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'af2' (short for 'arenafootball2') is the name of the Arena Football League's minor league, which started play in 2000. The rules are the same as for the parent league. af2 plays its season from April to July.
Like most other minor sports leagues, the af2 exists to develop football players, and also to help players adapt to the style and pace of arena football. In addition, the af2 is similar to other minor leagues because af2 teams play in smaller cities and smaller venues. While the AFL is played in larger cities like Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Dallas, Tampa, Las Vegas, and Chicago, the af2 fields teams in cities such as North Little Rock, Green Bay, Huntsville, Manchester, Oklahoma City, Boise, Spokane, Louisville and, Tulsa. Players also earn less in the af2, with each player making $250 per game.[1][2]
| Contents |
| History |
| ArenaCup |
| Past ArenaCup results |
| Teams |
| Scheduled to begin play in 2008 |
| Mentioned as likely 2008 expansion cities |
| Inactive markets |
| Possible expansion |
| References |
| See also |
| External links |
History
In a June 2003 interview with Sports Illustrated, AFL commissioner David Baker briefly mentioned the af2, saying how one day, he envisions the league growing to 100 teams. Currently, this vision seems rather unlikely, as there has not been consistent expansion of the league. The af2 started off with 15 teams in 2000, then expanded to 28 teams in 2001, and finally 34 in 2002. The number of teams the league fielded dropped every year from there on after, until the 2006 season. 27 teams were fielded in 2003, 25 in 2004, and 20 in 2005. Finally, in 2006, the af2 saw its first expansion in 4 years, fielding 23 teams, and continued that into 2007 with 30 teams.
The drop in teams beteween 2002 and 2006 can be partially attributed to the leauge expanding too rapidly in its first 3 seasons. Many teams were financially unstable and folded. (Also see Defunct af2 teams) This can be due to higher expenses compared to similar leagues. Franchise fees in the league range from $600,000 to $1 million.[1] Historically, massive expansions have had little success. For instance, the National Indoor Football League, a rival indoor league, has seen large amounts of expansion teams since they began in 2001 but many struggle financially.
Nine new expansion teams were approved for 2007 in the af2: the Boise Burn, the Cincinnati Jungle Kats, the Fort Wayne Fusion, the Laredo Lobos, the Lubbock Renegades, the Mahoning Valley Thunder, the Texas Copperheads, the Tri-Cities Fever, and the Corpus Christi Sharks. The Texas, Laredo, and Tri-Cities teams moved to the af2 from other indoor football leagues.
=== Merge with Xtreme Football League ===
The Xtreme Football League was a proposed indoor football league that was formed in early 1999, with the intent to begin play in 2000. The cities that were to take part in the league were: Birmingham, Greenville, Huntsville (Tennessee Valley), Jacksonville, Norfolk, Pensacola, Richmond, Roanoke and Tallahassee. Although a logo was developed and venues had begun to be lined up, the league merged with the af2 on July 29 1999, one year before either league took the field.
ArenaCup
The ArenaCup is the af2's championship game, held each August. For the league's first five years, it was held at the arena of the higher seeded team. However, as their parent league, the AFL, has changed, the af2 has changed too. The 2005 ArenaCup was the first to be played at a neutral site in Bossier City, Louisiana. The 2006 ArenaCup was played in Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan.[2] The ArenaCup returned to Bossier City, Louisiana, in 2007.
For the 2000 and 2001 ArenaCups, the game was televised nationally by TNN (now Spike TV), who carried AFL games on Sunday afternoons at the time. However, when the AFL announced their televised games would be shown on NBC rather than TNN, the ArenaCup telecast was lost. The 2002 ArenaCup was televised by the Vision Network, and the 2003 game was televised by KWHB, a local station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After having no television coverage in 2004, the game was telecast nationally by Fox Sports Net in 2005 and Comcast Sports Net in 2006.
Past ArenaCup results
| Date Played | Winning Team | Losing Team | Site | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 10, 2000 | Quad City Steamwheelers | 68 | Tennessee Valley Vipers | 59 | Moline, Illinois |
| August 10, 2001 | Quad City Steamwheelers | 55 | Richmond Speed | 51 | Moline, Illinois |
| August 23, 2002 | Peoria Pirates | 65 | Florida Firecats | 47 | Peoria, Illinois |
| August 23, 2003 | Tulsa Talons | 58 | Macon Knights | 40 | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| August 27, 2004 | Florida Firecats | 39 | Peoria Pirates | 26 | Estero, Florida |
| August 27, 2005 | Memphis Xplorers | 63 | Louisville Fire | 41 | Bossier City, Louisiana |
| August 26, 2006 | Spokane Shock | 57 | Green Bay Blizzard | 34 | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| August 25, 2007 | Tulsa Talons | 73 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers | 66 | Bossier City, Louisiana |
Teams
Scheduled to begin play in 2008
★ Peoria Pirates - returning for 2008 season [3]
Mentioned as likely 2008 expansion cities
★ Albuquerque or Rio Rancho, New Mexico [4]
★ Iowa Barnstormers - probable reactivation [5]
★ Mississippi Headhunters - expected to begin play in Biloxi for 2008
★ Richmond Speed - possible return in 2008
Inactive markets
★ Biloxi, Mississippi - Formerly the Columbus Wardogs; team never began due to Hurricane Katrina damaging arena in Biloxi
★
★ Mississippi Headhunters - Originally to have been the Biloxi team before a move to Jackson fell apart; reported to play in Biloxi for 2008.
★ Jacksonville Tomcats
★ Peoria Pirates - returning in 2008
★ Richmond Speed - possible return 2008 [6]
Possible expansion
★ Fort Pierce, Florida[7]
★ Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
★ Portland, Maine[1]
★ Reno, Nevada
★ Sarasota, Florida
★ San Diego Shockwave[9]
★ San Juan, Puerto Rico
★ Toledo, Ohio [10]
★ Tucson, Arizona or Prescott, Arizona[11]
★ Yakima, Washington[12]
★ Yuma, Arizona, if they have a standard arena
★ Toronto, Ontario, Canada
★ Austin Wranglers - possible transfer from AFL
References
1. Arena football discussed Mike Lowe
2. 2006 ArenaCup to be played in Puerto Rico
3. Indoor football back in Peoria: Pirates will play in af2 in 2008 with former coach Cowdrey at the helm Dave Eminan
4. Brian Urlacher Joins Group Bringing Arena Football to Albuquerque
5. D.M. arena football back in business, league says Tom Witosky
6. Backer wants speedy return of af2: Richmonder seeks supporters to revive defunct football team John O'Connor
7. Group pitches Fort Pierce on AF2 arena
8. Arena football discussed Mike Lowe
9. Looking Forward to 2009
10. Arena football franchise contemplated for Toledo
11. Brian Urlacher Joins Group Bringing Arena Football to Albuquerque
12. http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=6731082&nav=menu484_4_1
See also
★ Defunct af2 teams
★ List of leagues of American football
External links
★ arenafootball2 Official Site
★ af2 at ArenaFan.com
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