New Arena Football League With AF2, Former AFL Teams In Works

Teams from af2 and the shuttered AFL are planning to announce Monday the "formation of a new league called Arena Football 1" that would be composed of teams from both leagues, according to Jeff Latzke of the AP. af2 Arkansas Twisters Dir of Operations Troy Thompson said, "The owners meetings are Monday morning, and they're really going to line everything out on Monday morning as far as how the divisions go and what teams from the AFL are actually going to join Arena Football 1 and what teams from AF2 are going to join." The Twisters and fellow af2 franchises Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz and Spokane Shock all confirmed their intent to join the new league, while the af2 Iowa Barnstormers plan to "send a representative to the meetings." Thompson said, "There could be an upper tier and a lower tier in Arena Football 1, almost like college football has a Division I and a Division II. Arena Football 1 could have a Division I and a Division II. That's still kind of unclear." Shock Dir of Communications Kevin Maloney said that the business model of the new league will "closely mimic that of af2, with players all receiving the same salary." Yard Dawgz GM Christie Cook said that training camps will open in March and a "16-week session will begin in either late March or early April, the same basic timeframe as before for the leagues -- filling the football void opposite the NFL and college seasons" (AP, 9/24). 

Gorsline Says Rampage Not Joining New League

SITTING IT OUT: AFL Grand Rapids Rampage COO Scott Gorsline said the team is "not going to be part" of the new league, adding, "There is some potential for confusion. This is not the Arena Football League. We remain involved in an effort to bring back the highest level of Arena Football" (GRAND RAPIDS PRESS, 9/25). AFL Utah Blaze Owner John Garff in an e-mail also said that his franchise would not join the new league. Garff: "Our current plan, in action, is to facilitate the rebirth of the AFL in 2011" (DESERET NEWS, 9/25). AFL K.C. Brigade Owner Chris Likens said that that he is "only aware of a handful of AFL teams -- Arizona, San Jose and maybe Orlando -- that will jump ship," adding that the remaining teams are "still planning on coming back in 2011" to a new AFL. Likens: "Currently, we are working on a single-operating business model where all the teams would work together to control costs and sell tickets." But in K.C., Terez Paylor writes the new league "looks like another blow to the AFL," despite "optimism for an eventual return" (K.C. STAR, 9/25).

GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK: KPNX-NBC's Dave Cherry reported the AFL Arizona Rattlers "promised full refunds" to season-ticket holders, but "haven't given them." Season-ticket holder Charles Bristow, at the direction of the Rattlers, "faxed his request" for a refund to the team in February. He "received a check for 1/3 of his money and a letter promising to pay another 1/3." Bristow: "The last contact I had with the Rattlers was the letter in February and the check which said another check would come by the end of May. I haven't heard anything since." He added, "They don't answer their phones. They have an answering machine but they don't return calls" (AZCENTRAL.com, 9/24).