ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE
AMERICAN CENTRAL DIVISION
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| CHICAGO | COLORADO | GRAND RAPIDS | |
| RUSH | CRUSH | RAMPAGE | |
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| KANSAS CITY | NASHVILLE | ||
| BRIGADE | KATS | ||
AMERICAN WESTERN DIVISION
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| ARIZONA | LAS VEGAS | LOS ANGLES | |
| RATTLERS | GLADIATORS | AVENGERS | |
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| SAN JOSE | UTAH | |||
| SABERCATS | BLAZE | |||
NATIONAL EASTERN DIVISION
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| COLUMBUS | DALLAS | NEW YORK | |
| DESTROYERS | DESPERADOS | DRAGONS | |
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| PHILADELPHIA | |||
| SOUL | |||
NATIONAL SOUTHERN DIVISION
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| AUSTIN | GEORGIA | NEW ORLEANS | |
| WRANGLERS | FORCE | VOODOO | |
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| ORLANDO | TAMPA BAY | ||
| PREDATORS | STORM | ||
This the alignment for the 2007 season. The New Orleans Voodoo are back. Due to Hurricane Katrina, the team suspended operations for the entire 2006 season. Several teams have new helmets -- The Grand Rapids Rampages, Las Vegas Gladiators, Columbus Destroyers and New York Dragons.
HISTORICAL TEAMS
ANAHEIM PIRANHAS / LAS VEGAS STING
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| 1995 - 96 | 1997 - 98 |
| LAS VEGAS STING | ANAHEIM PIRANHAS |
The Sting played in Las Vegas, NV, of course. The team moved to Anaheim, CA, and struggled through two more seasons before folding.
AUSTIN WRANGLERS
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| 2004 | 2005 - present |
The Wranglers were a brand new team in 2004. They apparently have no relation to the Oklahoma Wranglers, a team that folded a few years ago. They play their home games in Austin, TX.
ARIZONA RATTLERS
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| 1992 - present |
The Rattlers have been one of the more successful teams in the league over the last 10 years. They play their home games in Phoenix, AZ.
CAROLINA COBRAS
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| 2000 - 2003 | 2003 (first game) | 2004 |
The team played the first game of the 2003 season with no stripes on the helmet. I have seen team graphics that hint at the gold in the original helmet was textured with a snakeskin pattern, but I've been unable to verify it.
CHARLOTTE RAGE
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| 1992 - 93 | 1994 - 96 |
The Rage were the first team to play in Charlotte, NC. They were followed by the Cobras (see above) four years later.
CHICAGO BRUISERS
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| 1987 | 1987 | 1988 - 89 |
A founding franchise, the Bruisers have the distinction of being a part of the only tie game in Arena Football history.
The first helmet above was only used during the first exhibition season.
CHICAGO RUSH
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| 2001 - present |
I'm not positive, but I suspect that the team has worn the "R" logo on only the right side of the helmet for at least some games.
CINCINNATI ROCKERS
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| 1992 | 1993 (early season) | 1993 (late season) |
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| 1993 all star game | |
In 1993, both green and yellow facemasks were worn. They started the season with green masks and later switched to yellow. I'm not exactly sure when the change was made however.
The black helmet was worn during the first, and only, Arena Football All-star game in 1993, and may have been a preview of a new helmet for the 1994 season. Unfortunately the team folded soon thereafter, and the helmet was never used again.
CLEVELAND THUNDERBOLTS / COLUMBUS THUNDERBOLTS
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| 1991 - 94 |
The franchise was based in Columbus, OH for its first year, 1991, before moving to Cleveland. They wore the same helmet design in both cities.
COLORADO CRUSH
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| 2003 - present |
The Crush, owned in part by John Elway, were a new franchise in 2003 and set records for rookie team attendance. They've risen fast, becoming a championship calibur team in only their third year of existance.
COLUMBUS DESTROYERS / BUFFALO DESTROYERS
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| 1999 - 2003 | pre 2004 (?) | 2004 |
| BUFFALO DESTROYERS | COLUMBUS DESTROYERS | COLUMBUS DESTROYERS |
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| 2005 - 2006 | 2007 - present |
| COLUMBUS DESTROYERS | COLUMBUS DESTROYERS |
The Destroyers moved to Columbus following the 2003 season. The second design above was displayed on their homepage, but they added the tapered red stripe when they took the field. Both designs were considered temporary however, and they switched to the white helmet for 2005.
CONNECTICUT COYOTES
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| 1995 | 1996 |
The Coyotes were based in Hartford, CT.
DALLAS DESPERADOS
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| 2002 - present |
The Desperados play in Dallas, TX, of course.
DALLAS TEXANS
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| 1990 | 1991-1993 |
The 1990 helmet design had a asymmetrical stripe sequence -- red-white-blue -- from right to left. Only the red & white stripes are visible here. There is also a second red helmet design with a blue-white-blue stripe sequence floating around on the net. This is apparently only a concept design and was never actually used by the team. I may add it later.
I was told some time ago that the logos here are technically incorrect and the flag is "waving" in the wrong direction. I have the corrected logos and will update the helmets soon.
DENVER DYNAMITE
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| 1987 | 1989 | 1990 - 91 |
One of the league's four original teams, the Dynamite participated in 1987 and from 1989 through 1991. I have no idea why they took a year off in 1988.
DETROIT DRIVE / MASSACHUSETTS MARAUDERS
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| 1988 - 93 | 1994 | 1994 |
| DETROIT DRIVE | MASSACHUSETTS MARAUDERS | MASSACHUSETTS MARAUDERS |
The Detroit Drive were the dominant team during the league's early years, appearing in six straight Arena Bowl games and winning four of them. Prior to the 1994 season, owner Mike Illich purchased the Detroit Tigers, and then sold the Drive, fearing the two franchises would compete for fans. The Drive moved to Worcester, MA, and were renamed the Massachusetts Marauders for the 1994 season. Ironically, Illich may have been right, as the popular Drive would no doubt have out drawn the hapless Tigers.
I've heard from some visitors that the Marauders helmet matches the helmet in the logo, with "rubine" red stripes on either side of the center stripe, like the second helmet above. I'd really like a photo of an actual helmet to prove it however.
DETROIT FURY
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| 2001 - 2004 |
The Fury played at least some games in their first two seasons with the "F" logo on both sides of the helmet. Beginning in 2003, the logo was only found exclusively on the right side. They may also have played some games without the stripe.
FLORIDA BOBCATS / MIAMI HOOTERS / SACRAMENTO ATTACK
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| 1992 | 1993 - 94 | 1995 |
| SACRAMENTO ATTACK | MIAMI HOOTERS | MIAMI HOOTERS |
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| 1996 - 98 | 1999 | 2000 - 01 |
| FLORIDA BOBCATS | FLORIDA BOBCATS | FLORIDA BOBCATS |
After a year in Sacramento, CA, the Attack moved east to Miami, FL, and played three years as the Hooters. They were owned by the resturant chain. I believe the team was sold following the 1995 season, and they became the Bobcats, but were still based in Miami.
FORT WORTH CAVALRY
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| 1994 |
The Cavalry were based in Fort Worth, TX.
GEORGIA FORCE
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| 2002 (approx. 1st eight games) |
2002 - 2003 | 2004 (first 2 home games) |
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| 2004 - present |
The Georgia Force started out as the Nashville Kats. The original Kats were sold in 2001 and moved to Georgia the following season. With the Kats making their return to the league in the 2005 season, I believe the Force are now considered a "new" franchise for historical purposes.
The Force switched from blue facemasks to black ones by at least the ninth game of the 2002 season, possibly earlier.
For at least the first two home games of the 2004 season, the team wore helmets with added gold and red tapered stripes, gold on the right and red on the left (not visible above). This was done in recognition of the state's two main universities (and college football programs) -- University of Georgia (red) and Georgia Tech (gold).
GRAND RAPIDS RAMPAGE
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| 1998 - 99 | 2000 - 2006 | 2007 - present |
Currently, the Rampage play in the league's smallest market. If they began play more recently, they probably would have been an AF2 squad. Still, they've been successful, even winning the championship a few years ago.
HOUSTON THUNDERBEARS / TEXAS TERROR
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| 1996 - 97 | 1998 - 2001 |
| TEXAS TERROR | HOUSTON THUNDERBEARS |
This franchise was based in Houston through the first five years of its existence. In 2001, the league assumed ownership of the team and made it play a schedule consisting entirely of road games, before disbanding the organization in late 2001.
During the 1998 pre-season, the team wore helmets similar to the Terror design above, only without a logo. They began using the Thunderbears design with the start of the regular season.
INDIANA FIREBIRDS / ALBANY FIREBIRDS
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| 1990 - 97 | 1998 - 2004 |
One of the older teams in the league, the Firebirds moved to Indianapolis in 2001, in part to be in a larger market. Loyal Albany fans were rewarded a AF2 franchise, the Conquest, in 2002.
KANSAS CITY BRIGADE
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| 2006 - present |
The Brigade were a new franchise for 2006. They were not slated to play until 2007, but when the New Orleans Voodoo suspended operations for the season, the team scrambled to begin a year early. Many of the Voodoo's players suited up for the Bridage in their inaugural season.
LOS ANGELES AVENGERS
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| 2001 - 02 | 2003 - present |
The Avengers are based in Los Angeles, CA.
LOS ANGELES COBRAS
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| 1988 |
The Cobras were one of the first expansion franchises for the Arena league. They only lasted a single season however.
LAS VEGAS GLADIATORS / NEW JERSEY GLADIATORS / NEW JERSEY RED DOGS
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| 1997 - 1999 | 2000 | 2001 - 2006 |
| NEW JERSEY RED DOGS | NEW JERSEY RED DOGS | NEW JERSEY GLADIATORS/ LAS VEGAS GLADIATORS |
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| 2007 - present |
| LAS VEGAS GLADIATORS |
The Red Dogs played in East Rutherford, NJ. Following the 2000 season they became the Gladiators. They moved to Las Vegas, NV, following the 2002 season.
I've heard that at least one other helmet design was used while the team was known as the Red Dogs. There is a logo of a full-body version of the red dog emerging from a house which may have been used in some fashion on the helmets. Any help verifying this would be much appreciated.
MEMPHIS PHARAOHS / PORTLAND FOREST DRAGONS / OKLAHOMA WRANGLERS
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| 1995 - 96 | 1997 | 1998 - 99 |
| MEMPHIS PHARAOHS | PORTLAND FOREST DRAGONS | PORTLAND FOREST DRAGONS |
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| 2000 - 2001 |
| OKLAHOMA WRANGLERS |
The Pharaohs had one of the most unique helmet designs I've seen, looking like an Egyptian headdress. They were based in Memphis, TN. They moved to Portland, OR, in 1997 and became the Forest Dragons. They moved again in 2000 to Oklahoma City, OK, and became the Wranglers.
MIAMI VISE
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| 1987 |
The Miami Vise played a single game during the first exhibition season. I suspect this may not be the actual design as it is very close to the exhibition helmet used by the Pittsburgh Gladiators below.
MILWAUKEE MUSTANGS
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| 1994 - 2001 |
A popular team locally, there are persistent rumors that the Mustangs will be back as part of expansion in the next few years. But this seems more and more unlikely.
MINNESOTA FIGHTING PIKE
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| 1996 |
The Fighting Pike played a single season in Minneapolis, MN.
NASHVILLE KATS
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| 1997 | 1998 - 2001 | pre 2005 |
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| 2005 - present |
The Nashville Kats originally played from 1997 until 2001, when the team was sold and became the Georgia Force. Bud Adams, owner of the NFL's Tennessee Titans, bought the rights to the franchise and revived the Kats for the 2005 season. The first "new" helmet has been displayed on the AFL web site since the team was announced. But at the team press conference, management implied that the design would be similar to the Titans helmets, and low and behold the second "new" helmet is the one the team is actually using on the field.
NEW ENGLAND STEAMROLLERS
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| 1988 |
One of the first expansion franchises, the Steamrollers played in Providence, RI.
NEW ORLEANS NIGHT
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| 1991 - 92 |
The Night struggled through two lack-luster seasons in New Orleans, LA.
NEW ORLEANS VOODOO
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| 2004 - present |
The Voodoo were a brand new team for the 2004 season. Recently, the team suspended operations for the 2006 season due to problems caused by Hurricane Katrina. They returned for the 2007 season.
NEW YORK DRAGONS / IOWA BARNSTORMERS
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| 1995 (game #1) | 1995 - 2000 | 2001 - 2006 |
| IOWA BARNSTORMERS | IOWA BARNSTORMERS | NEW YORK DRAGONS |
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| 2007 - present |
| NEW YORK DRAGONS |
The Barnstormers were based in Des Moines, IA. They moved to New York in 2001 and became the Dragons. The team was well known, in part because Kurt Warner got his pro-football start with them and quarterbacked the team to a pair of championship appearances. Naturally, the move was unpopular at the time. As a result, the league established an AF2 team named the Barnstormers soon thereafter. Ironically, the "new" Barnstormers only lasted a single year in the AF2.
Prior to the start of the 2007 season, the Dragons planned to change to a black helmet with a similar logo. At the last minute, a decision was made to stay with the red helmets. I suspect the helmet decals for the black helmets were already made however, resulting in the somewhat odd appearence to the 2007 helmet seen above.
NEW YORK KNIGHTS
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| 1988 | 1988 |
The Knights added the blue stripe sometime after the first game of the season, but I do not know exactly when.
NEW YORK CITYHAWKS / NEW ENGLAND SEA WOLVES / TORONTO PHANTOMS
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| 1997 - 98 | 1997 - 98 | 1999 - 2000 |
| NEW YORK CITYHAWKS | NEW YORK CITYHAWKS | NEW ENGLAND SEA WOLVES |
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| 2000 | 2001 - 02 |
| NEW ENGLAND SEA WOLVES | TORONTO PHANTOMS |
While this team was known as the New York Cityhawks, it used the black-shelled helmet design for home games and the gold one for road games. While they were known as the Sea Wolves, they were based in Hartford, CT. While they were the Phantoms, they were the only team based outside the United States, playing their home games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
ORLANDO PREDATORS
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| 1990 - 97 | 1998 - 2000 | 2001 - 02 |
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| 2003 - present |
Apparently, the original decal's "claw" could face either way -- toward the front or the back -- depending upon the year and the player. I'll add a second helmet to show the distinction soon.
Another long-running Arena success story, the Predators are one of the league's strongest franchises. They have the distinction of recording the only shutout in league history. In one of pro-football's most interesting stories, the team's one time head coach, Jay Gruden, who is one of the youngest coaches to win an Arena Bowl, resigned to return to the field as the Predator's quarterback. He had already been elected to the Arena Hall-of-Fame as a QB for the Tampa Bay Storm. Gruden the QB has been nearly as successful as Gruden the coach, taking the team to the playoffs in his first year back in uniform. Gruden was also a part of his brother John's coaching staff, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Superbowl victory in 2003.
PHILADELPHIA SOUL
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| 2004 preseason | 2004 preseason | 2004 - present |
The Soul are a brand new team for 2004, most notable for their some of their owners -- Jon Bon Jovi and Ron Jaworski. The first two helmets were both made public in the preseason, but the third is the final design.
PITTSBURGH GLADIATORS / TAMPA BAY STORM
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| 1987 | 1987 - 1990 | 1991 - 92 |
| PITTSBURGH GLADIATORS | PITTSBURGH GLADIATORS | TAMPA BAY STORM |
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| 1993 - 96 | 1997 - present |
| TAMPA BAY STORM | TAMPA BAY STORM |
Of the league's original four franchises, this is the only one still in existence. The team was based in Pittsburgh, PA, and known as the Gladiators from 1987 through 1990. As the Storm, the team has been remarkably successful. They have been a championship contender nearly every year, winning the title again in 2003.
The first Gladiators helmet shown may have only been worn during exhibition games.
SAN ANTONIO FORCE
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| 1992 | 1992 |
The Force played a single season in San Antonio, TX.
I cannot verify whether black or gray facemasks, or both, were used, so I've included both versions. Any help determining the real color used would be much appreciated.
SAN JOSE SABERCATS
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| 1995 - present |
The Sabercats are based in San Jose, CA. They have been very successful recently, winning the championship in 2002, and recording the league's best record in 2003.
ST. LOUIS STAMPEDE
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| 1995 - 96 |
The Stampede played two years in St. Louis, MO. There are rumors that a new franchise will appear in St. Louis in the not-too-distant future.
UTAH BLAZE
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| 2006 - present |
The Blaze were a new franchise for 2006. I don't much about the team except that the ownership group once owned the Utah Warriors of the NIFL.
WASHINGTON COMMANDOS / MARYLAND COMMANDOS
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| 1987; 1989-1990 |
As the Washington Commandos, the team represented Washington D.C., but played in nearby Fairfax, VA. This team used the name Maryland Commandos, and played in Landover, MD, during the 1989 season only. Like the Denver Dynamite, they did not participate in the 1988 season for some reason.
There may have been other helmet variations for this team. Any information is appreciated.
COMMENTS
The Arena Football League was invented in 1981 by James F. Foster. I use the term "invented" because Arena Football is the only sport to have its own patent. The game is played on a 50-yard field with huge rebound nets behind each end-zone. Each team is allowed eight men on the field, playing both ways, with the exception of quarterbacks, kickers, an offensive and two defensive "specialists". Four men line up on the line of scrimmage and one receiver may go in forward motion before the snap. Punting is illegal and the receiving team may field a kickoff or missed field goal that bounces off the nets. Passing rules are the same as college football, with a receiver needing only one foot in-bounds; although the boundary is only about as wide as a players foot before he hits the walls surrounding the field. The game is incredibly fast-paced and pass friendly. Scores of 60-70 points are not uncommon and its rare that a rusher will have more than a few hundred yards, if that.
It took six years for Fosters plans, written originally on the back of a manila envelope, to see the light of day. Foster came up with the concept of Arena Football while attending an indoor MISL all-star soccer game in Madison Square Garden. His vision was put on the back burner with the inception of the USFL, which he became a part of as an assistant manager for the Arizona Wranglers. The USFL folded after three seasons and Foster raised up enough money to put on some exhibition games in 1986. In 1987, with a television contract from ESPN, a four team league -- the Chicago Bruisers, Denver Dynamite, Pittsburgh Gladiators & Washington Commandos -- ended with the Dynamite defeating the Gladiators for the Hardee's Cup. Yes, the Championship was sponsored by the fast-food chain. The league has come a long way since then and has seen its share of teams come and go, as evidenced by the numerous helmets above.
In the year 2000, the league purchased the Indoor Football League and created its own farm system, AF2. In 2003, desperate to revive a dwindling share of the television sports market after a disastrous season of the XFL and the loss of the NBA, NBC agreed to broadcast the Arena League in the spring and early summer. Given time, the AFL may soon reach its goal of becoming the fifth major league.
I already have a great deal of information about the Arena football league, but of course, any additional information is greatly appreciated.