Arena football league consultant describes plans for Springfield — if the votes are there
A new indoor football league announced this week Springfield is among the 10 finalists to host a team in the inaugural 2024 season.
On Wednesday, a consultant for The Arena League laid out the organization's plans for Springfield — if residents show there's enough interest by voting in an online poll at TheArenaLeague.Football.
Tommy Benizio of Benizio Sports visited Springfield recently to check out facilities and meet with representatives from the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau. He said if Springfield gets a team, home games would be played in a new multi-purpose arena being built at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.
"Springfield was as or more welcoming than any community I visited," Benizio said, adding that much of his time in town was spent at the site where the arena is being built.
The plan for The Arena League's first season, Benizio said, is to kick off in June 2024 with four teams playing a 10-game schedule. The hope is to expand with more teams the following summer.
"We’re trying to create a sustainable business model for what’s going to be a very creative league," Benizio said.
Geography was a big reason Springfield was selected as a finalist, as Benizio said the league wants to start off with teams in Midwestern cities that are fairly close to each other.
NFL Hall of Famer and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown has attached himself to The Arena League as the commissioner. Benizio said the league hopes to fill its rosters with athletes who have NFL potential.
"We’re not looking for local sandlot players as much as recruiting the best currently unsigned professional football players across the nation," Benizio said.
More:Springfield is a finalist to land a team in new arena football league. Here's how to vote.
Benizio said The Arena League will have a six-on-six format with rules designed to maximize enjoyment for the spectators. They are also planning to have pre-game tailgate parties, halftime performances and post-game autograph sessions.
Lance Kettering, executive director of the Springfield Sports Commission, said he sees three possible ways Springfield could benefit from landing a team in The Arena League aside from the possible economic boost. First off, he said, it would give fans another sports entertainment option in town. Secondly, he said it would lead to Springfield getting more exposure outside of the region. And thirdly, having a team in town could give local college athletes a chance to continue their playing careers.
In addition to Springfield, the other contenders to land a team in The Arena League are Kansas City, Oklahoma City; Waterloo, Iowa; Rochester, Minnesota; Little Rock; Rockford, Illinois; Dubuque, Iowa; Duluth, Minnesota; and Wichita Falls, Texas.
The league will start announcing team sites in March.
Springfield is no stranger to indoor football. In the 2000s, the city hosted the WolfPack of the now defunct American Professional Football League. The WolfPack played home games at Jordan Valley Ice Park.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: The Arena League eyeing fairgrounds complex as possible home site
