Arena Football: The little league that could breaks down for 2009

December 10, 2:29 PMTampa Bay Sports ExaminerTed Fleming

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(ESPN Photo)

In realistic terms, Arena Football ranked fifth out of four major sports, however, that did not keep it from surviving when others came and went at an alarming pace.

Today, acting commissioner Ed Policy said the AFL “is working on long-term structural improvements which have unfortunately delayed some important events, such as the release of the 2009 schedule, the Dispersal Draft, and the beginning of free agency.”

Translation: The league is going on hiatus with “plans” to return in 2010.

The announced deal with Platinum Equity, LLC announced in October appears to be at the core of the schedule suspension with Platinum expected to infuse $100 million into the cash-strapped league. That deal is now on hold.

The Arena Football League has been around for 22-years and found an equity partner in cable’s ESPN. Despite the high visibility provided by the sports network, the last two years have not yielded the revenue streams anticipated when the purchase was made in 2006.

The equity enterprise was expected to run through the 2011 season although it is not known at this time how the suspension of the season would impact it or if ESPN would even want to continue in the partnership.

The dispersal draft of the now defunct New Orleans VooDoo has been postponed numerous times leading to speculation the league was about to fold. Numerous reports acknowledged it could happen if financing could not be secured by December 19. Ironically, the VooDoo led the league in attendance in 2007 and fifth last year.

Former commissioner David Baker resigned last July leading to whispers the league was in trouble even then.

Ever the optimist, Baker held his post for a dozen years and always spoke in positive terms when confronted with speculation about the long term viability of what some have called the bastardization of football playing on a hockey-size field, indoors, but the league chugged on.

There are some strong franchises in the league such as the Tampa Bay Storm and the Philadelphia Soul who always rank at the top of the league’s attendance figures. Conversely, the VooDoo failed in spite of being around the league average or above.
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UPDATE: In an e-mail sent out by the Tampa Bay Storm late Wednesday afternoon, the following was a statement by an unidentified spokesperson from the AFL:

Despite rumors and reports to the contrary, all AFL teams are continuing to work towards ArenaBowl XXIII. As it has previously stated, the AFL continues to work on long-term structural improvement options.

Some of the options may impact the 2009 season. There is currently no timetable for an announcement of any kind. We remain grateful to our fans for their enthusiasm and patience.

While the spokesperson made it clear that all parties are working toward ArenaBowl XXIII, there was no indication as to when that would occur.