Kentucky Barrels

Kentucky Barrels
Established 2025 Play in Truist Arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky KYBarrelsFootball.com
League/conference affiliations
Arena Football One (2026-future)
Current uniform
Team colors	Blue, Brown, Tan
Personnel
Owner(s)	Corey Cunningham
General manager	Cedric Walker
Head coach	Cedric Walker
Team history
Kentucky Barrels (2025–present)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Home arena(s)
Truist Arena (2026–future)

The Kentucky Barrels are a professional Arena football team based in Highland Heights, Kentucky, and represent the Cincinnati metropolitan area. They are members of Arena Football One and are slated to play their home games at the Truist Arena, located on the campus of Northern Kentucky University. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

History

Arena Football One (2026)

In the summer of 2025 during the playoffs, Arena Football One announced that two new expansion franchises were coming to Ohio and Michigan and were unnamed at the time. On August 18, 2025, just days after the announcement of the addition of the Beaumont Renegades to the league, they officially welcomed the Kentucky Barrels as the newest expansion team. The owner is NKU alumnus Corey Cunningham. They also announced that the team's inaugural head coach and general manager would be former Billings Outlaws head coach and ArenaBowl champion Cedric Walker. ^[8] The Barrels are the latest team to play in the Greater Cincinnati area. The area has a brief history with arena football with former Arena Football League and af2 teams such as the Cincinnati Rockers (1992–1993), Cincinnati Swarm (2003) and Cincinnati Jungle Kats (2007). They are the latest team to play in Highland Heights, Kentucky, since the Northern Kentucky Nightmare (American Indoor Football in 2016). Cincinnati had previously been identified as a host city in AF1's predecessor, the 2024 Arena Football League, but all of Cincinnati's arenas had rejected that league's advances and the team never played. ^{[9] [10]}

References

1. "Arena Football Returns to Greater Cincy With Kentucky Barrels Joining Arena Football One". AF1 Staff. AF1 website. August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
2. "New arena football team, Kentucky Barrels, to start play at Truist Arena in 2026". Fletcher Keel. WLWT. August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
3. "New professional sports team to debut in the Tri-State in 2026". FOX19 Digital Staff. WXIX. August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
4. "Kentucky Barrels announced as one of two new teams joining Arena Football One". WKRC Staff. WKRC. August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
5. "Arena football coming to NKY". Evan Dennison. Link NKY. August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
6. "New Arena Football team to join NKU Norse basketball as tenants inside Truist Arena". Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer. MSN. August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
7. "New pro sports team, the Kentucky Barrels, will bring pro arena football back to Cincinnati area". Felicia Jordan. WCPO. August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
8. "New arena football team, Kentucky Barrels, to start play at Truist Arena in 2026". Fletcher Keel. WLWT. August 18, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
9. Springer, Scott (July 19, 2023). "Cincinnati arena football team won't be at Heritage Bank Center". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Retrieved July 19, 2023.
10. Watkins, Steve (July 19, 2023). "Heritage Bank Center GM Ropp says Cincinnati's Arena Football League team won't play there". Cincinnati Business Courier . Retrieved July 20, 2023.

External links

• Official website (under construction)