Times Union Center GM Bob Belber yesterday said that he is "in discussions" with the AFL and NLL about putting a team in downtown Albany as early as '18, according to a front-page piece by Pete Dougherty of the Albany TIMES UNION. When the AHL Devils' planned move to Binghamton for next season was announced in late January, Belber said that he was "hopeful of finding another pro sports franchise to fill many of the 38 home dates previously occupied." He has "pinpointed the AFL and NLL, leagues that had teams at the arena" in the '90s and early '00s, respectively. Belber: "Arena football would make sense. We are leaving the door open for the potential of a lacrosse league team to come in. We would love to see a National Lacrosse League team, and there is some dialogue going on there. All of these are things that we're working on. I don't want to make it sound like they're absolutely going to happen." Belber was "adamant that only the AFL, whose teams are mostly in major markets, will work in Albany." After the AFL Firebirds left Albany in '00, Arena Football 2 "came in with the Albany Conquest." Belber: "We're not going out looking for an ECHL team. I've seen some attendance numbers in other markets that went from AHL to ECHL. There's a dramatic drop in attendance that we've seen" (Albany TIMES UNION, 3/14).
