Report: Arena Football League Returns With Nashville Team & More

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Photo: Courtesy of the Arena Football League

The Arena Football League (AFL) is returning and will have a team in Music City, according to a report by TMZ. The AFL has confirmed Tennessee as one of the relaunch locations along with 15 other states and cities.

In February 2023, it was announced that the league will resume operations under the stewardship of investment group F1 Sports & Entertainment, which purchased the rights to the AFL in January 2022. The league’s Board of Directors will include Chairman Chris Chetty, President Anthony Rossi and President of Operations Shan Singh and the Executive Leadership Team will be led by Commissioner Lee A. Hutton III, Deputy Commissioner Travelle Gaines, President of Entertainment Tuo Clark and Executive Vice President Curt Feldtkeller.

“We are elated to come out of hibernation and make this announcement official,” Rossi said in a press release from February. “Our objective when we acquired the AFL was to bring back a storied brand that deserved to be revived and showcased again, globally. We envisioned executing on the old saying ‘Bigger and Better,’ but this time, we want to incorporate the components of a modern-day business – streaming, betting, technology, virtual reality and immerse fan engagement mixed with good old-fashioned iron-man football.

“The re-launch of the AFL first started with assembling a respected executive and advisory team. Each partner, member and business executive of today’s AFL was meticulously hand-selected piece by piece. We believe we have assembled a world-class, operational team made up of C-Suite executives, expert sports trainers, football personnel, performance facilities, legal partners, professional team owners and former athletes.”

The AFL will launch with 16 teams that will play 10 regular season games before postseason play. The league first’s season took place in 1987 and went on for more than 30 years before declaring bankruptcy in 2019.

Nashville had two versions of the historic Nashville Kats during that time. The first played from 1997-2001, reaching the Arena Bowl in each of their first two years, before moving to Atlanta. The second, which featured former Titans owner Bud Adams as an owner, played in Nashville from 2005-2007 before Adams shut down operations.

The other team locations for the AFL relaunch include, Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; California (will play in Bakersfield); Chicago, Illinois; Colorado (will play in Denver); Minnesota (will play in St. Paul); Louisiana (will play in Lake Charles); Ohio (will play in Cincinnati); Orlando, Florida; Oregon (will play in Salem); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; St. Louis, Missouri; Tallahassee, Florida; Washington (will play in Everett); and West Texas (will play in Odessa).

Steven Boero
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