The Philadelphia Soul are not exactly the City of Brotherly Love’s Arena Football Team yet. This year, the Soul will play outside of Philadelphia with three guaranteed home games at Trenton’s Cure Insurance Arena, according to a Facebook video from Emery Sammons, a key leader in the Philadelphia Soul organization. Unable to secure a venue in Philadelphia, the Soul settled for the next best option in nearby Trenton. The capital of New Jersey is 33 miles from Philadelphia and a natural fit as an alternate venue.
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“Meet me tonight in Atlantic City” – Bruce Springsteen
However, Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall is worth considering as an alternate site for the Philadelphia Soul. Boardwalk Hall is further from Philadelphia than Trenton, at 60 miles away, yet has more to offer from a tourist standpoint. Atlantic City’s oceanside location and casinos make it a more likely destination for traveling road fans.
The Soul’s East Division rivals, the Albany Firebirds, are only 260 miles or a four-hour drive from Atlantic City. Fans who never had an excuse to enjoy Atlantic City now have a chance to watch their team play and receive a unique mini-vacation experience. Even Nashville Kats fans are more likely to convince themselves to make the 13-hour drive if they play the Soul at Atlantic City.
Furthermore, a game at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall could generate national headlines for the Arena Football League. The Arena Football League has a television deal with NFL Network. While a significant boost for the league, they will have to figure out how to get fans to tune into a league dormant since 2019. Games at Boardwalk Hall would attract television viewers more than the Soul playing in Trenton.
Boardwalk Hall
Boardwalk Hall would be the most unique venue in the Arena Football League. Built in 1926, it would be the oldest venue in the Arena Football League and the only one on the National Register of Historic Places. Boardwalk Hall is also rich in college football history. The venue hosted the first indoor bowl game, the 1964 Liberty Bowl, and later the Boardwalk Bowl, an FCS and Division II bowl game from 1961 to 1973.
The setting would be the most unique in the Arena Football League. The vintage architecture and stage behind one of the end zones provide quirks that viewers would not see in any other venue. The history and scene itself would give Philadelphia Soul games more exposure.
Not the First AFL Football in Atlantic City
Boardwalk Hall is also no stranger to Arena and indoor football. The legendary arena hosted a Philadelphia Soul game before and had a team when the Atlantic City Blackjacks called the venue home in 2019. The Arena Football League may be hesitant to place a team in a market they previously failed in. However, the situation is temporary and brings more attention that the league desperately needs.
This situation is not ideal for the Philadelphia Soul. Nevertheless, games at Atlantic City have more potential to bring publicity to the rebooting league and attract traveling fans than games at Trenton.
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