New cities for teams?

[forcefootballforever]

The AFL now is still growing and needs to continue to. What cities do you guys think would be best for them to establish teams in again for the league to keep growing? Boston? L.A.? Interested to know what you guys think...
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Force Football 2002-2012

Theres still a few of us Force faithful around...

[VooDooNut]

New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, Indianapolis

[Bear124]

Toronto

[Lou.Fire]

***** LOUISVILLE FIRE *****

[forcefootballforever]

I really agree with N.Y., L.A., Denver and Indy. All are hot football markets and all have shown they can get on board with the AFL really well. Toronto is very interesting too! A great sports market that would widen the AFL's reach.

I like the Louisville idea alot too. Its always great to lock down some faithful markets in smaller areas.
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Force Football 2002-2012

Theres still a few of us Force faithful around...

[forcefootballforever]

How do you guys feel about an AFL return to Nashville though? Ive heard it highly rumored...I'm a skeptic to be honest
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Force Football 2002-2012

Theres still a few of us Force faithful around...

[VooDooNut]

True, Nashville has failed in the past, I just liked the Nashville Kats

[forcefootballforever]

I couldn't agree more VooDoo Nut. I liked their style of play and their clashes with Grand Rapids especially. I just don't want the Force to be on the relocation movement! We had some great fans in earlier years but since '09 they just dropped off completely. I would hate for that to be our "kiss of death."
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Force Football 2002-2012

Theres still a few of us Force faithful around...

[VooDooNut]

Yes, I'm worried for you guys because of attendance, we have a great rivalry going (although Georgia has won the vast majority of those games so far)

Why do you think Force attendance is so low?

[forcefootballforever]

I really enjoy the rivalry they share too! me and my dad went to their father's day match-up last year and it was a slug fest!

i personally think its because of their return to the Gwinnett Arena instead of Philips. Its isolated all the in Duluth and i just don't think alot of people know that they are back. I wear my Force gear every chance i get to let people know but without them being back in the media hub of Atlanta, they're kind of a myth to be honest.......not much advertising for them ANYWHERE.
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Force Football 2002-2012

Theres still a few of us Force faithful around...

[JC Diggs]

I hope expansion does not take place for a few more years. The league is still developing a lot of the players on rosters right now to get them accustomed to the style of play. More teams would mean more mediocrity, in my opinion.

Would the level of play be better at this point if the league had only 14 or 15 teams instead of the current 17 teams?

I feel the level of play will improve little by little with each season. But expanding too soon will only keep things watered down.
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AFL Since 2001 & 2-time ArenaFan Fantasy Football Champion - www.SunshineFootball.com

[forcefootballforever]

JC Diggs i didn't look at it that way. you make a very interesting point. do you feel the same way about the AFL transferring teams that are sub-par in attendance to larger markets? maybe they should be allowed more time to grow where they are instead of uprooting them and trying to grow in a whole new area? your thoughts?
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Force Football 2002-2012

Theres still a few of us Force faithful around...

[JC Diggs]

That all sounds like a good idea in theory. Both sides of it. I think it ultimately comes down to ownership groups in each market, though. It's not enough to bring in a team and expect that people will jump on board as fans without a little push from some promotion and/or marketing.

As it was mentioned in another post on this site recently, the fact that players no longer stay in the same cities more than a season is what will continue to hurt attendance year after year. The league should considered changing or altering their free agency model so fans can form more of an attachment to their teams, especially in newer markets.
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AFL Since 2001 & 2-time ArenaFan Fantasy Football Champion - www.SunshineFootball.com

[forcefootballforever]

Exactly JC. I love and respect the Georgia Force as my hometown franchise but the front office and management has not done much to advertise for them. They are non-existent outside of the Gwinnett/Duluth area. Ive thought about speaking to them and possibly starting a street-team in the metro-Atlanta area to do some personal, non-profit advertising for them.

There is also too much turnover in the rosters as well. Do you think salaries would have to increase and the league would have to return to the pre-2009 collapse financial model to keep these players in cities longer though?
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Force Football 2002-2012

Theres still a few of us Force faithful around...

[VooDoo's Kelly Bones]

so far its been a team a year.

2010 - Jacksonville Sharks
2011 - Pittsburgh Power
2012 - San Antonio Talons <- Tulsa
2013 - Nashville Kats
2014 - New York or Los Angelas

So 4 out of 5 years a new team...can we expect that?
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New Orleans The Official Destination of Arena Bowl!

[JC Diggs]

I think a slight raise for players is in order, but it does not need to be anything near the pre-2009 salaries to work.
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AFL Since 2001 & 2-time ArenaFan Fantasy Football Champion - www.SunshineFootball.com

[SnakesAlive]

The first season that the Georgia Force were back in the market, 2011, only one article on the team appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution that season, that was the day that the team held a press conference to announce that the team was coming back. During the season, the local Gwinnett paper carried articles on the team, but what is the circulation of that rag versus the largest fishwrap in the market? There is a huge disparity in terms of circulation numbers. This is free media, it is not that difficult to take advantage of free media, network with the local sportwriters of all of the media outlets. The Gwinnett Braves are also hurting the Force badly, the Braves are new to the area since the team left town and came back. The Georgia Force are averaging 4,651 fans per game for the 12 home games that have been played since the team came back. The market that the Force came from was Huntsville, the Alabama Vipers averaged 4,696 fans per game (9 games) the one season that they played in the AFL. Now how is it possible that the 9th largest market in the country (Atlanta) has actually been out drawn by the 106th largest market in the country (Huntsville)??? This is not only ridiculous but outright embarrassing for both the team and the market.

[forcefootballforever]

I agree Snakes. But i just don't understand why more effort hasnt been made to advertise for the team? i would never expect an ESPN deal....but there are no billboards, no business partnerships outside of duluth and no commercial spots. just seems like so much more could be done to turn out more numbers but its not being done. i love my georgia force always but its slightly frustrating for me as a fan. the force faithful is a solid fan base but we desperately need new blood filling out the arena to keep our team here.
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Force Football 2002-2012

Theres still a few of us Force faithful around...

[VooDoo's Kelly Bones]

Seattle will be good for 2015..
Since the Supersonic's left....There is a arena just waiting for us!


Look how long it took the NFL to settle down and really start to grow...
National Football LeagueMain article: National Football League franchise moves and mergers
1921: Decatur Staleys moved to Chicago and were renamed Chicago Bears one year later.
1934: Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans became Detroit Lions.
1937: Boston Redskins moved to Washington, D.C.
1946: Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles
1960: Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis.
1961: Los Angeles Chargers moved to San Diego.
1963: Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City after winning the AFL championship and became the Kansas City Chiefs.
1982: Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles. The NFL refused permission for the move, but the team won the right to relocate in a court case.
1984: Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis. The team's offices were slipped out of Baltimore in the middle of the night to avoid a proposed eminent domain seizure by the state of Maryland.
Further information: Baltimore Colts relocation controversy
1988: St. Louis Cardinals moved to the Phoenix area, playing games in nearby Tempe. The team now plays in another Phoenix suburb, Glendale. The team was renamed the Arizona Cardinals in 1994.
1995: Los Angeles Raiders moved back to Oakland after 13 previous seasons, the first "return" relocation of a North American professional sports team. Also the Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis. Since then, Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest market, has not hosted a NFL franchise.
Further information: History of the National Football League in Los Angeles
1996: Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Ravens. The move was one of the most controversial in major professional sports history. In response to a fan revolt and legal threats, the NFL awarded a new franchise to Cleveland in 1999, which for historical purposes is considered a continuation of the original Browns franchise.
Further information: Cleveland Browns relocation controversy
1997: Houston Oilers moved to Memphis and became the Tennessee Oilers. The team originally planned to play both 1997 and 1998 in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis before moving to their intended destination of Nashville. However, due to poor attendance, the team moved to Nashville in 1998, playing in Vanderbilt University's stadium. The team was renamed the Tennessee Titans in 1999, when their new stadium was opened. The NFL eventually awarded Houston an expansion team for 2002.






i know i can not predict the future, but i see it like this

2013 - Nashville
2014 - New York & Los Angelas
(Maybe - Dallas, Minneapolis, Portland)
2015 - Seattle & Denver
(Maybe - Bosie, Buffalo, Las Vegas)
2016 - Miami & Indanapolis
(maybe -Omaha, Louisville, Whichita)
2017 - Columbus & Oklahoma City
(maybe - Austin, Tucson, Bakersfield)
2018 - Detriot & St. Louis
(maybe - Sacramento, Houston, Toledo)
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New Orleans The Official Destination of Arena Bowl!

[Bear124]

[quote="VooDoo's Kelly Bones"]Seattle will be good for 2015..
Since the Supersonic's left....There is a arena just waiting for us!


Look how long it took the NFL to settle down and really start to grow...
National Football LeagueMain article: National Football League franchise moves and mergers
1921: Decatur Staleys moved to Chicago and were renamed Chicago Bears one year later.
[b]1934[/b]: Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans became Detroit Lions.
1937: Boston Redskins moved to Washington, D.C.
1946: Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles
1960: Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis.
1961: Los Angeles Chargers moved to San Diego.
[b]1963[/b]: Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City after winning the AFL championship and became the Kansas City Chiefs.
[b]1982[/b]: Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles. The NFL refused permission for the move, but the team won the right to relocate in a court case.
1984: Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis. The team's offices were slipped out of Baltimore in the middle of the night to avoid a proposed eminent domain seizure by the state of Maryland.
Further information: Baltimore Colts relocation controversy
1988: St. Louis Cardinals moved to the Phoenix area, playing games in nearby Tempe. The team now plays in another Phoenix suburb, Glendale. The team was renamed the Arizona Cardinals in 1994.
1995: Los Angeles Raiders moved back to Oakland after 13 previous seasons, the first "return" relocation of a North American professional sports team. Also the Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis. Since then, Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest market, has not hosted a NFL franchise.
Further information: History of the National Football League in Los Angeles
1996: Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Ravens. The move was one of the most controversial in major professional sports history. In response to a fan revolt and legal threats, the NFL awarded a new franchise to Cleveland in 1999, which for historical purposes is considered a continuation of the original Browns franchise.
Further information: Cleveland Browns relocation controversy
[b]1997[/b]: Houston Oilers moved to Memphis and became the Tennessee Oilers. The team originally planned to play both 1997 and 1998 in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis before moving to their intended destination of Nashville. However, due to poor attendance, the team moved to Nashville in 1998, playing in Vanderbilt University's stadium. The team was renamed the Tennessee Titans in 1999, when their new stadium was opened. The NFL eventually awarded Houston an expansion team for 2002.






i know i can not predict the future, but i see it like this

2013 - Nashville
2014 - New York & Los Angelas
[b](Maybe - Dallas, Minneapolis, Portland)[/b]
2015 - Seattle & Denver
[b](Maybe - Bosie, Buffalo, Las Vegas)[/b]
2016 - Miami & Indanapolis
[b](maybe -Omaha, Louisville, Whichita)[/b]
2017 - Columbus & Oklahoma City
[b](maybe - Austin, Tucson, Bakersfield)[/b]
2018 - Detriot & St. Louis
[b](maybe - Sacramento, Houston, Toledo)[/b][/quote]