The Alliance of American Football thread

[MillerEP 30348]

Figured there is enough of us who keep up with the AAF for it to have its own thread and not need to post on the uniform thread. I hope that reject doesn't end up on the San Antonio team.

http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/26153881/aaf-no-plans-expansion-relocation-20

Wednesday, March 6, 2019
AAF: No plans for expansion, relocation for '20

---

By Michael Rothstein
 

Alliance of American Football co-founder Bill Polian said Wednesday there are no plans to expand beyond the league's original eight teams heading into the 2020 season.

There are also no plans, at this point, to relocate any franchises after this inaugural season.

"Expansion I don't think is on the front burner," Polian said. "We still have lots of work that we need to do to solidify our league and solidify ourselves in the local markets. So I don't think expansion is a high priority item at this time.

"We haven't even really given a thought to relocation, because we really don't have a firm handle because of the untoward weather that's affected the Southeast. We don't really have a handle on what many of the markets are really like when you got a nice day and temperatures are in the 50s or 60s. So that's an incomplete picture at this point in time."

Expansion became more of a topic after the league was sued last month, and the lawsuit revealed a proposed business plan with potential expansion cities. At least for now, though, there are no plans to grow the league or to move any of the teams from their current locations.

In some stadium lease contracts reviewed by ESPN, the AAF and cities agreed to three-year leases for various venues. There are buyouts in the contracts if the league needed to escape the agreement. The agreement with Atlanta, for example, goes through May 2021.

Some franchises, like Orlando and San Antonio, have had success with attendance. Others, like Arizona and Atlanta, have struggled. Television ratings have also remained somewhat consistent throughout the first half of the season, including an estimated 409,000 people watching Saturday night's Orlando-Salt Lake game, according to ShowBuzz Daily. Sunday night's Atlanta-Arizona game on NFL Network drew an estimated 450,000 viewers.

Polian said the AAF is starting to plan for recruiting and signings for the 2020 season. He also expects some AAF players to be signed by NFL teams at the conclusion of the season.

As for quarterback Johnny Manziel, who was released by the CFL in late February, Polian said there have been "feelers" placed with people close to him and that the league has completed about 50 percent of its "due diligence" on the quarterback.

He also said the $250 million investment in the league by Tom Dundon last month has given "long-term" stability to the AAF.

[MrPhlegm 3413]

Well Atlanta and zona having attendance probs is no surprise, they's other shit to do there and other pro football teams.

Orlando and San Antonio got pro football teams nearby but all 5 of em suck ass right about now and Orlando doesn't have any pro team in the city that doesn't suck ass. Magic suck ass, Solar Bears suck ass, Orlando City girly men suck ass. UCF's stadium ain't too bad (they actually have water fountains now!) parking aint bad. So they do ok. Having a decent team is a plus.

Now San Antonio that's a no brainer. They have been dying for a pro football team for decades.

Hell fucking shithole Arlington has a pro football team and San Antonio is way more bigger than Arlington.

[MillerEP 30348]

[GreenspointTexas 9568]

Garrett Gilbert gonna be the league mvp

[immamac 42560]

Was really surprised to see that orlando had even dropped a game. I've watched all the Commanders games this season and it's been great!

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

3 hours ago, immamac said:

Was really surprised to see that orlando had even dropped a game. I've watched all the Commanders games this season and it's been great!

Shouldn't have. They got jobbed this weekend. I'd use exclamation points over that opinion except, well... hey, it may be football, so I'll watch, but I'm not like emotionally vested in it or anything.

[kopp0e 1135]

2 hours ago, Walden Ponderer said:

Shouldn't have. They got jobbed this weekend. I'd use exclamation points over that opinion except, well... hey, it may be football, so I'll watch, but I'm not like emotionally vested in it or anything.

Yeah, it takes a while to build up an investment in a new league as a fan, in my opinion...

[MillerEP 30348]

The Alliance of American Football brings Championship Game to the Lone Star State

2019 Alliance Championship Game Moves From Las Vegas, NV  to 
The Dallas Cowboys’ Star in Frisco, TX

CBS Television Network Set To Broadcast Game in Primetime on Saturday, April 27

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - March 20, 2019 - The Alliance of American Football announced today that the 2019 Alliance Championship will be played in Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Owned and operated by Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, The Star is a state-of-the-art, 510,000-square-foot indoor athletic facility shared with the Dallas Cowboys, the city of Frisco and the Frisco Independent School District. The Alliance Championship, which was originally scheduled to be played in Las Vegas, will be broadcast on CBS Television Network in primetime on Saturday, April 27 at 8 pm ET.

“The Alliance has built a foundation of high-quality football, revolutionary technology and world-class partnerships with the NFL, CBS and Turner Sports,” said Jerry Jones, owner, president and general manager, Dallas Cowboys. “It was only natural that we at the Cowboys organization would want to join that great group of partners. I have always believed that our great game of football could use a league to give players the shot they needed to make it to the NFL, and Bill Polian, Tom Dundon and Charlie Ebersol, have done just that. We are proud to be able to host their inaugural Championship Game.”

“Since joining The Alliance, I’ve ignited a mission to accelerate the growth of our league in its next phase as a complementary developmental league for the NFL and its players,” said Tom Dundon, control owner and chairman, The Alliance. “Our commitment to the three Alliance  stars, the fans, players, and the game, were at the forefront of our decision to move the game to this magnificent facility.”

Charlie Ebersol, co-founder & CEO, The Alliance, said, “We are eternally grateful to the people and city of Las Vegas as well as Las Vegas Events and the LVCVA for their early support and confidence in what we have created. Not only is Las Vegas the home of our investor and world-class partner, MGM Resorts International, Vegas is the undisputed mecca for live events. While we won’t play our championship game in Vegas this year, we will still be offering a one-of-a-kind experience for Alliance fans in Las Vegas during our Championship weekend.”

“Jerry Jones isn’t just a close friend of Tom, Charlie and mine, but he is also a great supporter of our league,” said Bill Polian, head of football, The Alliance. “To be able to showcase our brand of top-flight football on NFL Draft weekend in the state-of-the-art football facility built by Jerry is a Texas-sized win for our league. Texas has played a huge support role in the launch of The Alliance. Our San Antonio Commanders average nearly 30,000 in attendance for home games, and we are sure football fans in Dallas/Fort Worth will support our Championship.”

Fans who purchased tickets to the game at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium will receive full refunds. Tickets for the 2019 Alliance Championship will go on sale Thursday, March 28 at 10 am ET on AAF.com. Ticket prices will range between $15 and $99.