Arena Football 1 Information & Arena Football 1 Links at HealthHaven.com

Arena Football 1
Sport	Arena football
Founded	2009
Commissioner	Jerry Kurz
Inaugural season	2010
No. of teams	14
Country(ies)	United States
Official website	ArenaFootballOne.com

Arena Football 1 is an arena football league founded in 2009 to replace the indefinitely suspended Arena Football League. The league was formed with 16 teams: existing teams from the AFL and arenafootball2, an existing team from the American Indoor Football Association, and several new teams or markets. Despite the crossover from the AFL and af2, the league is an entirely new entity and not a merger of the AFL and af2. The league's first season will be in 2010, running spring through summer like the AFL and af2.

The league will play by the same rules the AFL and af2 played by in their respective final seasons. Arena Football 1 league offices are headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

[edit] History

Following the suspension of the AFL's 2009 season, af2 league officials and owners began discussing the future of arena football and the two leagues. With 50.1 percent ownership of af2, the AFL's bankruptcy and dissolution of the league technically included the dissolution of the af2.^[1] Questions also arose regarding payment of franchise fees and league dues to an entity which had entered bankruptcy.^[2] Uncertainty surrounded the league immediately following the 2009 season with no formal plan in place to continue. Several teams folded while others suspended operations pending a definitive plan. The 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.^[3]

af2 Board of Directors meetings continued throughout and after the season to work on plans for a new league independent of Arena Football, LLC. Final meetings were held on September 28, 2009, concluding with a press conference in Tulsa announcing the league's formation.

On November 11, 2009, the new league announced its intention to purchase the entire assets of the former AFL. ^[4]

[edit] League structure

[edit] Finances

Arena Football 1 draws the bulk of its structure from the financial success of arenafootball2. The league runs a single-entity model with the league owning the rights to the teams, players, and coaches.^[5] Players will be paid more than the $200 per game salary of af2 but less than the union-mandated $1,800 per game AFL salary; more specific details will be released in the forthcoming weeks as preparation begins for the inaugural season. The cost of running a team is expected to be increased compared to af2.^[3] A pool of money will be alotted to teams to aid in travel costs for the airplane traveling that will be more prevalent in AF1 compared to af2. ^[6]

[edit] Teams

As of September 28, 2009, 16 charter franchises have been announced for Arena Football 1, with eleven more teams either submitting membership applications or considering doing so. Additional teams were slated to be announced by the league by October 9, 2009, though this was postponed to give teams additional time. Dan Newman, owner of the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings, and Jeff Lamberti, owner of the Iowa Barnstormers, both said the league is currently negotiating with at least four additional former AFL teams, the Kansas City Brigade, Cleveland Gladiators^[7], Tampa Bay Storm and the San Jose SaberCats.^[8] Among other teams who are seeking to join the league are the af2's Albany Firebirds and Toledo Bullfrogs, both of which are eyeing a 2011 entry date.^[7]

On Tuesday, October 27th, the Kentucky Horsemen folded due to financial situations. ^[9] On November 19th, the Tri-Cities Fever left the league to join the Indoor Football League.^[10] These moves dropped the league to 14 teams. Though true, the league has since announced an additional franchise in Dallas, home of the former AFL Dallas Desperados, but will have no affiliation.

Divisional alignment will be announced in the future. The league and owners are considering the possibility of a two-tier system with the top tier featuring the more popular, larger-market and larger-budget teams while the lower tier would contain the smaller market teams with more limited budgets.^[3]^[7]

These are the 14 current teams:

[edit] Teams which left the AF1 for another league

Arkansas Twisters - originally announced as AF1 member, but left to join Indoor Football League
Tri-Cities Fever - originally announced as AF1 member, but left to join Indoor Football League

[edit] Defunct teams

Kentucky Horsemen - originally announced as AF1 member, but folded

[edit] References

^ Latzke, Jeff (September 24, 2009). "New arena football league in the works". Monterey Herald. http://www.montereyherald.com/sports/ci_13413142?nclick_check=1. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
^ Sandalow, Brian (September 15, 2009). "Future of RGV pro football unclear". The Monitor. http://www.themonitor.com/sports/football-30580-future-hidalgo.html. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c Johnson, Dan (September 9, 2009). "Barnstormers hope to land in top tier of redefined league". Des Moines Register. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090909/SPORTS01/90909049/1023/SPORTS. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
^ "Arena Football One Announces AFL Asset Bid". http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3927683.
^ Brown, Mike (September 27, 2009). "Caution is new league's strength". Tulsa World. http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/article.aspx?subjectid=407&articleid=20090927_223_B1_Howcan164403. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
^ Sandalow, Brian (September 27, 2009). "Travel costs, geography keeps RGV from new league". The Monitor. http://www.themonitor.com/sports/new-31038-costs-rgv.html. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c Johnson, Dan (2009-10-12). "Arena Football: Potential teams get more time to organize." Des Moines Register.
^ "Arena Football 1 to launch in 2010". September 28, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/afl/news/story?id=4512394&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
^ "Kentucky Horsemen fold". October 27th, 2009. http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/993457.html. Retrieved October 27th, 2009.
^ "SPORTS: Tri-Cities Fever headed to Indoor Football League.". November 19th, 2009. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/yahoonews/story/799412.html. Retrieved November 19th, 2009.

[edit] External links

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[0] Latzke, Jeff (September 24, 2009). "New arena football league in the works". Monterey Herald. http://www.montereyherald.com/sports/ci_13413142?nclick_check=1. Retrieved September 29, 2009.

[1] Sandalow, Brian (September 15, 2009). "Future of RGV pro football unclear". The Monitor. http://www.themonitor.com/sports/football-30580-future-hidalgo.html. Retrieved September 29, 2009.

[barnstormers-2] Johnson, Dan (September 9, 2009). "Barnstormers hope to land in top tier of redefined league". Des Moines Register. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090909/SPORTS01/90909049/1023/SPORTS. Retrieved September 29, 2009.

[3] "Arena Football One Announces AFL Asset Bid". http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3927683.

[structure-4] Brown, Mike (September 27, 2009). "Caution is new league's strength". Tulsa World. http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/article.aspx?subjectid=407&articleid=20090927_223_B1_Howcan164403. Retrieved September 29, 2009.

[travel-5] Sandalow, Brian (September 27, 2009). "Travel costs, geography keeps RGV from new league". The Monitor. http://www.themonitor.com/sports/new-31038-costs-rgv.html. Retrieved September 29, 2009.

[dmr-6] Johnson, Dan (2009-10-12). "Arena Football: Potential teams get more time to organize." Des Moines Register.

[7] "Arena Football 1 to launch in 2010". September 28, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/afl/news/story?id=4512394&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines. Retrieved September 29, 2009.

[8] "Kentucky Horsemen fold". October 27th, 2009. http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/993457.html. Retrieved October 27th, 2009.

[9] "SPORTS: Tri-Cities Fever headed to Indoor Football League.". November 19th, 2009. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/yahoonews/story/799412.html. Retrieved November 19th, 2009.

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