Friday Flashback: AF2

In the early 2000s, I became very familiar with a league named AF2 which was short for Arena Football 2.  This was essentially the minor league arena football organization for the Arena Football League.  AF2 had teams in smaller markets such as the case from 2001-2006 when I attended several games of the Macon Knights which was the AF2 franchise in Macon, Georgia.

The league was established in 1999 by the Arena Football League to build upon the popularity of the game at the time.  The AF2 played using the same rules as their parent league and played from April through July with teams competing for the ArenaCup title.

The inaugural season kicked off in the spring of 2000 with 15 teams in Augusta (GA), Norfolk (VA), Tennessee Valley (Huntsville, AL), Carolina (Greenville, SC), Greensboro (NC), Roanoke (VA), Quad City (Moline, IL), Jacksonville (FL), Tulsa (OK), Pensacola (FL), Birmingham (AL), Arkansas, Charleston (SC) and Tallahassee (FL).

The Quad City Steamwheelers won the first ArenaCup with a perfect 19-0 season and were the most dominant team in the league over the first three seasons with a record of 61-10 winning the first two AF2 titles.  The Spokane Shock and Tulsa Talons also won two ArenaCup titles.  Some other successful teams were the Florida Firecats, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers and Peoria Pirates.  The Steamwheelers, Talons, Tennessee Valley Vipers and Arkansas Twisters are the only teams to play in every season in the AF2's existence.

The league peaked to 34 teams in 2002 and still had 25 teams before the league folded after the 2009 season.   AF2 might have continued had their parent league not filed for bankruptcy.  The failure of the Arena Football League trickled down to the AF2 as well.  A few teams have either continued or have found another life in other leagues.   The Quad City Steamwheelers currently play in the Indoor Football League.


Since the AF2's demise, other smaller leagues currently fill the void left behind.  The AF2 had been a solid model of a nationwide league in smaller markets and it was disappointing to see it fold.  

For more information about the AF2, go to Arenafan.com 

There were talks of reviving AF2 in 2013 but with the Arena Football League not as stable, there were no serious attempts to return.   






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