When you hear the words “developmental indoor football”, what do you think of? 37U? Here today, gone tomorrow? Plenty of people do, but there is one league that has broken through and proven its self to be anything but fly by night. Instead they have proven Developmental Football can work, and not only work but thrive as a league and farm system for moving up players to the higher PROFESSIONAL Indoor and arena football leagues. The aforementioned league?
The American Arena League 2! This piece explains to even the most casual arena football fan what American Arena League 2 is, the purpose it serves, and why it’s crucial to the landscape of indoor and arena football. Before we dive into the when, how, where, and why we want to thank the Commissioner of the American Arena League 2, AJ Roque, (also the Head Coach/Owner of the AALs Jersey Bearcats) for sitting down and giving us a very detailed and overall great interview on the AAL, the AAL2 and everything Indoor Football!
Table of Contents
What is the AAL2?
The AAL2, or American Arena League 2, is currently a fourteen team, 3 division league composed of developmental teams from the south, east coast, and north east. They play a mostly divisional eight game schedule that leads into a playoff, regular season deciding the seeding, the set up gives as many players as possible the ability to get as many snaps and as much film as they can.
The vast majority play in indoor soccer facilities or ice rinks to keep cost down but still have a safe regulation size field to play on. The rules are that of the indoor version of the game, with slight tweaks in the kicking game to accommodate the venues. The League was born out of the decline of the Original American Arena League and began play in 2023 after both the AAL faded out and the AAL2 kicked off as the “minor league” to the AAL, with plans to bring back the pro side. It began humbly with just the right teams and has since grown slow and steady.
What makes the AAL2 different from the others?
The biggest difference is the approach to running the league. As AJ Roque mentioned the league isn’t trying to be a pro league, they are trying to be an organized league. The biggest lag on Developmental Leagues is in fact organization. If you look across the board, you’ll find a litany of forfeits and canceled games from teams that do it year in and year out, but if you pull that kind thing in the AAL2, you’re done, at least for that season. What’s the motive? Money?
Anything but! The way league dues from each team works is a little different in the AAL2 also in the way that there are no profit driven motives, nearly every cent is put into making the league work and travel for playoff and championship games. The biggest difference? The leadership, AJ made it very clear that each team has a say, if you chose to join the league and keep your side things in order, you have a vote.
If a rule change, member team issues, or general league changes need to be made, each team’s ownership has a vote and the majority vote will decide whether it changes or stays the same. Not only that, this league is heavily promoted considering its level of play, Tuft Talk, a show on the Shady Sports, covers the league week in and week out, along with the entire offseason, something no other developmental league has (with plans to cover even more of the league come 2026).
As far as we at Shady Sports can tell this has to be the least ego driven commissioner or a league we have ever talked to, making the next step even better. Vetting is also a crucial part of growing as a league, but what do they require?
Team Vetting:
This can be tricky at this level of indoor football, you can’t be too stringent or no one will make the cut, but you can’t be too loose or you will end up with a laundry list of canceled games and mid season folding. The AAL2 lies somewhere in the middle. And here is what they require:
Faculties:
a prospective team has to have a venue for their home games secured and available for home games, before you ever even have the option to call yourself a member of the AAL2, you’ll have to have a place to play that is regulation size.
Uniformity:
This isn’t the kind of league that is going to allow a team with four different jersey colors and mix and match helmets to continue, you have to at least have the ability to supply and wear a single uniform game in and game out. While this league isn’t professional this pivotal detail keeps things look as though they are.
Experience:
(not required but preferred)- If at all possible, they try to bring in teams, and if not teams, owners and coaches that are familiar with this brand of indoor football. It’s hard to catch up as a brand new franchise when you haven’t seen the ups and downs of what travel, cost and in season adversity can bring you. Admitting teams that have played a season or two and then caught on that this is a stable, well ran league is a recipe for success. All of this being said, brand new teams do come into the fold, just not nearly as often.
Travel:
This one is huge (though not vastly different). Out the gate, before anyone puts tuft shoe to leather you have to know that they can make a trip. Take for instance the AAL2 South Division, having teams from Mississippi all the way to Georgia, if you can’t fully commit to making at least 4 bus rides a year, you’re not playing in the AAL2.
What’s new for 2026?
This is a league where you won’t find grandiose plans or over promise followed by disappointing fallout. Instead the plan is to be steady, stable, and growing. With the pro side of the AAL coming back in 2026 with the past three AAL2 Champions it leaves a lot of open opportunities for the AAL2 that could be used as a run way to launching a pro team.
We asked Commissioner Roque what his thoughts on this were and he emphasized that he not only doesn’t have an issue with it, but welcomes it. Going on from there, he pointed out that the Wheeling Miners did just that from 2024 to 2025. One of the biggest things we got the scoop on was three (for now) exhibition games against the AAL, against who? We will find out as we get closer to the season.
Apart from the pro side, there is a chance we see at least one more addition to the already strong roster of teams heading into the ‘26 season. Though the league is fourteen teams strong the leadership within is still very open to expansion, especially westerly, stating they would be open to teams even as far west as Iowa. Obviously a move like this would need to make geographical sense with enough teams to fill out a region or new division within.
Why should you care?
In short, you don’t have to, but we definitely think you should. No, you’re not going to watch pro ball, but you will get the chance to watch future AAL, NAL, AF1 and IFL stars in ultra competitive, prove it style games. Oh, you think there isn’t talent?
Check any team’s roster, and you’re bound to find high level FBS and FCS football talent that has been passed over, and fantastic Division II, Division III and NAIA talent that is fighting every single play for a chance. If you have a local team, show up! It’s inexpensive and fun to watch! If you’re curious if you have a team near you.. below will be a list of teams and the AAL2 socials!
2026 American Arena League 2 Teams:
AAL2 North:
AAL2 East:
AAl2 South:
Socials:
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