The American Arena League rebooted for the first season of play since 2021. Fans from across the country had mixed feelings on what they saw as just another fly-by-night league that will be gone in a year, but skepticism is slowly turning to trust. In indoor and arena football, it takes years for a fan base to trust your longevity, and a matter of minutes to destroy it.
We can all admit we have seen teams and leagues come and go, but this version of the AAL is different. It isn’t different just because we say it’s different. It’s different because at its core it functions in a way that gives fans, coaches, players, and team owners the center stage. Egos are set to the side, and arrogance is frowned upon. filling stands, making it to year 10, and letting fans know they are as important as the men and women running the league is the goal.
We got to sit down with Kevin O’Hanlon, the commissioner of the AAL,recently and really dive into his vision for the league, an inside look at how it functions. We covered how he, the owners and league staff plan to make the league a long standing, high functioning and polished product that becomes synonymous with the phrase “Arena Football”.
Table of Contents
Difference Makers
Vetting
This, as league leadership, is quite possibly the hardest part of running a league. You have to have teams to play a season, but you have to have solid teams that function to stay legitimate. If you accept every single team with turf and a set of equipment, you’ll see mid-season collapse and schedule reworks year over year. The AAL approach will never be to expand for the sake of expanding.
They would like each expansion team to have as close to a full year of lead up time to launch. They will meticulously go through every single application. Checking to make sure all finances, credit, and ensure they will be received in the community they play. All prospective teams are expected to meet a standard that includes open communication and clear direction. Having a functioning website, and a heavy social media presence, will be focuses as the league moves forward.
The league has already, in 2025 for 2026, rejected teams that aren’t on the level that is required.
This is the place that almost every building league ruins itself before it really gets off the ground. The practices of teams and owners flying across the country from, say, Montgomery, Alabama, to Idaho or Iowa gets expensive week over week. This is where the AAL plans and demands to be different. If possible, they don’t want to be taking flights. They also want to create clusters of teams that primarily play divisional games with some interdivision play.
If you take a look at the recent expansion, the span from Tunica to Montgomery to Columbus is a little over seven hours combined, which is well doable for any franchise that they would accept. This regionality is a huge draw for any team that is looking to make a move or come in as an expansion team. Reading between the lines fans should be expecting more teams in or around Texas to be announced given the outlier that the Wild Hogs appear to be currently.
Owner-centric & Budget-friendly
This one is huge for several reasons. Some current leagues just about make owners surrender everything but the dashers and the turf to play in their league. In the American Arena League, you basically surrender nothing outside of your investment into the league, investment into your team, and the time and effort it takes to put together a stable franchise.
You’ll never see a situation where a team has to rebrand or break an arena lease because they want to leave for a situation that they feel is better for them. This alone is more financially sensible for anyone wanting to start a team. The expansion fees are nowhere near the cost you will see out of other leagues, paired with cost-effective travel, and common sense scheduling, it’s a recipe to create long-lasting franchises. It also attracts teams that are currently looking for ways to lower operation costs, and increase or create profit.
League leadership has openly talked about the fact that invitations to the league have never been initiated, though interest has rolled in from all around. If you have enjoyed the 2026 season, you’ll love the 2026-2027 growth in the offseason ( it might get a little crazy) . The American Arena League not only wants to be a flourishing league, they want teams that are here five, ten, or fifteen years from now.
What about the here and now?
You can’t get so wrapped in next year that you don’t make it to next month, and from the conversations I had during the sit-down/game, they aren’t. Kevin O’Hanlon was very open and honest about what the league is. His plans don’t get ahead of making sure the groundwork is laid well ahead of time. You will never get a broken promise out of the AAL or its leadership. It was mentioned several times that the league has multiple deals and plans in the works, but that keeping it all under wraps until it is set in stone is crucial to the trust of fans that is so hard to obtain at this level of football.
The ability to produce upgrades without disappointing fans is a huge point for O’Hanlon and everyone involved; they would rather do without than risk burning fans. We know of more than a handful of plans and ideas that would push the AAL above almost any other league, but it’s a step, a handshake, and a plan before it’s ever a post or announcement for the American Arena League.
Pride in the AAL2
Some folks may see the AAL2 and brush it off; the leadership touted their feeder league as a treasure. The ability to elevate players up to the pro ranks through a draft, and/or midseason signings, is a facet of the AAL/AAL2 that no other league possesses currently. This not only strengthens the pathways for AAL2 players, it creates reasons for fans to pick an AAL team. If you are a fan Maryland, and your favorite AAL2 player on your local team gets selected by the Texas Wild Hogs you now have an external reason to root for a team you may not have followed otherwise.
It was a topic of conversation on numerous occasions, and you could tell they paid attention to them in detail, even discussing scores of players and teams for a good while. The Draft will continue to happen past just 2026. It is also seen as a crucial part of the league and its identity. This is just an opinion, but that alone we feel could drive even more stability, teams, and talent to the AAL2.
AAL2 Developing Teams, Not Just Players
While getting talent from the AAL2 is a focus, it’s not limited to people. While prospects to advance to the AAL from the AAL2 may not be an every-year event, it’s not unthinkable to see it happen. Similar to how Wheeling managed itself in 2024 and then to the NAL in 2025, teams can do the same here and now!
Using the AAL2 as a runway into the higher league can and will be a way to ensure that teams can survive in the higher league if given the chance. Multiple AAL2 teams have discussed a desire to move up to the professional ranks sooner rather than later, and we could see some of these make the jump in 2027.
As of right now there are two teams in the league that have openly discussed the potential of moving up into the professional ranks. The Ohio Legends are the only AAL2 team currently using a full size arena, with turf, and dasher pads they own. Their turf needs a bit of work heading into the 2027 season, but watch for the Legends to make a move up over the next season or two.
Carolina Predators have talked openly about their desire to run an AAL and AAL2 team in the future, with the idea to move the Predators up into the AAL, and launch a second team to play in the AAL2. Owner Ralph Byrd mentioned this was a part of their 3 year plan with 2026 considered year 1.
Strong 2027 Expansion
The current two expansion teams, Texas and Montgomery, both look strong. The Visual effect of Montgomery’s website, the gear giveaway, and the media access sign-up tab signals a well-thought-out operation. While the swift and steady social media presence from Texas, followed up by a timely, well-presented press conference, is promising. They both have already begun to hammer away at the small details that the majority of new teams miss. We have said it before, and we will say it again, these two have shown a standard the AAL is going to keep.
Overall. It is a very what you see is what you get setup that makes sure everything is in place and accounted for. The 2027 season is still more than an offseason away, but we at Shady Sports know for a fact it is going to be something everyone will praise once it’s in motion. When fans tune in (for free) and see new and old teams alike leaving it all on the field, and not fretting over off-field drama, it will make hardened fans fall in love with the sport all over again, especially in the deep south.
If you have been watching since the April kickoff, congrats on getting in on the next big thing in arena ball at the ground floor; if you’re just finding it, you get the joy of watching a four-team league explode into the future. No matter the case, we at Shady Sports are completely bought into the American Arena League and see it as the future of not only South Eastern arena ball, but all of arena ball in general!
Want to know more about the AAL? Check out Everything AAL, our weekly in season preview and review of the American Arena League!
- American Arena League(AAL): Built for the Future
- Everything AAL Week 10
- For the Fans, By the Lions, A Legacy Spanning 20 Years
- Everything AAL Week 8
- Everything AAL Week 7
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