2024 The Arena League season

Last updated
2024 The Arena League season
League The Arena League
Sport Arena football
DurationJune 1 - August 10, 2024 [1]
Number of games16
Number of teams4
TV partner(s) YouTube
Regular Season Champions Kansas City Goats
Champions Duluth Harbor Monsters
  Runners-up Iowa Woo
Season MVPBoo Smith
TAL seasons

The 2024 Arena League season was the inaugural season of The Arena League (The AL or TAL). The regular season began on June 1, 2024 and ended on July 27, 2024. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Background

The Arena League was announced as a six-on-six indoor American football league with the intentions to launch in 2024 with four teams and with Pro Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown as the Commissioner. The league kicked off the regular season on June 1, 2024.

The AL's aim is to highlight the player's athleticism and increase the pace of play.

Teams

The first city announced was Springfield [5] with Duluth being the second city. [6] Waterloo was announced as the third team on May 4, 2023. [7] Kansas City was the fourth and final team announced for the inaugural 2024 season.

On October 19, 2023 the Waterloo Woo announced their owners and changed their team name to the Iowa Woo along with a logo redesign. [8]

TeamCityStadiumCapacityJoinedHead coach
Duluth Harbor Monsters Duluth, Minnesota DECC Arena 5,3332024 Tony O'Neil
Iowa Woo Waterloo, Iowa The Hippodrome 5,1552024 Mook Zimmerman
Kansas City Goats Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Arena 9,9872024 Dorsey Golston III
Ozarks Lunkers Springfield, Missouri Wilson Logistics Arena 4,5002024 Cam Bruffett

League finances

Former IFL Commissioner, Tommy Benizio, an advisor for the league and his corporation operated and ran the teams, [9] while J.R. Bond leads a small group financing the league; Bond is a political advisor in Kansas City and has served as owner of several professional sports teams including the Sioux City Bandits, Topeka Tropics, and Topeka Golden Giants. [10] The league would later announce owners for all four locations. [11] [12] [13] [8]

Players

Teams have a 15-player roster with the game being played with six offensive players against six defensive players. The league will follow a one-platoon system with offensive and defensive players playing both sides of the ball. There are no restrictions on defense.

On December 5, 2023, the Lunkers signed Matt Rush, the first player to sign with an AL team. [14]

Season format

The inaugural season of The Arena League had a nine-week regular season schedule with each team receiving one bye week with playoffs to follow. The season ran from June to August 2024. [1] In September, the AL released the 2024 schedule. [15]

Rules

Reference [16]

Final standings

TeamWLPCTGBPFPASTK
(1) Kansas City Goats 71.875581405W3
(2) Duluth Harbor Monsters 53.6252390354W3
(3) Ozarks Lunkers 35.3754379446L3
(4) Iowa Woo 17.1256343488L3
Legend
(1) – Clinched 1 Seed
(2) – Clinched 2 Seed
(3) – Clinched 3 Seed
(4) – Clinched 4 Seed

Season schedule

The regular season schedule was released on September 6, 2023. [1]

Regular season

Week 1

DateTimeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumNotesRef
June 17:05 p.m. CT Duluth Harbor Monsters 5277 Kansas City Goats Municipal Arena
June 17:05 p.m. CT Iowa Woo 4069 Ozarks Lunkers Wilson Logistics Arena

Week 2

DateTimeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumNotesRef
June 82:05 p.m. CT Kansas City Goats 9156 Iowa Woo The Hippodrome

Week 3

DateTimeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumNotesRef
June 157:05 p.m. CT Duluth Harbor Monsters 4438 Ozarks Lunkers Wilson Logistics Arena
June 157:05 p.m. CT Iowa Woo 3858 Kansas City Goats Municipal Arena

Week 4

DateTimeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumNotesRef
June 227:05 p.m. CT Ozarks Lunkers 5246 Iowa Woo The Hippodrome 2OT
June 235:05 p.m. CT Kansas City Goats 5857 Duluth Harbor Monsters DECC Arena

Week 5

DateTimeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumNotesRef
June 297:05 p.m. CT Ozarks Lunkers 6959 Kansas City Goats Wilson Logistics Arena Game originally scheduled to be held at Municipal Arena [18]
June 297:05 p.m. CT Iowa Woo 4122 Duluth Harbor Monsters DECC Arena

Week 6

DateTimeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumNotesRef
July 67:05 p.m. CT Duluth Harbor Monsters 6760 Ozarks Lunkers Wilson Logistics Arena

Week 7

DateTimeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumNotesRef
July 137:05 p.m. CT Kansas City Goats 7845 Ozarks Lunkers Wilson Logistics Arena
July 137:05 p.m. CT Iowa Woo 4152 Duluth Harbor Monsters DECC Arena

Week 8

DateTimeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumNotesRef
July 207:05 p.m. CT Ozarks Lunkers 1851 Duluth Harbor Monsters DECC Arena
July 207:05 p.m. CT Kansas City Goats 9960 Iowa Woo The Hippodrome

Week 9

DateTimeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumNotesRef
July 277:05 p.m. CT Duluth Harbor Monsters 4521 Iowa Woo The Hippodrome
July 277:05 p.m. CT Ozarks Lunkers 2861 Kansas City Goats St. Pius X Football Stadium Inside Out Game

[19]

Postseason

 
Semi-finalsArenaMania I
 
      
 
August 3 – St. Pius X Football Stadium
 
 
1
Kansas City Goats
58
 
August 10 – DECC Arena
 
4
Iowa Woo
59
 
4
Iowa Woo
44
 
August 3 – DECC Arena
 
2
Duluth Harbor Monsters
46
 
2
Duluth Harbor Monsters
50
 
 
3
Ozarks Lunkers
18
 

Semi-finals

DateTimeAway teamResultHome teamStadiumNotesRef
August 37:05 p.m. CTIowa Woo5958Kansas City Goats St. Pius X Football Stadium
August 37:05 p.m. CTOzarks Lunkers1850Duluth Harbor Monsters DECC Arena

ArenaMania I

ArenaMania I–Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Iowa Woo 61202644
Duluth Harbor Monsters 78121946

at DECC Arena, Duluth, Minnesota

  • Date: August 10, 2024
  • Game time: 7:05 p.m. CDT
  • TV: YouTube


Media

TAL team media deals
TeamTV Station(s)Radio Station(s)Notes
Duluth Harbor Monsters Northland Fan 106.5 FM and 560AM [20]
Iowa Woo KCRG-TV [21] [a]
Kansas City Goats
Ozarks Lunkers KYTV [22]
  1. The team is partnered with KWWL as the exclusive news source.

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

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  3. Tipcke, Alicia (6 September 2023). "The Arena League reveals Duluth Harbor Monsters schedule". WDIO. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  4. "Schedule". The Arena League. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
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  6. Malcomb, Jamey (6 April 2023). "NFL Hall of Famer Tim Brown announces Duluth to receive Arena League team". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  7. Brown, Chelsie (4 May 2023). "The Arena League bringing a professional football team to Waterloo in inaugural season". KCRG. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  8. 1 2 "New owners and name announced for Waterloo's arena football league". KWWL. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  9. Wheeler, Wyatt D. (9 March 2023). "'The Arena League' football is coming to Springfield in 2024. Here's what to know". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  10. Cullinan, Mike (17 March 2023). "Arena football league selects Springfield for first team". Springfield Business Journal. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  11. "Duluth arena football team names owner". Duluth News Tribune. 28 July 2023.
  12. Young, Mason (July 18, 2023). "The Arena League brings Kansas City Goats, unique indoor football experience to town". The Kansas City Star.
  13. "Owner reveals name for Springfield's new Arena League football team". KY3. June 14, 2023.
  14. Pinson, Chris (5 December 2023). "Lunkers reel in Springfield native Rush". Ozarks First. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  15. "Our 2024 Regular Season Schedule is here!". Facebook.
  16. "Rules". The Arena League. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  17. "The Arena League Referees". youtube.com.
  18. "Schedule Change: Ozarks Lunkers playing at home Saturday against the Kansas City Goats". KY3. 25 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  19. "Schedule - The Arena League". thearenaleague.football.
  20. Cooper, Nick (24 January 2024). "Duluth Harbor Monsters arena football team partners with The FAN 106.5 as exclusive radio home". Northland FAN. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  21. "KCRG to air Arena League Football". KCRG. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  22. "KY3 broadcasting Ozarks Lunkers Arena League Football games".