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The AF1 is picking up the pieces of a disaster
It’s no secret that the Arena Football League had a turbulent and disastrous launch to 2024. With a horrible commissioner and CEO making many promises they couldn’t keep, the AFL started off slow. The season progressed with nothing but negative media blasting the upstart league for failing to meet basic expectations.
Jeff Fisher, Jerry Kurz, and Gary Compton came along and took control, steadying the ship enough to finish the season. The league found a semblance of stability and finished through the playoffs and the championship without major disaster. However, once the season finished, it was immediately time to go to work on fixing the league which hadn’t been put in a good situation.
New season, new name
Heading into 2025, a new league was formed going by the name “Arena Football One” which puts to bed their ties to the AFL, once and for all.
This was done in Part to avoid any potential copyright disputes with G6 sports who does own the AFL trademarks, but it also separates the AF1 from the AFL. Giving the teams a fresh start. Despite what you may think of it, it’s important the change was made for this season.
Big changes in the teams competing this season
The 9 teams that finished 2024, Billings, Albany, Southwest Kansas, Washington, Nashville, Orlando, Salina and Wichita all separated from G6 Sports and founded the AF1.
However, they would be far from the only ones, as teams such as the Stockton Crusaders, Arizona Bandits, Corpus Christi Tritons, Wilkes-Barre Mavericks, Oregon Lightning and Monterry Kings all were vetted to join the new league, taking a step up into the premier lights of the sport.
Some were skeptical of quick expansion, but overall having these teams is better than not. The Stockton Crusaders tap into the California market that has hosted many teams in the past. It also helps to fill out the west coast, and tap into a market that was proposed for 2024. The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Mavericks play into a minor-league market already with an American Hockey League Team.
The Monterry Kings will be an interesting experiment to see how this goes in Mexico. The Oregon Lightning replace the failed Oregon Blackbears. The Corpus Christi Tritons will be proof that the league is a place to step up, as they are a former AIF team moving up the ranks.
Perhaps the most interesting expansion team is the Arizona Bandits. Playing in the same direct market as the IFL’s successful Arizona Rattlers. They also have to contend with lesser-known teams such as the Tucson Sugar Skulls, and Northern Arizona Wranglers. The Bandits were previously announced as a future expansion team for the AFL, but their future was in question during the chaotic 2024 season. However, this year, they’ve found new life to experiment in the Arizona hotbed of arena football.
Now, the Stockton Crusaders and Monterry Kings will be postponing their inaugural seasons, with the Wichita Regulators joining them after playing in 2024 but this is for the best. Rushing these teams would result in complete disasters. Remember, the goal for something like this league is long-term successes, not quick and total death.
Building for the fans
The 2024 season was horrid for the image fans had of the AFL and for many outsiders that poor image extended to the sport in general. In the face of a bad situation, the league instantly understood what they had to do: build for the fans.
Instantly, social media has been a huge upgrade. The league keeps things professional and has content coming out consistently. Information is given out in a manner one would expect from a professional football league. Fan feedback is listened to, and fan media is considered important as opposed to being completely blown off.
The league also is jumping on opportunity. The NAL is repositioning itself behind what would be considered the “major” tier of indoor football, and the IFL is having a rough off-season, where social media has been poor and multiple teams have run into issues causing them to go dormant.
With these competitors struggling, the AF1 has a unique opportunity. With a TV deal to their name, they have set themselves far ahead of where they were last year. The AF1 may look a lot different than the traditional football leagues we have seen in recent times but that is far from a bad thing. We should all be getting excited for this pivotal season in arena football history. It could be the start of something great.
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