The American Arena League (AAL) has locked in the 2027 season. The schedule is set, the teams are locked in, and we are on the road to the single most anticipated season in arena ball this decade. No league since the af2 in 2002 has added more true expansion teams, and all eyes are on the AAL.
Many doubt it will work in 2027; many nitpick the teams, the schedule, and every little thing the league has done this offseason, but here are 3 things they have done completely right, and they’ll serve them well when the league kicks off next March.
1. AAL Regionality:
If you look at the landscape of all of the arena & indoor leagues, you’ll find the collections of teams that spread themselves coast to coast suffer long term. The AAL has taken notice.In 2027, there will be a couple of teams that aren’t perfectly aligned to a particular set of teams. Though overall, the regional nature of the league lends itself to travel that makes perfect sense.
Match Up —Bus Time in Hours: Minutes
Rome to Columbus: 2:39
Columbus to Montgomery: 1:30
Jersey to Virginia: 7:47
Virginia to Marion: 5:41
Southaven(Wolfpack) to Memphis: 00:30
Mississippi to Denton (Steam): 7:20
Lufkin to Denton: 3:31
Denton to San Antonio(Wildhogs): 5:10
San Antonio to Lufkin: 4:51
As you can tell, the thought behind it was clear: let the teams focus their money on shoring up each franchise over spending half a million on travel and travel-related expenses.
2. AAL Expansion:
Yes, there has been a lot said about a few teams…. But one thing can’t be said… These teams weren’t vetted to the fullest. Each team was looked at financially, the location, and the viability of said location, and one thing is for sure:The AAL has revived dead markets that deserve a second shot at the sport.
In 2027, four markets that have been devoid of the sport for at least 11 years are getting a chance at it again, three markets are new or relatively new to arena ball, and we even have a move that sees two markets revived by veteran teams in Morristown and South Haven.
If you are looking for a situation that rides the upswing the sport is currently having, this is how you do it. Many of these markets are chomping at the bit to have a team… And as you can see below, a little local awareness goes a long way: (Click Links)
Virginia has sold over 240 season tickets (as of writing this), and the team has been announced for less than two weeks.
Kearney has local news and fans already reporting on and looking into the team.
Montgomery has done a fine job of marketing, and the local news and fans are already showing up on social media in droves.
Rome is already out in the community. Rome also just added some more local ownership to their team in the form of AEW Executive QT Marshal, and Sports Entrepreneur Tripp Bennett.
These are just a few examples of the teams flourishing in their individual markets, and there is only more to come. With 12 teams going into 2027, the AAL tripled in size in a single offseason. A monumental feat, but one that’s impact will only truly be known when the 2027 season ends and we can look at the bigger picture come September-October of next season. With 9 teams added for the 2027 season, which team will YOU be rooting for in 2027?
3. AAL Operational Cost:
One huge part of the game that no one considers is what it takes financially to take a team from idea to fully functioning organization in an offseason. Every team owner and their staff has to find quality turf, dasher boards, goal posts, and all of the small details that make game day feel legitimate. It’s no small task, even for organizations that have played 20+ seasons to find arena dates, find a front office, and ensure that everything goes to plan in a sport that often has to play second fiddle to other tenants in their home arenas.
The league owner and leadership saw the issue, took note, and set out to ensure none of the twelve teams in the American Arena League were put into a situation that saw them not finish the 2027 season. In fact, they took it a step further and created a situation that provided a foundation they hope (and we think) will lead to long-standing franchises instead of one-and-dones, and here’s how:
1. See Point #1
2. Schedule:
Love it. Hate it. It doesn’t really matter if you are local to a team and you truly enjoy the sport. In reality, yes, we do see several teams play twice, and some even play three times. Though if we look back just a year, the league was at four teams, and leadership admitted there was a bit to work on to make the league what all envisioned. 2027 is going to be another season of picking up a block and sitting it on the foundation and building for the future. 12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 8 Games.
The schedule is built on the principle of being budget-friendly, completely budget-friendly. Yes, those in the front office could have set everyone of the 12 to play a different team every single week, but what does that look like for a building franchise at the end of the season?
It would look like several teams at square one instead of having a remaining budget that can be used to begin marketing for 2028. All of these teams have been vetted and have everything they need to function just fine through the year, but a few dollars in the pockets of the franchises leads to growth over functioning on baseline margins. AJ, Roger, and Kevin (Owners & Commish) have a vision that leads to the kind of league that sees teams in the same arenas, with growing fan bases five years from 2027 instead of a revolving-door of organizations.
This schedule, for the vast majority of its teams, gives everyone the ability to play 4 at home and 4 on a bus trip under 6 hours. The Idea of practical over immoderate, when actually put in practice, puts tens of thousands of dollars back into the league and it’s teams.
AAL Bringing it Back to the Basics:
The sport of arena football, in the current form, is not and will not be a large market sport for the foreseeable future. Yes, there are teams that do play in large markets (outside of the AAL), but how many of those teams do we see around for 10+ seasons? The AAL is taking an approach that doesn’t shy away from smaller, more suitable arenas.
If you are enough of a die-hard to keep up in the offseason, go around the league and find all of the arenas that are under 5,000-seat capacity and perfectly fit what the league is trying to accomplish. In many situations, the need for an 18,000-seat arena isn’t there. The cost combined with the growing, yet still sub-peak, popularity of the sport only warrants arenas similar to what we see with Rome, Texas, and Jersey.
The AAL is and will be a fun small- to mid-size market league in 2027 that knows where it stands and knows where it wants to grow. Every team has been put in a position and handed the tools to succeed.No arena or indoor league is without things it can improve on, and the league will have growing pains that come along with adding 9 new teams for 2027, but we think it might be the single most impressive feat that an arena or indoor league has pulled off since the early 2000s.
If you love talking about AAL football, or NAL, IFL, AF1 and even AIF football, check out Around the Indoor Football World every Saturday at 7 AM. Sam, TJ Cody Krish and the various guest from around the sport give you all the indepth and expert look into the sport. They discuss anything from organizational operations to coaching hires and recent signings galore.
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