Monumental Sports & Entertainment acquires a team to play in Baltimore

Monday November 14, 2016

Royal Farms Arena to host games beginning this spring

WASHINGTON, D.C. November 14, 2016  – Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) today announced the acquisition of an Arena Football League (AFL) team, which will play at Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena starting in the spring of 2017. The soon-to-be-named AFL team joins the Washington Valor as the newest teams in the AFL.

The team is currently conducting a search for a head coach, who will oversee Baltimore’s football operations and assemble a staff and roster.

“We are looking forward to bringing an AFL team to the Baltimore community,” said Monumental Sports & Entertainment founder and majority owner Ted Leonsis. “Baltimore is known for its passionate sports fans, and we look forward to their spirited support of their AFL team. The AFL is a fast, fun experience for families and fans of all ages. We are excited about growing the league and using an array of technologies to bring fans closer to the game and the players. Baltimore is a natural location, and I envision some great rivalries between Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.”

Monumental Sports & Entertainment also owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, NHL’s Washington Capitals, WNBA’s Washington Mystics and the AFL’s Washington Valor as well as acquiring an ownership stake in aXiomatic, which owns esports franchise Team Liquid.

“Baltimore is an ideal location for the Arena Football League and we look forward to rivalries with other AFL cities including Washington and Philadelphia,” said commissioner Scott C. Butera. “This expansion also demonstrates the dedication of our strong ownership group and its commitment to expanding the Arena Football League as a premier source of sports entertainment.”

The Arena Football League was founded in 1987 and concluded its 29th season in 2016 with 20 million fans across the United States.

“We are excited to bring another team to the Arena Football League,” said Roger Mody, a member of the Monumental Sports & Entertainment ownership group and managing partner for the Washington Valor and the new Baltimore team. “The thrill of arena football games coupled with the passion of Baltimore fans will make this new acquisition an exciting one.”

Fans can secure their season tickets for the Baltimore arena football team with a $50 deposit per seat by calling 667-930-0200 or by visiting Ticketmaster.

Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore’s largest indoor sports and entertainment facility, has long been considered an anchor, which contributed to the growth and prosperity of Baltimore. Royal Farms Arena is City-owned and privately managed by SMG, the world leader in management of public assembly facilities.

The Arena is host to more than 800,000 guests annually, and home to the MISL Champion Baltimore Blast Indoor Soccer team.

Monumental Sports Network will broadcast Washington Valor and the Baltimore team’s games. Original programming and existing content featured on Monumental Sports Network includes Emmy Award-winning shows Caps Red Line (CRL) and Wizards Magazine as well as Mystics Magazine. Featured shows syndicated on the network include: Caps Report, Caps Snapshots, Coach’s Corner, Courtside Report, DC Tonight, Fashion Friday, Fast Break, Inside Fantasy Football, Junior Reporters, Monumental International, Mystics Minute, Off the Bench, Rinkside Update, Two-Man Advantage and Out of Bounds. Capitals and Wizards pregame and postgame coverage is also provided on the sports network.

About AFL
The Arena Football League will enter its 30th Season in 2017. Since its inception in 1987, the Arena Football League has showcased a fast-paced and exciting game to millions of fans in a myriad of markets across the country. Teams slated for 2017 include: Baltimore, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Washington D.C. CBS Sports Network nationally broadcast AFL games each week, culminating with the ArenaBowl.

About SMG

Founded in 1977, SMG provides management services to more than 230 public assembly facilities including convention and exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, theatres, performing arts centers, equestrian facilities, science centers and a variety of other venues. With facilities across the globe, SMG manages more than 15 million square feet of exhibition space and more than 1.5 million sports and entertainment seats. As the recognized global industry leader, SMG provides venue management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services for such landmark facilities as McCormick Place & Soldier Field in Chicago, Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, Houston’s NRG Park and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions and catering company SAVOR, currently serving more than 140 accounts worldwide. For more information, visit www.smgworld.com.

About Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), located in Washington, D.C., is one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies in the country with one of the most diverse partnership groups in all of sports. MSE owns and operates five professional sports teams: the AFL’s Washington Valor, NBA’s Washington Wizards, NHL’s Washington Capitals, WNBA’s Washington Mystics and a soon to be named Baltimore AFL team to debut in 2017. The company is also co-owner of aXiomatic, which has controlling interest in global esports franchise Team Liquid, and owns and operates Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., which is annually ranked as one of the top venues in the world by industry publications Billboard, Pollstar and Venues Today. Monumental Sports & Entertainment also manages Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the state-of-the-art training facility for the Capitals and EagleBank Arena on George Mason University’s campus. The District of Columbia and Events DC are building a new sports and entertainment facility in Southeast DC on the St. Elizabeth’s East campus. The facility will feature a state-of-the art training facility for the Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics and will also include a 4,200 seat arena which will become the new home of the Washington Mystics. The facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2018. Monumental Sports & Entertainment also co-owns and operates Monumental Sports Network (MSN) with the NBC Sports Group. MSN is the mid-Atlantic region’s top destination for exclusive fan experiences and original sports content across desktop, tablet, mobile and OTT streaming devices. Visit www.monumentalsports.com.