29Sep/093:31 PM

Rattlers reincarnated in AF1

By Vince Marotta

It looks like diehard fans of Arena Football and the Arizona Rattlers will only have to go one year without being able to soak in the “50-yard indoor war”.

From the ashes of the Arena Football League and several teams from it’s unofficial minor league, af2, comes (you guessed it) AF1, a new league based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma and featuring anywhere from 16 to 24 teams for year one. Play in the new league is currently scheduled to begin in April 2010.

The league, which named Jerry Kurz Commissioner yesterday, unveiled the initial sixteen markets that will begin play in 2010. That list includes the Arizona Rattlers, a franchise that played in the Arena Football League from 1992 to 2008, winning two league championships in that time span.

“Having been involved in the launch of both the Arena Football League and the arenafootball2, our new structure will utilize the best aspects of both leagues,” said Kurz. “The time, effort and thought process expended to create and launch Arena Football 1 has been impressive, and we expect arena football fans both across the country and internationally to be extremely pleased with our new product.”

As of right now, only one other AFL team, the Orlando Predators, is on the list of new AF1 franchises.

Eight other ownership groups have submitted applications for teams in the new league, and AF1 is currently negotiating with 7 other AFL franchises including Tampa Bay and San Jose, which combined to win 7 championships in the defunct AFL.

AF1 Franchises for 2010

Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Rattlers (AFL)
North Little Rock, AR - Arkansas Twisters (af2)
Bossier-Shreveport, LA - Bossier-Shreveport Battlewings (af2)
Chicago, IL - New Franchise
Des Moines, IA - Iowa Barnstormers (af2)
Fresno, CA - Central Valley Coyotes (af2)
Huntsville, AL - Tennessee Valley Vipers (af2)
Jacksonville, FL - New Franchise
Kennewick, WA - Tri-Cities Fever (af2)
Lexington, KY - Kentucky Horsemen (af2)
Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Iron (af2)
Oklahoma City, OK - Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (af2)
Orlando, FL - Orlando Predators (AFL)
Spokane, WA - Spokane Shock (af2)
Tulsa, OK - Tulsa Talons (af2)
West Valley City, UT - Utah Valley Thunder (af2)