January 22, 2019
The Arena Football League is coming to Atlantic City, the league announced Tuesday, and you could name the new team.
The team will be operated by Trifecta Sports and Entertainment, and will play home games at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. According to a release from the league, fans will have the opportunity to submit and vote on team names.
The move is part of a wider reboot effort for the league, which moved its headquarters to Philadelphia in August and unveiled a new logo at the end of 2018:
“The new logo, while still embracing its AFL Legacy, signifies the path moving forward as a next-generation sports league.”
— Arena Football League (@OfficialAFL) December 28, 2018
MORE: https://t.co/uPr5MfVNWJ pic.twitter.com/d32drMBg2J
Former Eagles quarterback, AFL Executive Committee Chair, and Trifecta owner Ron Jaworski played a big role in bringing the team to Atlantic City.
(Jaworski, who is also the majority owner of the league's Philadelphia Soul, said back in August this was a sure thing.)
“I couldn’t be more excited that Arena Football is coming to Atlantic City,” Jaworski said. “We are going to bring a family-friendly, affordable entertainment product to AC, and bring a team that will become an integral part of the community, giving people in the area a team to be proud to call their hometown team.”
The Soul have won two championships under Jaworski.
The expansion team addition brings New Jersey’s number of active professional sports team to four. The NHL’s New Jersey Devils; the NWHL’s Metropolitan Riveters (women’s ice hockey); and the NWSL’s Sky Blue FC (women’s soccer) are all currently active.
This also marks Atlantic City’s first professional sports team in a decade: the Atlantic City Surf, an independent minor league baseball team, folded in March of 2009.
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