By Aaron Castete

​Gregg Fornario, owner of the Richmond Roughriders, has announced he will be starting a new arena football league called the Professional Arena Football league in March 2019. The league will have two divisions Southern (SAF) and Northern (NAF) with the goal of lowering travel costs for the teams who participate in the league.

The PAF plans to have a decent size number teams participating in the 2019 Inaugural Season with the goal of "quality over quantity". Each division is expected to have 4 to 8 teams. According the website, the league will make sure teams go through extensive background checks, and make sure the teams have the right finances for a stable long-term future. As for scheduling, the PAF will play "a 8 to 10 game schedule, depending on what the team owners vote on."

The NAF Board of Directors currently includes:
Gregg Fornario (President and Commissioner)
Jesse Heninger (Director of Marketing, Operations, Brand Strategy)
Trey Braid (Operations, Creative Services & Information Technology)
Andrew Germann (Gameday Operations Coordinator)

As for Gregg's Richmond Roughriders, he announced his intentions to move his team to the PAF for 2019! As of now, the team is still currently exploring relocation sites due to the fact that the Richmond Coliseum is likely to be torn down.

As for the rulebook, the PAF website states that the league will play under a set of unique rules.

The following information is listed on the PAF Website:

• "Kickoff thru goal post is 1 pt and goes up with each consecutive successful kick.  
  • Example if kickoff goes thru uprights 3x in a row that is 3pts etc
• FG miss attempt, but makes contact with uprights is spotted at the 5yrd line like a punt.
• At the 2 minute warning at end of the game goes to 4 to score there will be no more 1st downs .  
  • Example if it's your ball at mid field with 2min and 5 seconds left and its 3rd and 3 you will want to call a timeout or if you don't it goes to 3rd and goal from mid field.
• Iron man = Must have 1 guy that plays a minimum of 16 plays on both sides of the ball.
• Roster = 19 man dress on the day of the game| 24 Man Roster during season
• Salary cap = $1,900 Minimum | $5,000 Maximum"

Source: www.professionalarenafootball.com

An unfulfilled promise of national coverage of the American Arena League All-Star game headlines numerous issues regarding the exhibition event.

​The league previously announced that the AAL All-Star Classic would be broadcast on ESPN3 with Mick Moninghoff set to lead the announcing crew. The game was not on the streaming platform, and the story announcing the broadcast has been taken down by the AAL, but a post was left on the league official Facebook page. Moninghoff was reported to not be at the contest.

​"I'm not going to say that I was disappointed, but I was feeling down," said Atlanta Havoc running back Zack Brown. "I was wondering 'would my family back at home still be able to watch it?'"

Brown was one of many players, fans, and staff learning about changes the day of the All-Star Classic. Others thought that there was improper action on behalf of the league.

“I just think that it was a sales tactic, and I do not think they had any intentions of airing the game on ESPN3,” said Kevin James, owner of the New England Calvary. 

James said that the appeal of being seen by bigger leagues like the NFL and CFL, thanks to the ESPN3 broadcast, would be a big draw for many players hoping to get their shot. But according to James, many veteran players avoided the AAL All-Star game based on previous experiences.

“The seasoned veterans in this sport didn’t fall for that trick because they have seen that stuff before,” James said. “It’s called bait-and-switch -- you advertise one thing, and the last minute, when everyone is all committed and you can’t turn back, ‘oops we can’t do that anymore’ or ‘it changed’.”

​A broadcast of the game was available on the AAL Facebook page, but is no longer available to watch. No box scores or game recaps of the AAL Stripes 34-29 victory over the Stars have been published on the league website. Game highlights can be found on YouTube.

The AAL website lists all the players named as 2018 All-Stars; both offense and defense, however, there is no mention of how the players were separated into the two teams.

Concerns about how players were selected, whether players were misrepresenting franchises by wearing other team helmets, and who would cover players' insurance requirements also arose as part of the day-of-event changes. 

​Brown was one of the people involved in defending the league given the circumstances.

​"Some of the top players in the league had the chance to play, but since we weren't getting paid, a lot of the top players turned it down," Brown said. "So, that's why I think that (the AAL) had to scramble around and get other players that wanted to play to play."

​Arena Football Talk reached out to the AAL for comment, but did not receive a response. 

​EDITOR'S NOTE: Aaron Castete was involved in the reporting and interviewing of this article. It was edited by Brice Burge and Jeff Simon.

The mystery of what league Tucson will be getting a team in has finally been solved. On Wednesday August 22nd, 2018 a website launched revealing that the Tucson team would be joining the Indoor Football League (IFL). Previously it was rumored that the Tucson franchise would be joining Champions Indoor Football (CIF). The team website has since been taken down due to the official press conference coming at 1:30pm. The team will start play in the 2019 season at the Tucson Convention Center (TCC) which currently hosts the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Tucson will have a built in rivalry with the Arizona Rattlers who play just over an hour and a half north up Interstate 10 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. Rattlers head coach Kevin Guy and his wife will be majority owners with minority owners and other details yet to announced. The team will be holding a name the team contest on their website once the official announcement comes at 1:30pm today. Tucson previously flirted with getting an IFL team in 2011, but that fell through due to unknown reasons.
You can be sure this team will be here for the long run with Guy at the helm. In addition to multiple ArenaBowl titles, he coached the Rattlers to a United Bowl title in their first IFL season by knocking off the six time defending champion Sioux Falls Storm. As a head coach Kevin Guy has a 128-45 record. He's also been an assistant coach and general manager, as well as a player. He's been involved in indoor/arena football for a total of 23 years.
For those new to the IFL, the league will have seven teams with the addition of Tucson with more rumored to be joining via expansion or from the CIF. Currently the six other teams are the Sioux Falls Storm, Arizona Rattlers, Nebraska Danger, Green Bay Blizzard, Cedar Rapids Titans, and the defending champion Iowa Barnstormers. One thing to note is that the Cedar Rapids Titans are holding a name the team contest on their website to rebrand the team for 2019. The Titans were sold to new ownership this off-season and will enter this new era with a fresh brand.

 By Rob Disario
​
If you think Northern Arena Football (NAF) is just another arena league, you would be wrong. In an exclusive Arena Football Talk interview with the New England Cavalry owner, Kevin James, I got a first-hand look into the newest football league. The Cavalry is the first team to sign on. 

First, a little background: in their inaugural season as an arena football club, the New England Cavalry joined the American Arena League (AAL) as an affiliate, which is a team does not have a home field, and travels to face other clubs. During the 2018 season, James learned how to run a successful football team. Most importantly, he was able to make connections with other players, owners, and coaches - most notably Richmond Roughriders owner, Gregg Fornario. James said he become friendly with Fornario and jumped at the chance to become part of his new league. 

“The NAF,” James explained, “will be run the way you’d want; the way you’d require an arena football league to be run to label it as professional.” As a player, a coach, and now an owner, James says he’s experienced both the good and the bad in certain leagues. “This is not gonna be semi-pro football...believe the hype, the hype is real!”  

Kevin James explained the New England Cavalry will play their home games at the new Granite Woods Festival Park facility in Hooksett, New Hampshire. He and six other local businesses are part of the development group for the indoor/outdoor recreational park. He said it will be truly great for the local community.  

As for other teams to join the NAF, James hopes all teams from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Maine “who are professionally run, with good vision will join: meaning a vision for long-term success.” James offered another local club as an example, the Elite Indoor Football (EIF) Champions, New England Bobcats. “As long as they're willing to make long-term success their vision, we’d love if they joined the NAF,” James said. 

As for James and his Cavalry, he’s currently recruiting players, coaches, and support staff to join him in his quest for success. With two tryouts scheduled for later this year (September 2 and December 1), James said he was not interested in the semi-pro culture. “I want professional players who are ready to hustle, work hard, and put themselves out there for the team,” James said. 

All the NAF action will be broadcast on YouTube Live, and feature video playback, game stats, and consistent highlights.

​As an arena football fan I’m excited to have the NAF delivering high-quality football to my region of the country. We at AFT Network wish Kevin James and the New England Cavalry the best of luck in the 2019 season. 

By Rob Disario
​When I received my season tickets in December, 2017 the Massachusetts Pirates were a mere concept. They were an idea from local businessmen who loved football and wanted to bring it back to Worcester, Mass. With no players, staff or fans the Yatim family sold their idea to the National Arena League and the local community. On November 15, 2017 the Mass Pirates held a news conference announcing their idea to the arena football world. 

Oh, how far we’ve come! As an arena football fan first, and AFT Network contributor second, I can say with much confidence the inaugural season for the Mass Pirates was a complete and utter success!! The Pirates were able to get fans excited and get them to buy tickets before the turf was even cut for the floor of the DCU Center. 

So, what did we see during the 2018 season? The first couple of weeks we saw wins against the Maine Mammoths and then the defending champions Jacksonville Sharks. The Pirates first loss came against the Championship bound Carolina Cobras. Pirate Nation attributed this defeat to the last minute loss of their star quarterback Sean Brackett and phenomenal wide receiver Orlandus Harris who were invited to the CFL mini-camp in Saskatchewan. This gave the opportunity for two fill-in QB’s Danny Southwick and Robert Kent. During that game, Pirate Head Coach Ameer Ismail was ejected from the game. Coach Ismail and I would share a laugh about this later when I interviewed him regarding the upcoming rematch with the Cobras. 

The following week Brackett was back to distribute his magic to the masses. Also, the addition of Mardy Gilyard to the roster proved they were about to raise the bar in the National Arena League. For example, in week five, with the score tied at 30, Brackett felt the pressure from Lions defensive line and scrambled. The Pirate QB retreated 11 yards and throws an OMG from his back foot to Mardy Gilyard who falls over the boards. Gilyard maintains possession in the Lions bench and its ruled a touchdown. Wow.
    
However, the season was not without its surprises. In week 12 London Crawford was suspiciously absent from the Pirates roster for their win over the Steelhawks. The news broke three days before gameday when Crawford posted on National Arena League News Facebook page that he was moving on from the team.  

The following week Sean Brackett and the Pirates pulled off an amazing, last minute win against the Cobras. With Devonn Brown in motion around Brackett and up the middle, Brackett took two steps back and unloads a high-ball deep into the far corner of the DCU Center to a wide open Brown for an “OMG, DID HE JUST CATCH THAT?!” touchdown. A greater sight in football I can't recall.    

But then, the unthinkable. In week fifteen against the Jacksonville Sharks, Pirate quarterback Sean Brackett suffers an awkward tackle in the second quarter. He would be helped off the field and not return the remainder of the game. Darron Thomas would come in to finish the game and the season for the swashbucklers. Ironically, Thomas would suffer his own ankle injury in the playoff game against the Lions. Apparently quitting is not in Darron Thomas’ vocabulary because he kept limping back to the huddle. He showed grit and strength the likes of which I’ve never seen from any other professional football league. The Pirates would ultimately lose to Columbus, but not because of lack of effort or lack of talent. 

To say the inaugural season of the Massachusetts Pirates was a success would be an understatement. The owners, staff and players should be proud of what they created and what will surely be a dominating team for years to come. 

Gregg Fornario, owner of the Richmond Roughriders, has announced he will be starting a new arena football league called the Northern Arena Football league in March 2019. The league will have teams in the North / Northeast US with the goal of lowering travel costs for the teams who participate in the league.

The NAF plans to have 6-8 teams participating in the 2019 Inaugural Season. According the website, the league will make sure teams go through extensive background checks, and make sure the teams have the right finances for a stable long-term future. As for scheduling, the NAF will play "a 8 to 10 game schedule, depending on what the team owners vote on."

The NAF Board of Directors currently includes:
Gregg Fornario (President and Commissioner)
Jesse Heninger (Director of Marketing, Operations, Brand Strategy)
Trey Braid (Operations, Creative Services & Information Technology)
Andrew Germann (Gameday Operations Coordinator)

As for Gregg's Richmond Roughriders, he announced his intentions to keep his team in the AAL for 2019. As of now, the team is still currently exploring relocation sites due to the fact that the Richmond Coliseum is likely to be torn down.

As for the rulebook, the NAF website states that the league will play under a set of unique rules.

The following information is listed on the NAF Website:

• "Kickoff thru goal post is 1 pt and goes up with each consecutive successful kick.  
  • Example if kickoff goes thru uprights 3x in a row that is 3pts etc
• FG miss attempt, but makes contact with uprights is spotted at the 5yrd line like a punt.
• At the 2 minute warning at end of the game goes to 4 to score there will be no more 1st downs .  
  • Example if it's your ball at mid field with 2min and 5 seconds left and its 3rd and 3 you will want to call a timeout or if you don't it goes to 3rd and goal from mid field.
• Iron man = Must have 1 guy that plays a minimum of 16 plays on both sides of the ball.
• Roster = 19 man dress on the day of the game| 24 Man Roster during season
• Salary cap = $1,900 Minimum | $5,000 Maximum"

Source: www.northernarenafootball.com
------------------
AFT Multimedia Director Aaron Castete sat down with Gregg Fornario (NAF President) and asked a few questions regarding the league.

Aaron: "How will the NAF separate itself from the other leagues and build a unique brand?"

Gregg: "We will be a regional league that will make teams save on travel and players not have to dread the long bus rides."

Aaron: "When exploring cities for franchises, what are some of the key components you look for with the city, venue, and potential ownership group?"

Gregg:  "We are looking to keep the NAF from Pennsylvania and north of there, there are alot of commadating arenas in the New England area that we will like to see that be the center point of the foot print. And all ownership groups will have a financial background checks.  I know what it takes capital wise to get a team going, so I can advice through the process so ownerships know the realistic terms."

Aaron: "As for markets, will the league plan to have teams mostly medium sized markets?"

Gregg: "Markets will be up to the franchise owners as long as it is in the footprint and arena is approved by NAF"

Aaron:  "After owning a team for two seasons so far, what are some of the things you have learned and will use to shape your league?"

Gregg: "Well the motto is "Get in where you fit in" And being geographically correct is huge. Being a owner for two seasons I have now learned how to cut corners in a professional manner and I plan on sharing that with all teams in the league to keep the league a success. We plan on starting a league in the south in 20' and have the winners of both leagues play in the East coast Arena Bowl."

By Rob Disario
​​Sunday’s win by the Maine Mammoths over the Jacksonville Sharks confirms what Pirate Nation knew all along: The Massachusetts Pirates are the best team in the National Arena League...for now. 

The Pirates secured the number one seed giving them home field advantage throughout the playoffs, (as long as they win). Their first battle is this Saturday, August 11th when they face off against the Columbus Lions in Worcester, Massachusetts. 

But the question on everybody’s mind is WILL SEAN BRACKETT PLAY? Immediately following the game on Saturday, I met with Coach Ameer Ismail and asked aout the star quarterback. His exact words were “We’ll see!” Further pressure by this analyst produced nothing more than “We’ll see” from the leader of the Pirates. He went on to say that even if Brackett doesn’t play, Darron Thomas will be ready to go and ready to win. 

Not wanting to aggravate the coach any further, I inquired as to the Pirates’ missing receivers: Bones Bagaunte and Devonn Brown who did not dress for Saturday’s win over the Steelhawks. Coach Ismail reassured me that their lack of participation was a coach's decision to rest them and not the result of any injury or inability to play. Later, I caught up with #0 (Bones Bagaunte) and asked if he would be ready for Saturday’s first round game. Bones cracked a mischievous smile and replied, “I’ll be ready!” No wonder he’s a fan favorite. 

In addition to answering player inquiries, Coach Ismail wanted to give a shout out to the players and coaching staff of the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks. He said Coach Barto and his team faced several challenges this season, but played with heart week in and week out. 

Thus, the NAL playoffs shake out like this: Columbus Lions travel to Worcester to face off against the Massachusetts Pirates on Saturday August 11th; and the Jacksonville Sharks travel to Greensboro on Tuesday, August 14th to play the Carolina Cobras. Both games kick off at 7pm.

By RJ Ciancio

The Massachusetts Pirates played host to the 0-14 Lehigh Valley Steelhawks who were playing to avoid having the worst single season record in National Arena League (NAL) history. Darron Thomas started for the Pirates as Sean Brackett was out due to injury. However that made little difference to the Pirates as on the first drive of the game Massachusetts marched down the field as Von Pearson caught a long bomb and was tackled inside the Steelhawks one. On first and goal Thomas handed the ball off to Dashawn Johnson who plunged in from a yard out for the touchdown. With Ali Mourtada’s extra point the score read 7-0 Pirates.

Mourtada’s kickoff was taken out to the Steelhawks 14. With an injured Caleb Walton, Patrick Ryan got the start. However, Ryan struggled as the offensive line was pushed around and the offense went three and out. Spencer Hotaling’s field goal attempt was no good.

After the teams traded unsuccessful field goals, Thomas found Mardy Gillyard for a touchdown reception. With Mortada missing the the extra point the score read 13-0 Pirates. On the ensuing kickoff Mortada’s kickoff split the uprights for the deuce making it 15-0 Massachusetts

Patrick Ryan struggled to lead the Steelhawks offense as the offense slowed down. Luckily for the Steelhawks were given a first down after the Pirates committed Illegal hands to the face penalty. Lehigh Valley wasn’t able to capitalize on the drive as they turned the ball over on downs.

Throughout the rest of the half the Pirates were able to continue the slaughter as they were able score fourteen unanswered points making it 29-0 Pirates by the  time the first half ended.

The Steelhawks stumbled out of the gate as their first drive on second half ended as RJ Roberts strip-sacked Ryan and Roberts ran the ball into the endzone for the Massachusetts touchdown. With Mortada missing the extra point the score read 35-0.

Massachusetts continued to find the endzone and hold the Steelhawks scoreless until the 8:55 mark in the fourth quarter on a fluke play where the snap was botched and fumbled by many players before it was recovered in the endzone for the Steelhawks touchdown. With the Spencer Hotaling nailed the extra point giving the Steelhawks their only points of the game. By the time the final whistle sounded the scoreboard read: Pirates 67, Steelhawks 7.

The Pirates enter the playoffs on a high note. Massachusetts can also rest easy knowing that Darron Thomas is ready to step in for Sean Brackett if he gets hurt. If the Sharks lose their final regular season game the Pirates will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs and will get to host the NAL Championship Game. If the Sharks win the Pirates would still get to host at least one playoff game. Massachusetts is riding high going into to postseason.  
          

Lehigh Valley’s season is over. After setting a NAL record for the worst record in league and team history. The Steelhawks will have to rebuild for next year, but if they do well in the offseason they could have a rebound year in 2019.

​