What to Know
- The AFL announced Wednesday it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and is fully ceasing operations.
- The AFL suspended local business operations in October but were evaluating other league operations before Wednesday’s announcement.
- The league most recently consisted of six teams, including the Philadelphia Soul and Atlantic City Blackjacks.
After more than three decades, the Arena Football League (AFL) is no more. The AFL announced Wednesday it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and is fully ceasing operations.
“We’re all disappointed that we couldn’t find a way forward and we wanted to thank our fans, our players, coaches, everyone who loved the Arena Football League,” AFL Commissioner Randall Boe said. “We all love the game and tried very hard to make it successful, but we simply weren’t able to raise the capital necessary to grow the League, resolve the substantial legacy liabilities and make it financially viable.”
The AFL suspended local business operations in October but were evaluating other league operations before Wednesday’s announcement. A spokesperson for the league said refunds will be processed and completed within the next few weeks.
The AFL launched in 1987 and continued for 22 seasons before canceling its 2009 season. It then relaunched in 2010.
The league most recently consisted of six teams, including the Philadelphia Soul and Atlantic City Blackjacks.
U.S. & World
The Soul joined the AFL in 2004 and won back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017. The team played its home games at the Wells Fargo Center and won three league titles overall with an average attendance of 9,239 fans in 2018.
NBC10 is reaching out to the Soul for comment.
