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Arena Football

Arena Football Will Return

Arena Football League

Arena Football was never dead.  Even though the AFL scratched its 2009 season, the AFL2, a “minor league” version of the AFL (which was considered a minor league of the NFL) played out its season.  Many wondered whether the AFL2 would just replace the AFL with the AFL’s former talent.  There is no longer a need to ponder that potential circumstance.

The new AFL will return in 2010, and it will include four teams from the former regime.  It will also bring in many teams from the AFL2.  The new league will start with a total of sixteen teams.  That’s a lot of roster space to fill.  I have heard from many agents that they have no clue what the new start-up UFL has been doing in terms of talent acquisition.  Many believe that UFL executives are passing up on clear-cut talent; players who are well beyond the level of many current UFL roster inhabitants.  With the return of the AFL, those agents will once again have an outlet for their fringe NFL clients.

Games in the new AFL will begin in late March of 2010, which means that there is not much time to waste before you should start hawking league execs about your players.

I am not sure what the league is thinking by placing a team in Jacksonville, FL, a city that can’t even come close to selling out its NFL games.  Also, a Jacksonville and an Orlando team?  The markets are really close to each other.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

5 replies on “Arena Football Will Return”

This makes me wonder if there is really a market for these types of leagues. I know there is money to made and they are quite entertaining but the UFL and AFL, in my eyes, will always be second to the NFL. Should the leagues actually spend money to start them? Just a thought.

Im not going to lie..i have been to several Iowa Barnstormers AFL games and they were always packed and the it was super entertaining. Sure the talent is not the same of the NFL but the game is very diff. than an NFL game. I think these ventures can work but like Darren mentioned…the teams need to be in marketable places. The Iowa Barnstromers were a hit here bc there is no pro-caliber teams in the state and people are hungry for football. I really hope it works out.

Arena should make a comeback…but they need to do a few things. 1) change the rules back to the ironman format. Its not the resposibility of the league to be an outlet for ex NFL players. 2) realize that they aren’t the NFL and embrace the differences of the the arena game. 3) break down the silly politics that keep quality arena 2 players from getting a chance and handing arena jobs/contract to players who had a cup of coffee in te NFL…

I agree with points 1 and 3; however, point 2 is an area that I disagree. While there should be small differences between Arena and NFL, it really should still serve as a “minor league” for the NFL. With the collapse of NFL Europe and many other start-up leagues failing before they ever had a single snap taken, Arena is one of the few areas where borderline NFL players can continue to develop their skills to possibly one day have an NFL career. Kurt Warner…

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