Arena Football League relaunching with 16 teams in 2024

[Takuto Maruki]

In Toronto, yes. But everywhere else in Canada people still follow it.

Just because the Argos are seventh banana in MLSE doesn't mean the entire league is invalid. But we all know that Toronto represents the entirety of Canada.

Definitely. It says a lot that even at the most critical juncture of time the CFL has ever faced coming out of COVID, where people were seriously wondering if the league would die...it didn't. I wouldn't say that it's doing gang busters, but it's certainly doing well enough to continue existing as it stands now.

As much as people (mainly fans, people that are actually in football for the most part don't have this opinion, and if they do they unlearn it real quick) like to think that the CFL is some po-dunk league, the fact that it has been able to survive under the looming shadow of the NFL for the entirety of the American league's existence is pretty solid proof that even while being denigrated, it's worthy enough for providing jobs to those that get out of the NFL, or did not have 'enough skill' to make it to the big time (usually because they were apart of smaller, non-P5 or DII schools) or played football under U Sports.

That's what gets me about both versions of the XFL, both versions of the USFL. Hell, even Arena Football. They may come and go, but the CFL still remains, even when people prophesize its incoming death in the face of economic pressures, or outside spring/summer leagues.

 

[StreetHawk]

The league claimed today that teams will pay players $10,000 for a 10 game regular season.

I really don't see how teams in Billings and Odessa are going to manage that when teams in IFL cities like Phoenix and San Diego are paying 300 bucks per game.

$1K per game? Darn.....

 

[GindyDraws]

$1K per game? Darn.....

A lot of IFL owners are car dealership magnates and the way they keep costs reasonable is low salaries. It's pretty lousy, all things considered.

Even so, it's why I can't fathom Odessa or Billings suddenly paying big money barring a large television deal.

 

[famicommander]

A lot of IFL owners are car dealership magnates and the way they keep costs reasonable is low salaries. It's pretty lousy, all things considered.

Even so, it's why I can't fathom Odessa or Billings suddenly paying big money barring a large television deal.

A league with Billings and Odessa isn't getting a big money television deal.

The IFL has Phoenix, Tulsa, Bay Area, San Diego, Albuquerque, Vegas, Dallas metro, Tuscon, Des Moines, and soon Jacksonville. And nobody is giving them a big money TV deal. They basically had to buy airtime just to get their championship game on a fourth tier cable sports network.

 

[MMC]

 

[BKIslandersFan]

There is something funny about a team playing in an arena named after Amway being called Predators.

 

[Headshot77]

It's absolutely wild to me that Football doesn't have a dedicated pro minor league. All this miss with AFL, IFL, AAFL, XFL, etc wouldn't need to happen if there was just a 32 team minor league with direct NFL support.

 

[famicommander]

It's absolutely wild to me that Football doesn't have a dedicated pro minor league. All this miss with AFL, IFL, AAFL, XFL, etc wouldn't need to happen if there was just a 32 team minor league with direct NFL support.

There's no point. The XFL, IFL, NAL, CIF, and USFL combined to put an insignificant number of players onto NFL and CFL rosters this year.

Football careers are too short to make a league in between the NCAA and the NFL necessary.

 

[oknazevad]

I've long thought that is there were an official minor league for the NFL it would have to not follow a model like in baseball or hockey, but more akin to the old NBA/CBA relationship, where the minor league ran on its own, but there was an agreement in place that allowed NBA teams to sign CBA players to a standard 10-day contract for a small fee to the CBA club, which could be extended once, after which either the player had to be signed for the rest of the season with an additional payment to the CBA team, or the player returned to the CBA team. (The modern NBA G-League still has such an arrangement for players that are not already under two-way NBA contracts.)

Could an 8-10 team minor league with such a system for NFL teams to sign players for a couple of weeks with the chance to either play or be returned work? Maybe. But in many ways that's what NFL practice squads are for.

 

[MMC]

 

[Anisimovs AK]

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

Would you really fault a minor league from avoiding putting a team in Chicago, where it will be behind every major league team, Notre Dame football/basketball, and DePaul basketball in terms of fan support right off the jump?

 

[mouser]

It's absolutely wild to me that Football doesn't have a dedicated pro minor league. All this miss with AFL, IFL, AAFL, XFL, etc wouldn't need to happen if there was just a 32 team minor league with direct NFL support.

The NFL has the best pro minor league in North American sports—it’s called the NCAA.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Would you really fault a minor league from avoiding putting a team in Chicago, where it will be behind every major league team, Notre Dame football/basketball, and DePaul basketball in terms of fan support right off the jump?

No one goes to DePaul games or cares about ND basketball.

The Wolves have historically been a top AHL draw. There's also SIX different independent league baseball teams, so there's clearly a market for minor league teams here.

 

[Headshot77]

The NFL has the best pro minor league in North American sports—it’s called the NCAA.

NCAA isn't "pro". It's juniors. It's participant demographic is more in line with the CHL, QMJHL, etc.

I am talking about a developmental league for veteran adult players to play that is directly supported by the NFL.

 

[joelef]

The NFL has the best pro minor league in North American sports—it’s called the NCAA.

But The anti NIL petal cluntchers keep telling me the ncaa isn’t a minor league system.

 

[famicommander]

NCAA isn't "pro". It's juniors. It's participant demographic is more in line with the CHL, QMJHL, etc.

I am talking about a developmental league for veteran adult players to play that is directly supported by the NFL.

Football careers are way too short and football scouting has come way too far.

In 2001 there were several pro leagues going at once:
NFL
CFL
NFL Europe
Arena Football League
XFL
arenafootball2 (AFL's minor league)

That year even af2 by itself put more players into the NFL than the XFL, USFL, IFL, CIF, and NAL did combined this year.

There's no value in an additional league in between the NFL and NCAA anymore. That's why the NFL let NFL Europe die and it's why the NFL was not at all interested in investing in the UFL, AAF, USFL, or any version of the XFL. The number of players able to jump from that level into the NFL level is just too small to be worth supporting a whole league.

Players just don't fall through the cracks like they used to anymore. Most high school games around the country are available to watch online these days. By the time players have gone through college all the pro scouts have seen them play for hours upon hours upon hours. Much smarter to just let these kinds of players fall to the CFL or the alphabet soup indoor leagues and cherry pick the best.

 

[oknazevad]

Plus don't forget that NFL has expanded practice squads multiple times over the last decade. The reason you don't find your marginal guys who got stuck in a lower league anymore is because those guys aren't playing in lower leagues, but are already on NFL practice squads.

 

[Headshot77]

Plus don't forget that NFL has expanded practice squads multiple times over the last decade. The reason you don't find your marginal guys who got stuck in a lower league anymore is because those guys aren't playing in lower leagues, but are already on NFL practice squads.

Why can't the practice squads play game against each other? That's really all I'm asking for. You'd think the NFL would love to monetize something like that.

 

[joelef]

Why can't the practice squads play game against each other? That's really all I'm asking for. You'd think the NFL would love to monetize something like that.

Because the nfl are cheapskates that don’t want to put money into development

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Why can't the practice squads play game against each other? That's really all I'm asking for. You'd think the NFL would love to monetize something like that.

Because their purpose is to be fodder for the actual roster and occassionally to provide warm bodies to fill in holes once injuries pop up. Why pay for practice squad players to actually play and risk them getting injured to the detriment of your actual moneymakers practicing against them and as fillers?

 

[famicommander]

Plus don't forget that NFL has expanded practice squads multiple times over the last decade. The reason you don't find your marginal guys who got stuck in a lower league anymore is because those guys aren't playing in lower leagues, but are already on NFL practice squads.

The league has also expanded to 32 teams, and the CFL has expanded its rosters and practice squads as well.

Obviously the CFL isn't NFL level, but it's definitely the next most desirable league and they take more players than they ever have before. The import restrictions help somewhat but it's still one more level to soak up talent before it trickles down to the spring or indoor leagues.

 

[MMC]

 

[Spydey629]

So what markets are known at this point? Everything I’ve seen on this thread looks like Junior and ECHL sized markets… so arenas that don’t top 10,000 seats.

 

[PCSPounder]

LOL that the league website isn’t updated with at least cursory contact information on the teams page.

Probably not worth telling time by these guys.

 

[famicommander]

So what markets are known at this point? Everything I’ve seen on this thread looks like Junior and ECHL sized markets… so arenas that don’t top 10,000 seats.

Confirmed (league, owner, venue all saying it's happening)
Albany, New York
Billings, Montana
Everett, Washington (technically an outlying suburb of the Seattle area)
Dodge City, Kansas
Odessa, Texas
Orlando, Florida
Park City, Kansas
Rapid City, South Dakota
Salina, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas

Anything below this point is 50/50 at best.

Announced by local owners months ago but not confirmed by the league:
Bakersfield, California
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Tallahassee, Florida

Named in the initial announcement but then left to another league:
Nampa, Idaho (announced as Boise but it was the Idaho Horsemen of the former AWFC who have since joined the NAL)

Named in the initial announcement but not confirmed:
Austin, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati, Ohio
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Nashville, Tennessee
Salem, Oregon
St. Louis, Missouri