The Arena Football League is relaunching in 2024 with 16 teams from across the country including a new team in Cincinnati, according to a report from TMZ Sports.
The AFL has been around since the '80s. The league's original run went on for more than two decades before it formally disbanded in 2009. It relaunched previously in 2010 before shutting down again in 2019.
Arena football is a form of indoor football played on a smaller field about a quarter of the size of an NFL field. The indoor field is surrounded by padded walls that stand in place of an out-of-bounds line. The teams themselves have fewer players on the roster and the Arena Football League's rules typically result in higher-scoring games.
Since the creation of the AFL, other indoor football leagues and teams have sprung up around the country, but few have had much success.
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Details about what Cincinnati's team will be called and where they will play remain unknown, but Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky are no strangers to welcoming new football teams.
Cincinnati first had an AFL team briefly in the '90s. The Cincinnati Rockers played two seasons at Riverfront Coliseum before disbanding.
Other indoor teams, like the Cincinnati Swarm, Cincinnati Jungle Kats, and Northern Kentucky River Monsters, only lasted a season or two and never had much success.
Northern Kentucky University Sports Business Professor Joe Cobbs says the city's recent track record with new sports franchises means the arena team could have a better chance at success — though it likely won't generate as much attention as bigger teams.
"They don't have the history. They're not playing in a sport that's prominent like soccer is with FC Cincinnati; and of course, the Bengals and Reds have a lot of history," Cobbs told WVXU. "They need to rely sort of on entertainment and some kind of unique entertainment and good value. I'm sure that their ticket prices will also reflect that they're not trying to be the Reds, or the Bengals, or FC Cincinnati."
And how well the team is received by the city will depend on Cincinnati's appetite for more football. Cobbs says another good season and a deep playoff run for the Bengals could have a noticeable impact on the new team. Once the NFL season ends, some fans could be hungry for more.
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If Cincinnati's AFL team is able to have a winning season and create an exciting environment for fans, Cobbs thinks the team could generate plenty of excitement in the city despite playing in a lower-level league much like the Cyclones hockey team.
Even if they don't win a lot of games, just having an arena football franchise will still provide a boost to the area.
"If they're not that good or just kind of mediocre or middle-of-the-pack, I still think it could be a nice entertainment option probably at an affordable price point that will bring people out," Cobbs says.
The new team will have some options on which arena they will call home. Cobbs says Heritage Bank Center makes a lot of sense because of its vicinity to Cincinnati's other pro sports venues, but other arenas like the University of Cincinnati's Fifth Third Arena and Xavier's Cintas Center could be possible locations as well.
Additionally, who ends up owning the sports franchise could be interesting. The AFL was well known for having celebrities own their teams, like rocker Jon Bon Jovi, who owned the Philadelphia Soul.
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The Cincinnati Jungle Kats, who only lasted a single season in the AFL's developmental league in 2007, were partially owned by Bengals defensive tackle Sam Adams and Reds legend Ken Griffey Jr.
The AFL is expected to start playing games by next spring with each team playing a 10-game season.
