After four years of rumors, false starts, and promises, the Arena Football League 3.0 will finally begin its inaugural season on Saturday April 27th. What can we expect this weekend as off the wall action returns for the first time since Arena Bowl XXXII saw the Albany Empire defeat the Philadelphia Soul? For starters, it’s more of the very same game fans have come to know and love. Better yet? The Ironman rules are making a return as well. For those that are new to the sport, “ironman” rules have players play both offense and defense (except the QB and kicker). It might be poetic justice that the leagues first game since 2019 will take place in the exact same venue that saw the leagues last game played before the second iteration of the league was shuttered. 

Saturday, April 27th, not only marks the return of arena football to the city of Albany, NY, but the return of a beloved brand and franchise to the region as well. The Albany Firebirds will make its grand return to the sport when they take on the Orlando Predators at MVP Arena at 8PM EST. The Predators, like Albany, have deep roots in the sport of arena football and AFL lore, for that matter. Both franchises have some of the most storied history that the sport has to offer. It might only be appropriate that the leagues first game back is also a rematch of a game the two teams played 25 years ago in the very same building that it took place. Both teams faced off at what was then known as Pepsi Arena. On August 21st, 1999, in Arena Bowl XIII, 13,562 graceful spectators saw the hometown Firebirds defeat the defending champion Predators by a score of 59-48. Both fan bases and communities will square off Saturday night in hopes of reigniting the flames that brought them together. 

While the Arena Football League is no stranger to small and medium-sized markets, the AFL is certainly taking a big swing with a few markets that are certainly among the smallest they’ve ever gone to. Saturdays match-up between the Rapid City Marshals and Iowa Rampage will feature two cities whose populations COMBINED total around 142,000. The Rampage (who make their home in Council Bluffs, Iowa) are a curious addition whose location is a short distance from Omaha. Rapid City meanwhile, was a team that came over from the now defunct Champions Indoor Football. While smaller markets are certainly the backbone of the games sport (and by extension, American culture), there is no denying this is certainly a big risk the league is willing to take in an effort to grow the game as well. 

The state of Oregon will get a third try to make arena football work, albeit in a different city. One can only hope the success of the Wolfpack will lead to future games downtown at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle one day. The games venue was also an eyebrow raiser as well. While the game will be played inside the civic center on the state fairgrounds site, the venue itself is mostly suited for rodeo events. Low hanging walls are likely to result in a lot of kickoffs hitting the ceiling. While many fans in the Pacific Northwest will clamor for a return of the Shock or Forest Dragons, the Black Bears face off against the Wolfpack Saturday night.

While the Pacific Northwest might have a few fractures in the arena football fan base, that doesn’t seem to be the case with Nashville. Another beloved franchise that’s set to kick off after being inactive since 2007 will open their 2024 season against the Minnesota Myth. The Kats, who played a grand total of eight seasons (there were two incarnations of the team), will have a new home venue this time around in the Municipal Auditorium. Minnesota had a short-lived arena football team back in the day, lasting only one season in 1996. They even had one of the coolest names in league history. While the Fighting Pike are no more, the new team, the Minnesota Myth, will be returning to the place the Fighting Pike called home back in 1996 at the Target Center. Fans will have to wait until next week to catch their first home game in the North Star State. The Arena Football League announced they would also be hosting Arena Bowl XXXIII in Minneapolis this summer. As of this posting, the date and time has still not been set. The Myth travel to Nashville to take on the Kats Saturday night.

Two beloved franchises will make their return when the Louisiana VooDoo host the Philadelphia Soul on Saturday. It should be noted that the VooDoo are not playing in New Orleans like the original franchise did back in the 2000’s. Instead, the team will be making its home arena at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette. As to why the league did not choose the original city of New Orleans is a curious one indeed. Even more concerning was the team being evicted from their original venue in Lake Charles that was initially announced. It was alleged that the AFL did not pay their rent or provide a certificate of insurance as stated in their contract, according to ASM, the company that manages the arena. While New Orleans never had a winning record after their first two seasons, the hype got this team and the love displayed by the fan base is just as passionate as the day they left. Hopefully the arena issues aren’t a sign of things to come for the VooDoo this time around.

The Philadelphia Soul are one those franchises that need no introduction whatsoever. Their on field success speaks for itself. Their branding. Their legacy. You name it. Which is why the team playing out of a nearby arena in Trenton, New Jersey (CURE Insurance Arena) is a very curious decision made by the league altogether. This in spite of the team having just as passionate a fan base as the Flyers and Eagles. The three time champions deserve a better welcoming than what’s being given to them. The Soul Head Coach recently resigned, further adding the issues the Soul face coming into week one. The Soul travel to Lafayette to take on the VooDoo Saturday night. 

In another interesting match-up, the Wichita Regulators will host another former CIF team that joined the AFL in the Billings Outlaws. While the original Outlaws were a force to be reckoned with, they played indoor football rather than the arena game they will be playing this year. Wichita will make its home venue at Hartman Arena, north of the city in Park City, Kansas and also home of the Major Arena Soccer League 2’s Wichita Wings, an arena soccer team. Both cities and their fan bases have an interesting mesh of history on either side. The Regulator, who initially were slated to play in the CIF prior to 2024, will kick off their first home game on Saturday. 

The Arena Football League will make its return to the Atlanta market with the revival of another team in the south that went through two different iterations, the Georgia Force. The Force, like Nashville, are having arena issues that have set off major red flags even amongst the blue and blacks most faithful fans. Tim Capper of Arena Fan reported that “2-3” home games were slated for 2024 season. He also said there has been no confirmed arena plans for home games to be played in. Earlier schedules had reports of the team playing all its games on the road for the 2024 season. Hopefully the Force work things out as the Atlanta market deserves a chance for a successful franchise. Even without a place to call home and set dates for the Force Faithful, the hype is high for Georgia Force Football as they travel to West Texas to play Sunday in Odessa, Texas.

Finally, the last match-up of week one will feature two more teams that came over from the CIF after their 2023 campaign. The SW Kansas Storm will travel to Salina to take on the Liberty in Kansas. While the Liberty saw tremendous success in the CIF before departing for the AFL (they won the Champions Bowl in 2022, making the title game in three straight years from 2021-23), the Storm have yet to even register a winning season or win a playoff game.

With the 2024 AFL season at to kick off this weekend, mixed in with the concerns are the hopes, dreams, and memories of all those that look forward to seeing 50 yard off the wall action return for the first time in five years. Hopefully, for good this time. From all of us at Arena Football Talk, we wish nothing but the best of luck to all 16 teams in the 2024 AFL season.