The Arena Football League (AFL) can refer to one of three successive professional indoor American football leagues in the United States. The first of these was founded in 1986, and played its first official games in the 1987 season, running for 22 consecutive seasons until going bankrupt following the 2008 season. The second league, consisting largely of teams from the first AFL and arenafootball2, purchased the first league's assets out of bankruptcy and resumed play in 2010 as a continuation of the first AFL; this second AFL ran for ten further seasons, before again going bankrupt following the 2019 season. A third AFL, which is not directly connected to the previous two iterations of the league but claiming their histories and trademarks, intends to launch in 2024.
The Massachusetts Marauders were a professional arena football team that was based in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1994. The team was established in Detroit in 1988, as the Detroit Drive and was a member of the AFL in 1988 and in all subsequent years through 1993. The club then moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1994 and played in that city through the end of the 1994 season.
The Dallas Texans were an Arena football team based in Dallas, Texas. The Texans were founded in 1990 and were a member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team played for four seasons, and were relatively successful, making the playoffs three out of four seasons. They played their home games in the Reunion Arena, which they shared with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association.
The 2005 Arena Football League season was the 19th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Colorado Crush, who defeated the Georgia Force in ArenaBowl XIX. The AFL changed its playoff format to allow the top four teams per conference to make the playoffs. Previously, the top eight teams in the league make the playoffs, regardless of their conference. Also, there was no inter-conference play in the playoffs until the Arena Bowl starting in 2005. The division champions also received an automatic playoff berth. This was probably brought on by the fact that the year before the Eastern Division champion New York Dragons missed the playoffs.
The 2004 Arena Football League season was the 18th season of the Arena Football League. It was succeeded by 2005. The league champions were the San Jose SaberCats, who defeated the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XVIII. The AFL reduced its playoff teams from the top 12 teams in the league making the playoffs to the top eight teams in the league making the playoffs.
The 2003 Arena Football League season was the 17th season of the Arena Football League. It was succeeded by 2004. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XVII. The AFL expanded its season from 14 games to 16 games.
The 2002 Arena Football League season was the 16th season of the Arena Football League. It was succeeded by 2003. The league champions were the San Jose SaberCats, who defeated the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XVI. In the process the SaberCats came closer to a perfect season than any other team in the history of the league, winning sixteen of seventeen games.
The 1999 Arena Football League season was the 13th season of the Arena Football League. It was succeeded by 2000. The league champions were the Albany Firebirds, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl XIII.
The 1998 Arena Football League season was the 12th season of the Arena Football League. It was succeeded by 1999. The league champions were the Orlando Predators, who defeated the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl XII.
The 1997 Arena Football League season was the 11th season of the Arena Football League. It was succeeded by 1998. The league champions were the Arizona Rattlers, who defeated the Iowa Barnstormers in ArenaBowl XI.
The 1996 Arena Football League season was the tenth season of the Arena Football League. It was succeeded by 1997. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Iowa Barnstormers in ArenaBowl X. The AFL finally stabilized its scheduled number of games. It expanded to a 14-game season, which would remain until 2003. Previously, the scheduled number of games had not stayed the same for more than three years.
The 1995 Arena Football League season was the ninth season of the Arena Football League (AFL). It was succeeded by 1996. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl IX. The AFL realigned its divisions for the third straight year to two divisions per conference, a format that was then used until 2016.
The 1993 Arena Football League season was the seventh season of the Arena Football League (AFL). The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Detroit Drive in ArenaBowl VII. The AFL also re-aligned to two conferences.
The 1992 Arena Football League season was the sixth season of the Arena Football League (AFL). The league champions were the Detroit Drive, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl VI.
The 1991 Arena Football League season was the fifth season of the Arena Football League (AFL). The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Detroit Drive in ArenaBowl V.
The 1989 Arena Football League season was the third season of the Arena Football League (AFL). The league champions were the Detroit Drive, who defeated the Pittsburgh Gladiators in ArenaBowl III.
The Denver Dynamite were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. The team began play in 1987 as a charter member of the Arena Football League. The team was brought in by businessman Sidney Shlenker and the team achieved success instantly, winning the first ever ArenaBowl under future AFL Hall of Fame coach Tim Marcum. After sitting out the 1988 season, the Dynamite were purchased by investment banker Gary Graham for $125,000. Graham then hired former NFL and AFL coach Babe Parilli to lead the team. Under Parilli, the Dynamite would return to the playoffs every season, but failed to return to the ArenaBowl. After the 1991 season, the franchise was sued by their public relations firm and filed for bankruptcy. They played their home games at McNichols Sports Arena. The team's logo was a bundle of dynamite sticks with a burning fuse.
Tim Marcum was an American football coach, best known for his long and successful career in the Arena Football League. He was the head coach of the AFL's Denver Dynamite in 1987, the Detroit Drive from 1988–1992 and the Tampa Bay Storm from 1995–2010. Marcum also served as an assistant coach in the NJCAA, NCAA, United States Football League, World Football League, NFL and the Arena Football League. Marcum head coached in eleven ArenaBowl championship games, winning seven. Marcum was one of two men to win seven ArenaBowls ; and the only man to win seven ArenaBowls as a head coach. He was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 1998. Marcum was one of the most successful coaches in the history of the sport of indoor football, and is considered the greatest coach in the Arena Football League's 32-year history.
The Arena Football Association (AFA) was a professional indoor football league based in Texas, Kansas and Mississippi, United States. The league began operation in June 2021 with five teams, known that season as the Lone Star Series. The league was founded by three African-American entrepreneurs and is "built upon the pillars of diversity, equity, and inclusion," placing its teams in underserved markets with populations from 200,000 to two million people.
The 2023 National Arena League season was the sixth season of the National Arena League (NAL). The league started the season with seven teams following the additions of the expansion team, the Fayetteville Mustangs, and the West Texas Warbirds joining from the Arena Football Association, while the Columbus Lions left the league following the previous season.
AFL teams