Springfield is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 487,061 in 2022 and includes the counties of Christian, Dallas, Greene, Polk, and Webster, The city sits on the Springfield Plateau of the Ozarks, which ranges from nearly-level to rolling hills. Springfield is the second-largest urban area in the Ozarks.
The Columbus Destroyers were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Columbus, Ohio, with home games in Nationwide Arena. The team was founded in 1999 as the Buffalo Destroyers, based in Buffalo, New York, and relocated to Columbus in 2004. They folded along with the original incarnation of the AFL following the 2008 season, after a total of ten seasons of play.
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football designed to be played indoors. The game is played on a smaller field than American or Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as a standard North American ice hockey rink, and features between six and eight players for each team playing at any given time depending on the league, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game that can be played on the floors of indoor arenas. The sport was invented in 1981, and patented in 1987, by Jim Foster, a former executive of the National Football League and the United States Football League. The name is trademarked by Gridiron Enterprises and had a proprietary format until its patent expired in 2007.
BPS Direct, LLC, doing business as Bass Pro Shops, is an American privately held sporting goods retailer that offers hunting, fishing, camping, and other related outdoor recreation equipment, marine manufacturing and sales, and outdoor resorts. The company is recognized by its retail stores, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's, that feature natural outdoor designs and decorations. Bass Pro Shops supports conservation efforts, organizations that support the United States' Armed Services and Veterans, and outdoor education and recreation for youth. The company partners with conservation groups, including Ducks Unlimited, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The company's headquarters, original store, and the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium are located in Springfield, Missouri.
Great Southern Bank Arena is an indoor arena in Springfield, Missouri. The arena opened in 2008. It is located on the campus of Missouri State University and is the home of the Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears basketball teams.
The Buffalo Sharks were a basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The team competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) as the Buffalo Rapids in 2005–06 and as the Buffalo Silverbacks in 2006–07 before suspending operations.
The BC Angels were a women's football team in the Lingerie Football League (LFL) and played in the 2012 LFL Canada season. Based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, the Angels played their home games at the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre. The Angels won the Lingerie Bowl Canada I, the league championship in the only season it was contested.
Jamael Benjamin Cox is an American soccer player who plays for the Tacoma Stars in the Major Arena Soccer League.
The Maine Mariners are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2018–19 season. Based in Portland, Maine, the team plays their home games at Cross Insurance Arena. The team participate in the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The team replaced the American Hockey League's Portland Pirates after the franchise became the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2016.
The National Gridiron League (NGL) was a proposed gridiron football league. In 2022, after three years of postponed seasons, the organization rebranded as the United Football League (UFL)., prior to the current UFL. In 2024, the NGL resurfaced to claim to be launching in 2025.
The American West Football Conference (AWFC) was a professional indoor American football minor league created in 2018 by Platinum Events & Security, LLC, the owners of the Idaho Horsemen. The league's inaugural season was in 2019.
Joshua Cordell Jacobs is an American professional football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. Jacobs rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, while being named to NFL All-Rookie Team in 2019 and to his first Pro Bowl in 2020. In 2022, he led the league in rushing yards with 1,653 and became the first Raider since 1985 to surpass 2,000 scrimmage yards. After five years with the Raiders, Jacobs signed with the Packers in 2024.
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football minor league that played two seasons from 2022 to 2023. It is now one of the two-component conferences of the United Football League (UFL), along with the XFL.
The Arena League is a indoor American football league in the United States. The league launched in 2024 with four teams playing six-on-six football, but expanded to six-teams and started playing regular 7-on-7 indoor football in it's second season.
The Duluth Harbor Monsters are an Arena football team based in Duluth, Minnesota. They were announced as one of the four inaugural teams of The Arena League on April 5, 2023. This is the second professional arena/indoor football team to the Duluth area, the first being the Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks of the IFL. The team plays their games at the DECC Arena.
Wilson Logistics Arena is a multipurpose arena in Springfield, Missouri located on the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. The stadium opened on January 11, 2024. The stadium replaced the Corwin Auto Arena.
The Kansas City Goats are a professional indoor football team based in St. Joseph, Missouri in the United States. They are currently members of The Arena League (TAL). They played their home games at Municipal Auditorium for most of the 2024 TAL season, but have announced their intentions to move to nearby St. Joseph, Missouri.
The 2024 Arena League season was the inaugural season of The Arena League (TAL). The regular season began on June 1, 2024 and ended on July 27, 2024.
Cameron W. Bruffett, is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach for Parkview High School and the inaugural head coach of the Ozarks Lunkers of The Arena League (TAL), which began in 2024. Bruffett is also a former defensive back in the Arena Football League (AFL).
The Iowa Woo are a professional indoor football team based in Waterloo, Iowa. They are currently members of The Arena League (TAL). They play their home games at The Hippodrome at the National Cattle Congress.
Current season 