Quote:
Originally Posted by ifspuds
It sounds as though af2 will stick around, though with some franchises folding/moving/etc. We have a very successful af2 franchise here in Spokane, and there was a recent article in the newspaper about the future of the league. It doesn't sound as though af2 is in any league-wide financial trouble, though I'm far from an expert on the matter.
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You guys played our lowly Stockton franchise. They have struggled, but hopefully they will manage to stick around. The af2 seems to be doing OK and IMHO is doing what a league like this should be doing -- sticking to smaller markets. Nowadays places like Spokane and Stockton are building nice minor league facilities -- 10,000 seats or so. Our arena hosts an ECHL team (which is the biggest gate in the league), the af2 team, and an indoor soccer team. They are trying to lure a basketball team (CBA at one point, until it collapsed and still holding hope for NBA Dev.
IIRC, the other mainline arena football league also primarily serves these secondary, smaller markets. To me, for minor league sports, it is the way to go.
Obviously, the contention is that the large markets see their arenas go unused in the summer (though AFL starts fairly early, while NBA and NHL are still playing). Perhaps that is something to look at. IIRC, af2 starts a bit later and wraps up about August (in time for hoops and hockey).