| Most recent season or competition: 2025 National Arena League season | |
 | |
| Sport | Arena football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| First season | 2017 |
| Commissioner | Brandon Ikard |
| No. of teams | 9 (as of September 19, 2025) |
| Country |
|
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Most recent champion | Beaumont Renegades (1st title) |
| Most titles | Jacksonville Sharks (3 titles) |
| Broadcaster | Right Now TV |
| Related competitions | AF1,IFL,TAL |
| Official website | nationalarenaleague.com |
TheNational Arena League (NAL) is a professionalindoor football league that began play in 2017. As of the end of the 2024 season, the league consisted of five teams.
A team's typical budget is $400,000 to $500,000 per season.[1] Players are usually paid $200 per week (before taxes), and veterans can make $225 with the potential raises for loyalty on a year-by-year basis. Additionally, $50 bonus can be given to players on the winning team each week.[2] Some teams also provide housing for their players during the season.
Teams' estimated annual revenue is between $500,000 and $800,000 a year.[3]
In June 2016,Columbus Lions' owner Skip Seda and father Keke Seda founded a league called the Arena Developmental League (ADL) in the wake of several years ofminor indoor leagues folding. The league was announced to begin play in March 2017 and, while not affiliated with any other leagues, intended on developing players to be looked at by scouts in theArena Football League (AFL),Canadian Football League (CFL), andNational Football League (NFL). In their introductory press conference, the league announced former AFL,af2, and CFL head coachJohn Gregory as its first commissioner and former AFL and af2 head coachChris Siegfried as director of football operations.
Charter teams began being announced in July 2016 with the Columbus Lions andLehigh Valley Steelhawks joining from the defunctAmerican Indoor Football.[4][5] On July 21, theHigh Country Grizzlies announced their ADL membership after initially being announced as an AIFexpansion team.[6] On August 11, theDayton Wolfpack were announced as the league's fourth team.[7] On September 13, the ADL added theGeorgia Firebirds from the AIF as the fifth team.[8] On September 21, the league announced its sixth team to be fromHighland Heights, Kentucky, owned by Northern Kentucky Professional Indoor Football LLC headed by W. Leland Bennett III. Bennett was one of the owners of theNorthern Kentucky Nightmare, a travel team that played in the AIF the previous season, but no name for the ADL team was announced and the franchise was removed from the league when the league later changed names. In October, the ADL added the Anderson Gladiators fromAnderson, South Carolina, but they were removed from the league in November due to arena lease issues.[9] On October 17, theCorpus Christi Rage announced it had joined the ADL (although the ADL did not confirm until October 28).[10] On October 20, the ADL announced that theFort Myers area-basedFlorida Tarpons were joining the league.[11] However, the Tarpons would also withdraw from the league on November 10 to join the upstartArena Pro Football.
On November 18, 2016, the league announced it had changed its name to National Arena League. As part of the change in name, the league management was also restructured so that it was no longer managed by Lions' owner Skip Seda, but was instead managed by all member teams equally. Later that day, the league added a formerArena Football League team, theJacksonville Sharks. On November 30, the league added theMonterrey Steel fromMonterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, becoming the first American indoor/arena league to house a Mexican team as well as the first in fifteen years to house a team from outside the United States.[12] In order to satisfy the Sharks' contract with their arena, they were given eight home games in the 12-game season. To balance the uneven scheduling, the Corpus Christi Rage and Dayton Wolfpack each only were given five home games while the other five teams each had six. This was changed again when the Wolfpack apparently never were able to secure an arena lease, despite announcing they would play at theNutter Center and signed players were reporting on social media that all players had been cut. As of February 20, 2017, all Wolfpack home games were canceled.[13] During the season, the league took over operations of the Firebirds,[14] Rage, and Wolfpack. The Sharks would go on to finish with an 11–1 record and win the inaugural championship game over the Lions. The Rage and Wolfpack folded at the end of the season.
During the first season, the league announced the first 2018 expansion team in theJersey Flight ofTrenton, New Jersey.[15] During the summer league meetings, the NAL conditionally approved ownership groups inBoston,Providence,Richmond, andOrlando[16] with an expansion application deadline of August 15, 2017. TheRichmond Roughriders, formerly ofArena Pro Football, confirmed the next day that they were finalizing their NAL expansion requirements.[17] However, on September 13, the Roughriders announced they were joining theAmerican Arena League instead.
On September 28, 2017, the NAL announced on their Facebook page that the Jacksonville Sharks, Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, Columbus Lions, and Jersey Flight had all signed three-year NAL membership agreements and committed to play in the league until 2020. The Monterrey Steel could not commit for 2018 citing the2017 Central Mexico earthquake. The Georgia Firebirds could not commit due to an ownership transition, but failed to obtain an arena lease. Despite the initially announced August 15 deadline, the next confirmed expansion team was announced in November as theMassachusetts Pirates based out ofWorcester, Massachusetts. In the expansion announcement, the league also mentioned adding teams inGreensboro, North Carolina, andPortland, Maine, but no mention of the other previously conditionally approved teams in Boston, Providence, or Orlando.[18] TheCarolina Cobras were announced in Greensboro on December 4 and theMaine Mammoths on December 5, with both teams owned by National Sports Ventures, and organization led by NAL executive Rob Storm and Atlanta businessman Richard Maslia[19] and includes Sharks' owner and expansion chairman Jeff Bouchy.[20] The Monterrey Steel and the expansion Jersey Flight would be removed from the league for failing to meet the minimum league obligations prior to the release of the 2018 schedule.[21]
In October 2017, commissioner Gregory stepped down and was replaced by the director of operations, Chris Siegfried.[22] The 2018 season began on April 7, 2018. All three expansion teams fared well, with the Cobras winning the league championship, the Pirates finishing the regular season in first place, and the Mammoths ending the season on a five-game winning streak. However, the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks finished the season winless and the owner announced he was trying to sell the team, while the Mammoths were also announced as looking for local ownership.
The league announced its first addition of the 2019 season in theNew York Streets with plans to play at theWestchester County Center inWhite Plains, New York, in December 2018.[23][24][25][26] A revivedOrlando Predators team, owned and coached by players from the formerArena Football League team of the same name, was added on January 17, 2019.[27] After failing to reach an agreement with local ownership, both the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks and Maine Mammoths announced they had suspended operations for the season.[28][29] Prior to the 2019 season, Sharks' majority owner and NAL expansion chairman Jeff Bouchy resigned and sold his interest in the team to the other owners on March 11, 2019.[30] The Sharks won the 2019 NAL championship.[31]
Following the season, the NAL announced it had partnered withChampions Indoor Football (CIF) to create a new league for the 2020 season under a new identity with two conferences: the CIF and NAL.[32] The Massachusetts Pirates chose to not join the merged league[33] and the New York Streets were not mentioned as an included team. However, it was announced on October 10 that the deal had been postponed, with both leagues playing their own individual schedules in 2020.[34] The Pirates rejoined the NAL and the league then added two teams that had originally been given conditional approval to join in the 2018 season, theJersey Flight[35] and theWest Virginia Roughriders[36] (then known as the Richmond Roughriders), from theAmerican Arena League. As with almost all other sports leagues, the NAL suspended operations during theCOVID-19 pandemic, with intention to hold the season oncesocial distancing mandates were lifted and it was safe to do so. The season was fully canceled by June 12, 2020.[37]
Following the cancellation of the 2020 season, Massachusetts Pirates left for theIndoor Football League (IFL), while the NAL announced the additions of theAlbany Empire,[38] Baltimore Lightning,[39]Louisville Xtreme,[40] Ontario Bandits,[41] and theTampa Bay Tornadoes.[42] The Baltimore franchise membership was revoked less than three weeks after being announced. The Louisville and Tampa Bay organizations left the league three months after being added, and theWest Virginia Roughriders opted to go dormant for 2021 while the owner was trying to sell the team.[43] Louisville instead joined the IFL.[44] The start of the 2021 season was delayed to at least May 2021 due to the ongoing restrictions in the pandemic.[45] One week before the start of the 2021 season, the Ontario Bandits went dormant.[46]
For the2022 season, the league announced it was going to start playing usingironman rules, where most players must play both offense and defense, as originally used by theArena Football League from 1987 to 2007.[47] In October 2021, the Roughriders stated they will not return to the NAL during a dispute with the league contract,[48][49] but were then in discussions with selling the team to the ownership group led by Ron Trideco to keep the team in the NAL.[50] On November 11, the league announced theSan Antonio Gunslingers as an expansion team after playing their inaugural 2021 season in the AAL.[51] The Roughriders, Ontario Bandits, and Jersey Flight were eventually removed from the list of 2022 NAL teams[52][53] and were not included in the schedule.[54]
On July 14, 2022, the league announced its first addition for the 2023 season inFayetteville, North Carolina, later named theFayetteville Mustangs.[55] At halftime of the 2022 NAL championship, the league announced theWest Texas Warbirds fromOdessa, Texas, would be joining the league for 2023. On August 24, 2022, the league announced the return of rebound nets, which had been popularized by the Arena Football League.[56] On December 22, the membership of theColumbus Lions was discontinued and the team left the league.[57]
Due to various financial problems, both the Albany Empire and Fayetteville Mustangs were removed the league schedule during the season.
The Sharks won the 2023 NAL championship.[58]
In August 2023, the league announced it had added theOmaha Beef[59] andSioux City Bandits[60] fromChampions Indoor Football for the 2024 season. On August 22, 2023, theJacksonville Sharks announced they were joining theIndoor Football League (IFL).[61] The league added the expansionColorado Spartans, based out ofLoveland, Colorado, on August 31.[62] Also on August 31, the Warbirds, which had been renamed as theWest Texas Desert Hawks, were announced as joining the relaunchedArena Football League.[63] On September 14, theTopeka Tropics also joined the NAL from the CIF.[64] On September 21, the two-timeAmerican West Football Conference championsIdaho Horsemen joined the NAL.[65] On September 26, the San Antonio Gunslingers were announced as also joining the IFL.[66] The next day, theNorth Texas Bulls announced their membership in the NAL.[67] On October 16, theOklahoma Flying Aces were as announced as the eighth and final team for the 2024 NAL season.[68] The NAL, however, terminated the North Texas Bulls' membership on February 16, 2024, due to "failure to pay league dues as well as failure to provide an executed arena lease for the upcoming 2024 season."[69] The announcement came one day after the NAL revoked the Topeka Tropics' membership "due to violations of their League Affiliation Agreement, including failure to pay league dues and meeting other criteria to participate in the upcoming 2024 season". The NAL stated it is in discussions with new ownership as it tries to keep a Topeka team part of the 2024 season.[70] The Tropics put out an open letter begging members of the Topeka business community to buy and save the franchise.[71] On February 28, 2024, the league terminated the Tropics membership.[72]
On June 21, 2024, theWheeling Miners, formerly of theAmerican Arena League, joined the NAL for the 2025 season.[73] On July 9, 2024, the league announced a merger with the remaining teams inAmerican Indoor Football and added theCorpus Christi Tritons andHarrisburg Stampede and welcomed back theColumbus Lions.[74] On August 15, 2024, the first-yearShreveport Rouxgaroux joined the NAL.[75] On August 20, 2024, theAmarillo Dusters (formerly known as the Venom and played in various leagues over the last 20 years) joined the NAL.[76] The Stampede folded, while the NAL expelled the Dusters and Tritons, ostensibly blaming "noncompliance," but later clarifying that the NAL had been having difficulty booking dates at its other teams' arenas; the Tritons instead joinedArena Football One.[77] On February 4, 2025, the league announced that they had promoted executive Brandon Ikard to commissioner replacing former commissioner Todd Walkenhorst.[78] For the 2025 season, the NAL dropped the rebound nets and returned to traditional goalposts.
On February 21, 2025, the NAL secured a television contract with Right Now TV, a multicast network with over-the-air affiliates andfree ad-supported streaming.[79]
The Carolina Cobras suspended operations April 24, 2025, citing "unforeseen circumstances."[80]
On June 30, 2025, the West Texas Warbirds announced that they would rejoin the NAL starting in 2026 and were rebranded theAmarillo Warbirds.[81]
On July 2, 2025, the reigning champion Beaumont Renegades announced that they were leaving the NAL. They would later join the AF1.[82]
On August 1, 2025, the expansionPueblo Punishers joined the NAL.[83]
On August 13, 2025, theDallas Bulls rejoined the NAL under their new name for the 2026 season.[84] Shortly thereafter, the Columbus Lions and Wheeling Miners were both removed from the NAL website, with both joining a revival of the American Arena League.[85] The departures leave the NAL's geographic footprint entirely west of the Mississippi River, returning it to a regional league.
On September 19, 2025 theSalina Liberty andSouthwest Kansas Storm announced moves fromArena Football One to the NAL.[86][87] Both teams fit within the league's midwestern footprint and also will be able to reestablish rivalries with the Warbirds, Beef and Bandits that they had in other leagues. In the Storm's press release, the NAL announced it had concluded expansion for the 2026 season and theIdaho Horsemen will go dormant for the season, preparing to return to play in 2027 in a new market.
| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amarillo Warbirds | Amarillo, Texas | Amarillo Civic Center | 4,912 | 2019[a] | 2023, 2026[b] | Jermaine Blakely |
| Colorado Spartans | Denver, Colorado | Denver Coliseum | 8,140 | 2023 | 2024 | Fred Shaw |
| Dallas Bulls | Dallas, Texas | Fair Park Coliseum | 8,513 | 2019 | 2026 | Rodney Blackshear |
| Louisiana Rouxgaroux | Bossier City, Louisiana | Brookshire Grocery Arena | 10,300 | 2024 | 2025 | Michael Blair |
| Omaha Beef | Omaha, Nebraska | Liberty First Credit Union Arena | 4,600 | 2000[c] | 2024 | Brandon Negron |
| Pueblo Punishers | Pueblo, Colorado | Southwest Motors Events Center | 8,225 | 2025 | 2026 | Tae Brooks &Clinton Solomon |
| Salina Liberty | Salina, Kansas | Tony's Pizza Events Center | 7,583 | 2016[d] | 2026 | Heron O'Neal |
| Sioux City Bandits | Sioux City, Iowa | Tyson Events Center | 6,941 | 2000[e] | 2024 | Erv Strohbeen |
| Southwest Kansas Storm | Dodge City, Kansas | United Wireless Arena | 5,300 | 2022[f] | 2026 | Gary Thomas |
| Team | Location | Joined | Departed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany Empire | Albany, New York | 2021 | 2023 | League membership terminated due to non-payment of league dues. OwnerAntonio Brown was also fined for conduct detrimental to the league, a fine included with league dues, and Brown failed to pay that fine.[88] Reorganized as theAlbany Firebirds and joinedArena Football League (2024), thenArena Football One. |
| Amarillo Dusters | Never played | were terminated by the league on February 2, 2025.[89] | ||
| Anderson Gladiators | Anderson, South Carolina | Never played | Announced as a team for the ADL's inaugural 2017 season, but were later removed by the league. Anderson subsequently announced plans to joinSupreme Indoor Football, but never played a game. | |
| Baltimore Lightning | Baltimore, Maryland | Never played | Announced as a 2021 expansion team, but league terminated franchise two weeks later when team failed to post required Letter of Credit.[90] Now an outdoor developmental team; most recently attempted to join the International Football Alliance but | |
| Beaumont Renegades | Beaumont, Texas | 2025 | Played the 2025 season won the league championship, then left via mutual agreement. JoinedArena Football One shortly afterward. | |
| Carolina Cobras | Greensboro, North Carolina | 2018 | 2025 | Cancelled the rest of the 2025 season, had planned to return in 2026 under new ownership, but not listed on the NAL schedule for the year. |
| Columbus Lions | Columbus, Georgia | 2017, 2025 | 2022, 2025 | A founding franchise that helped create the Arena Development League (ADL) and later the National Arena League. Team then played the first five seasons of the NAL. The team was sold to new ownership in the 2022 offseason and the league subsequently discontinued the membership of the Lions.[91] Team later returned to the NAL for the 2025 season, but the following offseason was removed from the NAL website's list of teams. The Lions would later announce they joined theAmerican Arena League for the 2026 season.[92] |
| Corpus Christi Rage | Corpus Christi, Texas | 2017 | Team operations were assumed by the league after four games, with operations ceased at conclusion of the season.[93] | |
| Corpus Christi Tritons | Corpus Christi, Texas | Never played | Were to have joined the league, but were left off of the 2025 season schedule and looking at other leagues. The team claimed that they were left off the schedule because the league failed to acknowledge that they met all league requirements, a claim the league has yet to address.[94] The team has since joined rivalArena Football One. | |
| Dayton Wolfpack | Traveling team | 2017 | Originally intended to play inDayton, Ohio; the original team operators failed to secure an arena lease. League ran the team as a traveling team for other team's home games using various semi-professional units based out of Georgia during the 2017 season. | |
| Fayetteville Mustangs | Fayetteville, North Carolina | 2022 | 2023 | Joined as an expansion team for the 2023 season, but withdrew during the season after playing eight games.[95] |
| Florida Tarpons | Estero, Florida | Never played | Joined ADL on October 20, 2016, after playing inAmerican Indoor Football (AIF). Subsequently announced they had joinedArena Pro Football for 2017 instead but never played a game. | |
| Georgia Firebirds | Albany, Georgia | 2017 | Joined the ADL after playing inAmerican Indoor Football. League assumed operations during 2017 season. After the season, the league announced that the team was changing ownership but could not commit to the 2018 season until the new ownership obtained a new arena lease. In November 2017, the Firebirds were removed as league members. | |
| Harrisburg Stampede | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | Never played | Were to have joined the league with other former AIF teams, but folded on December 3, 2024 before they were to have played. | |
| High Country Grizzlies | Boone, North Carolina | 2017 | Originally an AIF expansion team, one of the first ADL teams announced. Left after 2017 for the newly formedAmerican Arena League.[96] | |
| Idaho Horsemen | Nampa, Idaho | 2024 | 2025 | Joined the NAL in 2024 from theAmerican West Football Conference. Dormant for the 2026 season to sort out their relocation plans. |
| Jacksonville Sharks | Jacksonville, Florida | 2017 | 2023 | One of the NAL's founding members in 2017 that joined from theArena Football League. Left for theIndoor Football League after winning the 2023 NAL championship. |
| Jersey Flight | Trenton, New Jersey | 2020 | 2021 | An announced 2018 expansion team that was removed from the league prior to the release of the 2018 schedule. Team then joined theAmerican Arena League. Under new ownership, the NAL announced the team as a member for the 2020 season. The team ceased operations prior to the 2022 season.[97] |
| Lehigh Valley Steelhawks | Allentown, Pennsylvania | 2017 | 2018 | One of the first two teams announced in the ADL and then played the first two NAL seasons. The team suspended operations after the ownership failed to find a buyer to operate the team for the 2019 season. |
| Louisville Xtreme | Louisville, Kentucky | Never played | Announced by the NAL as a 2021 expansion team, but league membership was terminated three months later. The team then joined theIndoor Football League a week later, but folded a few weeks into the season.[43][98] | |
| Maine Mammoths | Portland, Maine | 2018 | Established along with the Carolina Cobras for the 2018 season by National Sports Ventures, a company that included league expansion chairman and Jacksonville Sharks owner Jeff Bouchy, NAL executive Rob Storm, and Atlanta businessman Richard Maslia. After failing to secure local ownership, the Mammoths suspended operations before the 2019 season. In September 2019, the league announced it is finalizing the process for the Mammoths to return in 2020[99] but never made it on the 2020 schedule. | |
| Massachusetts Pirates | Worcester, Massachusetts | 2018 | 2020 | Announced by the NAL as a 2018 expansion team. The team entered the league with a three-year league affiliation agreement. Not offered another three-year membership agreement before the 2021 season[100] after the team was openly looking to join other leagues.[101] The Pirates joined theIndoor Football League for the 2021 season. |
| Monterrey Steel | Monterrey, Nuevo Leon | 2017 | Played the inaugural 2017 season as an expansion team; could not commit to the 2018 season and were removed from the league. | |
| New York Streets | White Plains, New York | 2019 | Announced by the NAL as a 2019 expansion team. Played on an undersized field at theWestchester County Center where, among other things, the lockers of players of the visiting Carolina Cobras were robbed during a game.[102] Ceased operations afterward. | |
| North Texas Bulls | Fort Worth, Texas | Never played | Joined NAL in September 2023 after being a member of theArena Football Association, however, membership was revoked on February 16, 2024.[103] | |
| Northern Kentucky | Highland Heights, Kentucky | Never played | An unnamed team created from the former travel-only team, theNorthern Kentucky Nightmare, that played in the AIF in 2016 and was initially announced as an inaugural ADL team. Team was removed when the ADL changed names to the NAL. | |
| Ontario Bandits | Ontario, California | Never played | Announced as a 2021 expansion team, but then went dormant for the season. Not listed as a member for the 2022 season.[52][104] | |
| Oklahoma Flying Aces | Enid, Oklahoma | 2024 | Joined from theChampions Indoor Football merger in 2023. The team terminated their season after four games after announcing ownership restructuring.[105] | |
| Orlando Predators | Orlando, Florida | 2019 | 2023 | Started as an expansion team in 2019 named for the formerArena Football League team. Joined the third incarnation of theAFL for 2024. |
| San Antonio Gunslingers | San Antonio, Texas | 2022 | 2023 | Joined from theAmerican Arena League for the 2022 season. Joined theIndoor Football League for the 2024 season. |
| Tampa Bay Tornadoes | Tampa, Florida | Never played | Announced as a 2021 expansion team, but the league terminated the team's membership three months later.[43] The organization re-joined theAmerican Arena League. | |
| Topeka Tropics | Topeka, Kansas | Never played | Joined NAL in 2023 after being a member ofChampions Indoor Football, however, membership was revoked on February 28, 2024.[72] | |
| West Texas Warbirds | Odessa, Texas | 2023 | Started as an expansion team in 2020 and was to have played withChampions Indoor Football before theCOVID-19 pandemic scrapped those plans. Joined the NAL for one season in 2023, then joined the third incarnation of theArena Football League for 2024 and were rebranded theWest Texas Desert Hawks. | |
| West Virginia Roughriders | Wheeling, West Virginia | Never played | Announced as a 2020 expansion team that previously played in theAmerican Arena League. Team suspended operations due to onset of COVID-19 pandemic. Listed as dormant member thorough the 2020 and 2021 seasons, but left the league prior to 2022 season due to a financial dispute with the NAL having never played a game. | |
| Wheeling Miners | Wheeling, West Virginia | 2025 | Joined the NAL for one season in 2025, was later removed from the NAL website's teams listing. The Miners would later announce on their social media they joined theAmerican Arena League, which was confirmed by the Columbus Lions in their league announcement.[92] |
| Year | Champion (Record in Championship Games) | Runner-up (Record in Championship Games) | Game Site (Games Hosted) | Score | Notes | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Jacksonville Sharks (1–0) | Columbus Lions (0–1)[106] | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena | 27–21[107] | 9,730 | |
| 2018 | Carolina Cobras (1–0) | Columbus Lions (0–2)[108] | Greensboro Coliseum Complex | 66–8[109] | ||
| 2019 | Jacksonville Sharks (2–0) | Carolina Cobras (1–1) | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena (2) | 52–48[110] | ||
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | |||||
| 2021 | Albany Empire (1–0)[111] | Columbus Lions (0–3) | MVP Arena | 79–62[112] | 4,014 | |
| 2022 | Albany Empire (2–0)[113] | Carolina Cobras (1–2) | MVP Arena (2) | 47–20[114] | 4,281 | |
| 2023 | Jacksonville Sharks (3–0) | Carolina Cobras (1–3) | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena (3) | 54–45[115] | 8,539 | |
| 2024 | Omaha Beef (1–0) | Sioux City Bandits (0–1) | Liberty First Credit Union Arena | 47–46 | 2OT | |
| 2025 | Beaumont Renegades (1–0) | Omaha Beef (1–1) | Doggett Ford Park | 37–29 | ||
Media related toNational Arena League at Wikimedia Commons
