the IFL literally pays less than McDonald's.

 

[DanielPlainview]

Way back in the pre-David Baker days, the AFL ran two leagues. I’m curious if this league will even be at the old AF2 level