| Arena Football League | ||||||||
| season 24th | ||||||||
| previous season = 2010 next season = 2012 | ||||||||
The 2011 Arena Football League season will be the twenty-fourth season in the history of the league. The regular season will begin on March 11, 2011 and end on July 23, 2011,[1] with ArenaBowl XXIV being played in August 2011 to conclude the playoffs.
League business[]
Teams[]
Three franchises that competed in the 2008 season, the Philadelphia Soul, San Jose SaberCats, and Kansas City Command (formerly the Kansas City Brigade), will return to competition in the 2011 season, an announcement made on June 19, 2010.[2]
Two teams that competed in 2010 have relocated and have assumed the history of former AFL franchises. It was announced on August 21, 2010 that the Alabama Vipers would become the Georgia Force,[3] and on September 14, 2010 it was revealed that the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings would become the New Orleans VooDoo.[4]
The Milwaukee Iron officially changed its name to the Milwaukee Mustangs on January 27, 2011, taking the name of the original franchise.[5]
The city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was awarded an expansion team on August 20, 2010. The team, named the Pittsburgh Power, is the first AFL team to call Pittsburgh home since the Pittsburgh Gladiators, one of the league's four original franchises. The Gladiators moved to Tampa, Florida and became the Tampa Bay Storm after the 1990 season.[6]
The only team not returning from the 2010 season is the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz. Owner Phil Miller made the announcement on October 21, 2010, citing an inability to find minority investors as one reason for the decision to not compete.[7]
Realignment[]
With several teams relocating, returning, or leaving, the AFL announced the divisional alignment for 2011 on October 21, 2010. Both conferences will each have nine teams placed in two divisions.[8]
| Conference | Division | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| American | East | Cleveland Gladiators, Milwaukee Mustangs, Philadelphia Soul, Pittsburgh Power |
| South | Georgia Force, Jacksonville Sharks, New Orleans VooDoo, Orlando Predators, Tampa Bay Storm | |
| National | Central | Chicago Rush, Dallas Vigilantes, Iowa Barnstormers, Kansas City Command, Tulsa Talons |
| West | Arizona Rattlers, San Jose SaberCats, Spokane Shock, Utah Blaze |
Regular season schedule[]
Each team will play an 18-game regular season with two bye weeks over the course of 20 weeks. Each team will play every team in its division twice, and every team in its conference once.[8] It is the longest schedule in the history of the league. The first game of the season will be played on March 11, 2011. The Pittsburgh Power will begin their inaugural season against the Philadelphia Soul, who are playing their first game since winning ArenaBowl XXII in 2008.[9]
Regular season standings[]
| American Conference | ||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | DIV | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Gladiators | ||||||||
| Milwaukee Mustangs | ||||||||
| Philadelphia Soul | ||||||||
| Pittsburgh Power | ||||||||
| South Division | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | DIV | Home | Away |
| Georgia Force | ||||||||
| Jacksonville Sharks | ||||||||
| New Orleans VooDoo | ||||||||
| Orlando Predators | ||||||||
| Tampa Bay Storm | ||||||||
| National Conference | ||||||||
| Central Division | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | DIV | Home | Away |
| Chicago Rush | ||||||||
| Dallas Vigilantes | ||||||||
| Iowa Barnstormers | ||||||||
| Kansas City Command | ||||||||
| Tulsa Talons | ||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | PF | PA | DIV | Home | Away |
| Arizona Rattlers | ||||||||
| San Jose SaberCats | ||||||||
| Spokane Shock | ||||||||
| Utah Blaze | ||||||||
References[]
- ↑ Marissa Merritt (October 27, 2010). "Historic AFL 18-Game Schedule Kicks Off on March 11, 2011". Arena Football League. http://arenafootball.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/News%20PDFs/Schedule%20Web.pdf. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ↑ "AFL Announceds Three Teams To Be Added For 2011 Season". Arena Football League. June 19, 2010. http://www.arenafootball.com/news/index.html?article_id=194. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ↑ Bill Bryant (August 21, 2010). "It's official: Vipers have left the building". The Huntsville Times. http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/08/post_48.html. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ↑ Tim Fletcher (September 14, 2010). "Battle Wings Moving To New Orleans". KTBS. http://www.ktbs.com/news/25002351/detail.html. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Breaking News: Milwaukee Iron Become Mustangs". Arena Football League. January 27, 2011. http://www.arenafootball.com/news/breaking-news-milwaukee-iron-become-mustangs. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ↑ "Arena Football Comes to Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Power. August 20, 2010. http://pittsburghpowerfootball.com/news-view.jsp?restrictids=nu_repeatitemid&restrictvalues=2161392240601285587949381. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz Leaving AFL". OKBlitz.com. October 21, 2010. http://oksportsblitz.com/Article.aspx?id=28556. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "New Franchises Spark Division Alignment for 2011 Season". Arena Football League. October 21, 2010. http://www.arenafootball.com/news/index.html?article_id=369. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Historic AFL 18-Game Schedule Kicks Off on March 11, 2011". Arena Football League. October 27, 2010. http://www.arenafootball.com/news/index.html?article_id=377. Retrieved December 11, 2010.