Related Research Articles
Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, the Charlotte Convention Center, and Ovens Auditorium. It was best known as the home of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets from 1988 to 2002, and the Charlotte Bobcats from 2004 to 2005.
The Charlotte Rage were a professional arena football team based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. They were members of the Arena Football League from 1992 to 1996. They played their home games at the Charlotte Coliseum from 1992 to 1994 and then again in 1996 and the Independence Arena in 1995. They were owned by Allen J. Schwalb, Joanne Faruggia and former National Football League and United States Football League quarterback Cliff Stoudt.
Bojangles Coliseum is an 8,600-seat multi-purpose arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which also oversees nearby Ovens Auditorium and the uptown Charlotte Convention Center. The naming-rights sponsor is the Bojangles restaurant chain. The building's signature domed roof is made of tin instead of steel or iron. The dome spans 332 feet in diameter and rises to 112 feet tall.
The Utah Blaze was a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competed in the West Division of the Arena Football League. Home games were played at the EnergySolutions Arena. In 2013, the team did not submit proper documentation to remain in the AFL and the entire roster was reassigned to other teams in the league.
The Carolina Speed were a professional indoor football team that operated from 2007 to 2011 in Concord and Charlotte, North Carolina, at Bojangles' Coliseum in 2009 and 2011. From 2007 to 2009, the Speed were members of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). For the 2011 season, the Speed joined the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) and the team ceased operations after the season. The owner was Eddie Littlefield.
The Indianapolis Enforcers were a professional indoor football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League. The Enforcers joined the CIFL in 2011 as an expansion team. The Enforcers were the second indoor football team to be based in Indianapolis, the first being the Indiana Firebirds of the Arena Football League from 2001 to 2004. The founder and owner of the Enforcers was K.C. Carter. The Enforcers played their home games at The SportZone in Indianapolis after playing the 2011 season as a travel team.
The Florida Tarpons were a professional indoor football team based in Lakeland, Florida, out of the RP Funding Center. Originally established in Estero, Florida, and playing out of Germain Arena, they began play in 2012 as an expansion team of the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL). The Tarpons joined the X-League Indoor Football (X-League) during the 2015 season when the UIFL merged with the X-League. They played in the Arena Pro Football (APF) league in 2017 before the league became the American Arena League (AAL) for 2018. For 2019, there was an ownership transition that formed their own Florida-based league, called the A-League, and the team rebranded as the Lakeland Tarpons. The team was removed from the A-League schedule at the start of the 2019 season.
The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affiliate of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Checkers play their home games at Bojangles' Coliseum. The current organization is the third team by this name; it succeeded a Checkers franchise that played in the ECHL from 1993 until the end of the 2009–10 ECHL season. The original Checkers team played in the city from 1956 to 1977, originally in the Eastern Hockey League and then in the Southern Hockey League. The franchise is one of six teams to replace and share a name with a predecessor franchise from a lower-tier league; the others are the Bakersfield Condors, Colorado Eagles, Ontario Reign, Rockford IceHogs, and San Diego Gulls.
The Cape Fear Heroes were a professional indoor football team based in Fayetteville, North Carolina. They last played in the American Arena League in 2019. The Heroes were owned by Barbara Spigner.
The Louisville Xtreme are an indoor football team based in Louisville, Kentucky, with home games at the KFC Yum! Center. They began play as the Kentucky Xtreme in the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) in 2013 and 2014. Midway through the 2014 CIFL season, the league removed the team's membership and the Xtreme temporarily suspended operations. After playing the 2015 season in the semi-professional Minor League Football Alliance (MLFA), the team rebranded as the Louisville Xtreme in 2017. In 2020, the Xtreme were added to the American Arena League (AAL) but cancelled its season citing the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2021 season, the Xtreme were announced to be joining the National Arena League, but instead joined the Indoor Football League three months later.
The Triangle Torch was a professional indoor football team playing in North Carolina. The team first played as the Triangle Torch in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was named after the larger Research Triangle region. The Torch started in 2016 as an expansion franchise of American Indoor Football (AIF). The AIF ceased operations and the Torch joined Supreme Indoor Football for the 2017 season. For the 2018 season, the team relocated to Kenansville, North Carolina, as the East Carolina Torch, and joined the American Arena League for its inaugural season.
The West Michigan Ironmen are a professional indoor football team based in Muskegon, Michigan, the Ironmen play their home games at Trinity Health Arena. The team joined American Indoor Football (AIF) in 2016. The AIF ceased operations following the 2016 season, leaving the Ironmen without a league. They joined Champions Indoor Football for the 2017 season. For the 2018 season, the team was originally announced to have joined the Indoor Football League, however, the team was forced to sit out the 2018 Indoor Football League season. The team was then sold and played in the regional Midwest Professional Indoor Football for the 2018 season until they could rejoin the CIF in 2019. However, they were not among the list of members for the 2019 CIF season and instead joined the American Arena League.
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017 and has been primarily based on the East Coast of the United States. It currently consists of five teams, after starting the 2023 season with seven total teams.
The Vermont Bucks were an indoor football team based in Vermont. They started as a charter member of the professional Can-Am Indoor Football League (Can-Am), playing home games at Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington in the 2017 season. The Can-Am then announced it was merging into the American Arena League with the Bucks one of the inaugural members for the 2018 season. By January 31, 2018, the original Vermont Bucks folded after an ownership change. Another ownership group then acquired the brand and launched a semi-professional team in 2019, but did not have a home arena. They joined the Southern Steam's Elite Indoor Football for the 2020 season with home games at Collins-Perley Sports Complex in St. Albans, Vermont, but did not play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Jersey Flight were a professional indoor football team based in Trenton, New Jersey. The team played its first two seasons in the American Arena League (AAL) and then as a member of the National Arena League (NAL) from 2020 to 2021. They were owned by New Flight Enterprises, LLC, and played at the CURE Insurance Arena as their home arena.
The American Arena League (AAL) is a dormant professional indoor football minor league that began playing in 2018. The league was initiated by a merger between Arena Pro Football (APF) and the Can-Am Indoor Football League (Can-Am), although the AAL only claimed the APF history after the former Can-Am founder left the league. Teams from both leagues, new teams, and later teams from Supreme Indoor Football and National Arena League constituted the new league for its inaugural season.
The West Virginia Roughriders were a professional indoor football team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They were founded in 2016 as the Richmond Roughriders and played at the Richmond Coliseum in 2017 and 2018.
The Georgia Doom were a professional indoor football team based out of Macon, Georgia. They play their home games at Macon Coliseum. They started as a midseason road team filling in for the folded Dayton Wolfpack in the National Arena League in 2017 before becoming a charter member of the American Arena League in 2018. The team suspended operations during the 2019 season.
The Carolina Havoc were a professional indoor football team based out of Florence, South Carolina, as members of the American Arena League. In the 2018 season, the team was known as the Atlanta Havoc.
The Peach State Cats are a professional indoor football team based in Suwanee, Georgia. They originally announced to play home games at Dalton Convention Center in Dalton, Georgia, for the 2018 season but were eventually made a travel-only team. They moved to Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, the following season.
References
- ↑ "Charlotte Thunder Front Office". Charlotte Thunder. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ↑ David Boraks (February 15, 2018). "Charlotte Gets A New Arena Football Team - The Carolina Energy". WFAE.com.
- ↑ "Former Georgia football star Thomas Davis buys arena football team". UGA Wire. March 6, 2020.
- ↑ "Charlotte Thunder Roll Into Inaugural Season". Spectrum Local News. March 12, 2021.
- ↑ "Join us tomorrow night live on the Baller's report 8pm EST/7pm Central and hear all about the new APFL owned by NFL great Thomas Davis Snr and Charlotte businessman Joe Maus". Arena Professional Football League Facebook. December 6, 2021.
- ↑ "We look forward to see you this season as we bring arena football back to the Carolina's!". Charlotte Thunder Facebook. May 4, 2022.
- ↑ "We would like to thank all our fans , players , coaches , volunteers, cheerleaders and sponsors for an incredible experience the last several years. We all fought through COVID and still was able to bring exciting Arena Football to the Queen City at Bojangles Arena! Unfortunately we have decided that we will not be playing the 2023 season. Thank you all for the love and incredible memories! We will never forget YOU!!!". Charlotte Thunder Facebook. October 21, 2022.
- ↑ "2018 American Arena League Final Regular Season Standings and Playoff Pairings". AAL. June 12, 2018. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Carolina Energy Exits Arena Playoffs, Looks To 2019". WFAE . June 21, 2018.
- ↑ "AAL Playoff Picture Set". OurSports Central. June 6, 2019.
- ↑ "Your AAL 2021 Eastern Champions The Charlotte Thunder!!! Here's to an undefeated 2021 Season!". Charlotte Thunder Facebook. June 7, 2021.
- ↑ "Its Official!!! The championship game will take place June 26th at 6:30PM. The Charlotte Thunder go against The North Texas Bulls ALL TICKETS ONLY $25!!!". Charlotte Thunder. June 7, 2021.
