Arena Football Association
Formerly | Lone Star Series (2021) |
---|---|
Sport | Indoor football |
Founder |
|
Inaugural season | 2021 |
No. of teams | 6 (2022) |
Country | United States |
Headquarters | Texas |
Most recent champion(s) | West Texas Warbirds (2021) |
TV partner(s) | FloSports (streaming) |
Official website | arenafa |
The Arena Football Association (AFA) is a minor professional indoor football league based in Texas, United States. The league began operation in June 2021 with five teams,[1] known that season as the Lone Star Series. The league was founded by three African-American entrepreneurs and is "built upon the pillars of diversity, equity and inclusion," placing its teams in underserved markets with populations from 200,000 to two million people.[1][2]
History[edit]
2021 season[edit]
The league operated during 2021 as the Lone Star Series, after the West Texas Warbirds and Amarillo Venom, formerly of Champions Indoor Football (CIF), organized their own league.[3] Five teams competed in the inaugural season: Amarillo Venom, Arlington Longhorns, San Antonio Valor, Texas Jets, and West Texas Warbirds.[4][5] The Warbirds defeated the Venom in the championship game, 79–60, played on July 24.[6][7]
2022 season[edit]
As of the league's 2022 season, there are six teams: four in Texas, and one each in Mississippi and Kansas.[8] The Amarillo Venom had also planned to play, before suspending operations in February 2022.[9]
The league's regular season schedule runs from April through June, with playoffs in July and a championship game scheduled for July 23.[10] The league plans for the championship game to be played on board the USS Lexington, an aircraft carrier that is now a museum ship in Corpus Christi, Texas.[11]
Teams[edit]
Source:[12]
Team | Home city | Home venue | Capacity | Head coach | Website |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Magnolia State Spartans | Philadelphia, Mississippi | Neshoba County Coliseum | 2,500 | Dexter Allen | ms-spartans |
North Texas Bulls | Fort Worth, Texas | Fort Worth Convention Center | 10,418 | Victor Mann | northtexasbulls |
Rio Grande Valley Dorados | Hidalgo, Texas | traveling team | - | Bennie King | rgv-dorados |
Texas Jets | Humble, Texas | Humble Civic Center Arena | 7,500 | texasjets | |
West Texas Warbirds | Odessa, Texas | Ector County Coliseum | 5,131 | Tate Smith | warbirdfootball |
Wichita Force | Wichita, Kansas | Wichita Ice Center | 1,000 | Ene Akpan | wichitaforce |
Former teams[edit]
- Amarillo Venom (Amarillo, Texas) — Played the 2021 pandemic-affected season in the Texas-based Lone Star Series and helped form the AFA, but went dormant before the start of the 2022 season after the owners put the team up for sale.
References[edit]
- ^ a b Nutt, Stephanie (February 7, 2022). "Wichita Force joins new football association". KSNW. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via MSN.com.
- ^ Perry, Mark (April 15, 2022). "PR: 2022 (AFA) Arena Football Association season kicks off this weekend with games in Fort Worth and Odessa". xflnewshub.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "Sponsors And Investors See Ground-Floor Opportunities With The Expansion Of Arena Football Association". prnewswire.com (Press release). Arena Football Association. November 4, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Amaya, Chris (July 12, 2021). "Warbirds cap off first undefeated regular season". Odessa American. Odessa, Texas. p. 1B. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Amaya, Chris (July 12, 2021). "Warbirds (cont'd)". Odessa American. Odessa, Texas. p. 3B. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Amaya, Chris (July 26, 2021). "Warbirds cap off first season with title". Odessa American. Odessa, Texas. p. 1B. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Amaya, Chris (July 26, 2021). "Warbirds (cont'd)". Odessa American. Odessa, Texas. p. 3B. Retrieved April 16, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Standings". arenafa.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Vega, Julio (February 17, 2022). "Amarillo Venom up for sale, will not compete in 2022 Arena Football Association season". Amarillo Globe-News. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "Schedule". warbirdfootball.com. West Texas Warbirds. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "Texas-Based Arena Football Association Expands To Six Teams For 2022 And Sets Sights On Nationwide Expansion". boxscorenews.com (Press release). Arena Football Association. November 30, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "Arena Football Association Announces Inaugural 2022 Schedule". rgv-dorados.com. February 23, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.