The Arena Football League, which has grown steadily in popularity and fan attendance during the past decade, is expected to cancel what would have been its 23rd season in 2009, according to multiple media reports.

The Rocky Mountain News reported Wednesday that league officials are expected to make the announcement before the end of the week. The Kansas City Star later reported that Pete Likens, communications director for the Kansas City Brigade, said the AFL players' union agreed late Tuesday to the decision.

"It's pretty much a done deal to suspend the 2009 season and work toward a single entity-league," Likens said, according to The Star. "We plan to start up again in 2010."

The league, which has been seeking ways to improve its financial footing, said Tuesday it still is not ready to announce a long-term plan. On Tuesday, the release of the 2009 schedule was delayed for the third time, and the league also put off its dispersal draft and the start of free agency.

In a statement released Wednesday, the AFL said: "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."

ESPN acquired national TV rights to the AFL in 2006 and has a minority stake in the indoor league. ESPN signed a five-year deal to have multimedia rights that included everything from Internet to radio to publishing to international distribution.

"We've always admired the AFL fan-first philosophy, but we have no comment on their business activity," ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer said.

The AFL's New Orleans franchise folded despite being near the top of the league in attendance the past two seasons. Saints owner Tom Benson, who also owned the VooDoo, said the decision was based on "circumstances currently affecting the league and the team."

The AFL has endured an offseason of uncertainty. No replacement has been named for longtime commissioner David Baker, who abruptly resigned in July two days before the ArenaBowl championship game.

Since November 2007, the AFL's board of directors has been looking into various ways to bolster the league's finances. One proposal involved individual franchise owners ceding control of the league to new investors.

Sports Business Journal reported in October that AFL owners had approved a tentative deal with Platinum Equity, in which the company would invest up to $100 million and assume management control of the league. That deal, however, has yet to be completed, and there are no guarantees of an AFL bailout. A message seeking comment was not immediately returned by Platinum Equity.

The arenafootball2 league, the official development league of the AFL, said it will continue to operate as usual and will play in 2009 -- its 10th anniversary season. The af2 operates entirely on its own and is not directly affected by the AFL's current situation.

Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.

that sucks

This economy is killing right now, whats next ?

:o

I'm speechless.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Arena Football League voted Wednesday not to suspend play in 2009 for now, a shift during a tumultuous week in which the league seemed poised to cancel the season.

The AFL's board of directors voted via conference call.

"The Board will continue to meet regularly to examine any and all long-term structural improvement options for the AFL," the league said in a statement.

The 16-team league repeatedly has delayed the start of free agency and the release of its 2009 schedule after an offseason of uncertainty. No replacement has been named for longtime commissioner David Baker, who abruptly resigned in July two days before the ArenaBowl championship game.

"I have yet to hear anything from our ownership, but I am happy for the league and happy to possibly have the opportunity to defend our championship," Philadelphia Soul coach Bret Munsey said Wednesday evening after the vote.

"We all know there are some things that need to be corrected, and that's what they're working on. They're working on the economic model, and it needs to be corrected. Maybe this makes the league stronger. We're looking to be around for another 20 years."

The AFL's woes come at a time when the world of sports, once thought to be largely recession-proof, has felt the economic chill. The NFL has said it would cut 150 jobs, while the NBA and NASCAR also have laid off dozens of workers. The NHL is in a hiring freeze while the Internet operation for Major League Baseball also has trimmed positions.

It's still possible there could be big changes to the 22-year-old league.

Philadelphia Soul wide receiver Chris Jackson told the AP that the league's players had agreed to take pay cuts and were told Tuesday that the season likely would be canceled.

Players' union spokesman Carl Francis declined to discuss specifics about the 2009 season.

"We definitely are in discussions with the Arena Football League on these issues," he said.

Officials from several teams said they were proceeding with business as usual for the time being.

"We're readying contracts right now for when we're ready to move forward with free agency," said Luke Stahmer, vice president of operations for the Colorado Crush. "We're buying helmets and jerseys as if it's a regular season. We don't want to get caught with our pants down, so to speak."

AFL FTW!

Spring/Summer time football rules!!!

Its Official




The Arena Football League will shut down for 2009 but plans to reorganize and return in 2010, The Cleveland Plain Dealer and The New York Times have reported.

"I think it's a historic day for the league," the owner and chief executive of the Cleveland Gladiators, James L. Ferraro, told The Times in a telephone interview Sunday night. "I think this league will be much, much stronger, and it will be here for a long time because of what happened."

Citing a league source, The Plain Dealer said an official announcement would come Monday. The Times reported the announcement was conditional on approval from the players' association.

Officials held a conference call last week and announced that no consensus had been reached and that talks would continue in hopes of coming up with a better business model.

According to The Plain Dealer's source, the league's board of directors met by conference call again Sunday and voted to shut down because too many big-name owners or big-name cities said they would not return in 2009.

"We couldn't be taken seriously if we lost too many teams, especially in big markets," the source said, according to the newspaper. "That's what was going to happen. We needed to shut down and reorganize."

The AFL has endured a season of uncertainty. On Tuesday, the 16-team league delayed indefinitely the start of free agency, the release of its 2009 schedule and a dispersal draft to award players from the defunct New Orleans VooDoo.

No permanent replacement has been named for longtime commissioner David Baker, who abruptly resigned from the 22-year-old league in July two days before the ArenaBowl championship game.

ESPN has a minor, nonmanagement financial interest in the AFL.