By: Aaron Castete

After the LA Kiss and San Jose Sabercats closed up shop years ago, the amount of western based indoor/arena football in the United States has dwindled down to a small amount. For all the arena/indoor football fans in the West, we have good news for you! A reportedly new professional indoor football league called the "American West Football Conference" has formed for the upcoming 2019 season. The AWFC was founded by Platinum Events & Security LLC. the same owner of the Idaho Horsemen Football Organization. After months of evaluation and conversations with the IFL and CIF, the Idaho Horsemen ownership group felt they'd be better off forming their own league. The AWFC will kickoff its inaugural season March of 2019 with 4 teams in Nampa, ID, Reno, NV, Wenatchee, WA, & Kennewick, WA. The league wants to start out small to develop stability and then they will expand to new markets.

Current Listed Members:

• Wenatchee Valley Skyhawks (Town Toyota Center/4,300 seats)
• Reno Express (Reno Event Center/7,000 seats)
• Tri-Cities Fire (Toyota Center-Kennewick/6,000 seats)
• Idaho Horsemen. (Ford Idaho Center/12,369 seats)

Markets In the Works:

• Everett, Washington
• Kent, Washington
• Portland, Oregon
• Spokane, Washington
• Billings, Montana
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Yakima, Washington
• Las, Vegas, Nevada 

The AWFC website can be visited at www.americanwestfootballconference.com. Also fans can find the AWFC on facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/AmericanWestFootball/.

The first ever AWFC league meeting will take place November 3rd in Tacoma, Washington. Arena Football Talk will continue to provide updates regarding the AWFC, as news arises.

The Carolina Havoc announced former player Anson Yarborough will be the next head coach of the team, and third in franchise history.

Yarborough played with the Havoc as a lineman and was a 2018 all star in the AAL. He previously played with the Baltimore Ravens, the Cape Fear Heroes and the Fayetteville Force. But for local fans, they'll recognize him as a member of the last team to play in Florence, the AIFA's Florence Phantoms.

The announcement was made this morning, October 20, in a press conference on Facebook Live. 

The Carolina Havoc have had a busy offseason with a coaching search, a relocation and a decision to be made about league affiliation. Providing the inside view, General Manager Steve Smith joins AFT Buzz to discuss all the team's biggest news and how the franchise is putting down roots in South Carolina.

Host Brice Burge also talks about some shakeups in the front offices of the Salina Liberty and Omaha Beef in the CIF. He also looks at the expansion of leagues out west with the Idaho Horsemen creating their own league and whether or not that is one league too many. RJ Ciancio also joins us to wrap up his talk on potential markets.

AFT Buzz airs Fridays at 7 p.m. Eastern on the internet radio station 920 WON: The Apple. Fans can listen around the world live at www.live365.com/station/a09178 or through the Live365 app. Shows are available after release at https://www.mixcloud.com/AFTBuzz/ 

Few teams have had such a busy offseason as the Cedar Rapids River Kings. With new owners, new name, new coach and front office all bringing a lot of attention to the franchise, fans can miss out on all the work put in. To help explain everything, Cedar Rapids River Kings General Manager Ryan Eucker joins the show for an interview. 

A lot of head coaches received new roles or contract extensions in every major league. AFT President Derek Harper discusses which moves are best for each franchise. Host Brice Burge points out that Bismarck Bucks' jump from one league to another can be beneficial for all parties involved. AFT beat writer Chris Mabry also joins the show, discussing one IFL quarterback's jump to the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL.

AFT Buzz airs Fridays at 7 p.m. Eastern on the internet radio station 920 WON: The Apple. Fans can listen around the world live at www.live365.com/station/a09178 or through the Live365 app. Shows are available after release at https://www.mixcloud.com/AFTBuzz/ 

The Bismarck Bucks announced on their Facebook page today, October 5, that they will be joining the Indoor Football League for the 2019 season.  This is the first time in franchise history that the team will be changing leagues.

Arena Football Talk (AFT) is proud to announce a partnership with Professional Arena Football (PAF).
“We at Arena Football Talk are very happy to be working with Commissioner Gregg Fornario, Marketing Operations Director Jesse Heninger along with the rest of the PAF staff,” said AFT Founder and President Derek Harper. “We are very thankful for this opportunity that Gregg has presented us with.”
Arena Football Talk will cover the league along with Champions Indoor Football, Indoor Football League, National Arena League and Arena Football League. Not only will the PAF continue on their plans for creating opportunities for fans and players, but this partnership celebrates AFT’s dedication to promoting the indoor game in a positive manner.
Now, with more teams to cover Arena Football Talk will need more writers, so email us at theaftnetwork@gmail.com if you would like to submit a sample article. We look forward to covering the PAF and we will continue to provide you with the best product we can can offer.

Kevin Guy, head coach of the Arizona Rattlers and co-owner of the Tuscon Sugar Skulls, comes onto AFT Buzz to discuss the new Tuscon team. Guy is the biggest guest to date on the show and he explains why Tuscon was the place to go to put the newest IFL franchise.

Anthony Reynolds, a lecturer at Ohio University also joins to talk about the impacts of successful marketing for indoor football teams before AFT Head of Management talks to Lehigh Valley Steelhawks beat writer RJ Ciancio about rumors involving the Steelhawks, the Baltimore Brigade and more.

AFT Buzz airs Fridays at 7 p.m. Eastern on the internet radio station 920 WON: The Apple. Fans can listen around the world live at www.live365.com/station/a09178 or through the Live365 app. Shows are available after release at https://www.mixcloud.com/AFTBuzz/ 

Tuscon Indoor Football has decided to name their team the Sugar Skulls.

"If you are native to Tuscon, it is the center of the culture here. We celebrate tradition, we celebrate honor, we celebrate festivity and that's what Tuscon Sugar Skulls is all about," the emcee said at the reveal party. 

A sugar skull is used in Mexican culture to honor the departed loved ones of the living. Tuscon has one of the largest All Souls Processions in the United States, a parade celebrated in accordance with dia de los muertos. 

A red,  yellow and black sombrero sits on top of an ornate skull, nestled in between the necks of two similarly colored guitars. Sugar Skulls is written side by side in the logo.

In addition to the name and logo, the full team website is now available at tucsonsugarskulls.com. On social media, the team Twitter handle will be @sugarskullsfb and Instagram is @sugarskullsfootball. 

The video of the announcement can be watched in its entirety on the team Facebook page.