af2 (short for arenafootball2) is the name of the Arena Football League's minor league, which started play in 2000. The rules are the same as for the parent league. While the parent league moved its season opening to February to accommodate a television contract with the National Broadcasting Company in 2003, af2 stayed with the "traditional" Arena season of April-July. The Arena Football League (AFL) was founded in 1987 as an American football indoor league. ... Minor leagues in the sense intended in this article are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...

Like most other minor sports leagues, the af2 exists to develop football players, and also to help players adapt to the style and pace of arena football. In addition, the af2 is similar to other minor leagues because af2 teams play in smaller cities and smaller venues. While the AFL is played in larger cities like Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago, the af2 fields teams in cities such as Oklahoma City, Bakersfield, and Fresno. Image File history File links AF2. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... Arena football is a sport invented by Jim Foster a former executive of the United States Football League and the National Football League. ... Nickname: City of Angels Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Official website: http://egov. ... Downtown Oklahoma City The State Capitol of Oklahoma From The South Motto: Nickname: Capital of the New Century Founded 1889 Incorporated County Oklahoma County Cleveland County Canadian County Borough {{{borough}}} Parrish {{{parrish}}} Mayor Mick Cornett Area  - Total  - Water 1,608. ... City nickname:Californias Country Music Capital County Kern County, California Area  - Total  - Water 296. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

ArenaCup

The ArenaCup is the af2's championship game, held each August (results are below). For the league's first five years, it was held at the arena of the higher seeded team. However, as their parent league, the AFL, has changed, the af2 has changed too. The 2005 Arena Cup will be played at a neutural site for the first time. It will be played in Bossier City, Louisiana. August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Bossier City is a city located in Bossier Parish, Louisiana. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last official government census, but probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 31st 134,382 km² 210 km 610 km 16 29°N to 33°N 89°W to...

For the 2000 and 2001 Arena Cups, the game was televised nationally by TNN (now Spike TV), who carried AFL games on Sunday afternoons at the time. However, when the AFL announced their televised games would be shown on NBC rather than TNN, the ArenaCup telecast was lost. The 2002 ArenaCup was televised by the Vision Network, and the 2003 game was televised by KWHB, a local station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After having no television coverage in 2004, the game will once again be telecast nationally in 2005, now by Fox Sports Net. Spike TV is a cable network that began as The Nashville Network (TNN), founded by Gaylord Entertainment Company and Group W Satellite Communications on March 7, 1983. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Downtown Tulsa Tulsa is the second-largest city in Oklahoma. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 20th 181,196 km² 355 km 645 km 1. ... Fox Sports Net logo Fox Sports Net headquarters in Los Angeles. ...

Baker's Vision

In a June 2003 interview with Sports Illustrated, AFL commissioner David Baker briefly mentioned the af2, saying how one day, he envisions the league growing to 100 teams. As of 2005, this vision seems rather unlikely. The af2 is fielding twenty teams in 2005, down from twenty-five in 2004. In fact, the league has seen declines in the number of teams every year since the 2002 season, when they fielded thirty-four teams. This is possibly due to the fact that the league grew too quickly (the league saw thirteen new teams in 2001, and ten in 2002), since historically, massive expansions have little success (the NIFL, a rival indoor league, has seen large amounts of expansion teams since they began in 2001 but many struggle financially). Three new expansion teams have been approved for 2006 in the af2: the Stockton Lightning (California), the Everett Hawks, and the Spokane Shock (both of Washington state). In addition, the Tennessee Valley Vipers, after playing the 2005 season in the UIF, have announced they will return to the af2 in 2006. The Mississippi Headhunters of Biloxi, Mississippi were originally going to play in the 2006 season, but because of Hurricane Katrina the team was given a grace period to start play in the 2007 season. Also, the league plans to add teams in Boise, Idaho, Lakewood Ranch, Florida, and Youngstown, Ohio that season. June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with a length of 30 days The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 1999 cover showing soccer star Brandi Chastain Sports Illustrated is a popular weekly American sports magazine owned by media giant Time Warner. ... David N. Baker Jr. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... National Indoor Football League is a minor league indoor football association based in the United States. ... Conference National Division Western Year founded 2006 Home arena Stockton Arena City, State Stockton, California ArenaCup championships none The Stockton Lightning are a professional arena football team. ... The Everett Hawks are a professional arena football team. ... The Spokane Shock is one of the four newest teams to the af2 (the farm sytem to the Arena Football League). ... Conference American Division Southern Year founded 2000 Home arena Von Braun Center City, State Huntsville, Alabama ArenaCup championships none The Tennessee Valley Vipers was Huntsville, Alabamas af2 franchise. ... United Indoor Football is an indoor football league starting in 2005. ... Biloxi and Mississippi coast Biloxi is a city located in Harrison County, Mississippi. ... Hurricane Katrina was the eleventh-named tropical storm, fourth hurricane, third major hurricane, and first Category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. ... This article deals with the state capital of Idaho. ... Youngstown is a city located in Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio, on the Mahoning River, 67 miles southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. ...

Current af2 teams

Eastern Division

• Albany Conquest
• Green Bay Blizzard
• Louisville Fire
• Manchester Wolves - formerly the Mohegan Wolves
• Quad City Steamwheelers
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers

The Albany Conquest are a professional arena football team. ... Green Bay Blizzard is an American football team in the af2 league, the Blizzard have yet to finish a season with a winning record since joining the league in 2003. ... Louisville Fire is a Louisville indoor football team that plays in AF2. ... The Wolves, based at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, are a professional arena football team. ... Conference American Division Eastern Year founded 2002 Home arena Verizon Wireless Arena City, State Manchester, New Hampshire ArenaCup championships none The Manchester Wolves are a professional arena football team, based at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. ... The Quad City Steamwheelers are a professional arena football team. ... The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers are a professional arena football team. ...

Southern Division

• Birmingham Steeldogs
• Florida Firecats
• Macon Knights
• Memphis Xplorers
• South Georgia Wildcats - formerly the Cape Fear Wildcats
• Tennessee Valley Vipers

The Birmingham Steeldogs were incorporated in 2000 as one of the charter teams in the af2, the developmental league of the Arena Football League. ... The Florida Firecats are a professional arena football team. ... The Macon Knights are a professional arena football team. ... The Memphis Xplorers are a professional arena football team. ... The South Georgia Wildcats are a professional arena football team. ... Conference American Division Southern Year founded 2000 Home arena Von Braun Center City, State Huntsville, Alabama ArenaCup championships none The Tennessee Valley Vipers was Huntsville, Alabamas af2 franchise. ...

Midwest Division

• Amarillo Dusters
• Arkansas Twisters
• Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings - formerly the Bossier City Battle Wings
• Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
• Rio Grande Valley Dorados
• Tulsa Talons

The Amarillo Dusters are a professional arena football team. ... The Arkansas Twisters are a professional arena football team. ... Based at Bossier-Shreveports CenturyTel Center, the Battle Wings are a member of the af2, Arena Footballs second league. ... The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz are a National Conference team of the AF2 Arena Football League. ... The Rio Grande Valley Dorados are a professional arena football team. ... The Tulsa Talons are a professional arena football team. ...

Western Division

• Bakersfield Blitz
• Central Valley Coyotes - formerly the first Bakersfield Blitz
• Everett Hawks
• Spokane Shock
• Stockton Lightning

The Bakersfield Blitz are a professional arena football team. ... The Central Valley Coyotes are a professional arena football team. ... The Bakersfield Blitz are a professional arena football team. ... The Everett Hawks are a professional arena football team. ... The Spokane Shock is one of the four newest teams to the af2 (the farm sytem to the Arena Football League). ... Conference National Division Western Year founded 2006 Home arena Stockton Arena City, State Stockton, California ArenaCup championships none The Stockton Lightning are a professional arena football team. ...

Inactive/Expansion

• Boise, Idaho
• Mississippi Headhunters - formerly the Columbus Wardogs
• Lakewood Ranch, Florida
• San Diego Riptide
• Youngstown, Ohio

This article deals with the state capital of Idaho. ... The Columbus Wardogs is a defunct AF2 team that played their home games in the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia from 2001 - 2004. ... The San Diego Riptide is an Arena Football League team. ... Youngstown is a city located in Mahoning and Trumbull counties in Ohio, on the Mahoning River, 67 miles southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. ...

Arena Cup Results

• 2000: Quad City Steamwheelers 68-59 Tennessee Valley Vipers
• 2001: Quad City Steamwheelers 55-51 Richmond Speed
• 2002: Peoria Pirates 65-47 Florida Firecats
• 2003: Tulsa Talons 58-40 Macon Knights
• 2004: Florida Firecats 39-26 Peoria Pirates
• 2005: Memphis Xplorers 63-41 Louisville Fire

See also

• Defunct af2 teams
• List of leagues of American football

The following is a list of arena football minor-league teams that, at one time, played in the af2. ... This is a list of current and defunct leagues of American football. ...

External link

• arenafootball2
• ArenaFan Online's af2 Home
• ArenaFan Online's af2 Historical Franchise Chart
• ArenaFan Online's ArenaCup History page

Sources

• http://www.af2.com
• http://www.arenafan.com/index.php?league=2