Arena Football League relaunching in 2024 with Minnesota team
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Arena Football League is planning a comeback next year, and Minnesota is among the spots slated for a team.
The AFL announced 16 teams for the revamped league on Monday. The league is owned by F1 Sports & Entertainment and will be led by Commissioner Lee Hutton III. Hutton is a Minneapolis attorney who played football for the University of Minnesota.
"The Arena Football League brand has always sat at the promontory of indoor football by offering gridiron entertainment, fast action, and iron tough athletes in conjunction with delivering a family fun fan experience that uniquely engages the pig skin enthusiast," Hutton said. "Ultimately, the professional sports brand speaks for itself and is proud to announce, 'We are back!'"
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This will be Minnesota's second AFL franchise, though the first -- the Fighting Pike -- lasted just one season in 1996 before folding. They played their home games at Target Center and went 4-10.
The new team's name has not been announced.
In addition to Minnesota, the AFL announced teams in the following locations:
- Austin
- Boise
- California
- Chicago
- Colorado
- Louisiana
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- St. Louis
- Tallahassee
- Tennessee
- Washington
- West Texas
The AFL was first launched in 1986, folded in 2009, relaunched in 2010 and folded again in 2019.