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Arena Football League

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
March 16, 2015 - Arena Football League (AFL)


BASEBALL

Eastern League: The new Hartford-based Double-A Eastern League team, which is currently operating as the New Britain (CT) Rock Cats, has narrowed its proposed team name list from ten to five. Blue Frogs, Choppers, Honey Badgers, Hound Dogs and Screech Owls are gone, while Hedgehogs, Praying Mantis, River Hogs, Whirlybirds and Yard Goats remain as choices. Construction started last month on a new stadium in Hartford that is set to open in April 2016 for the relocated New Britain Rock Cats.

Atlantic League: After deciding against a proposed opening day giveaway involving hermit crabs, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League announced the team's name will change to the Southern Maryland Hermit Crabs for the opening day of the 2015 season and switch back to the Blue Crabs for the rest of the season.

Independent Baseball League: The Tiffin (OH) Saints, one of four teams that participated in the inaugural 2014 season of the IBL, announced late last month the team would not be returning for the 2015 season. Another first-year team called the Shovel City Crawlers (Marion, OH) dropped out during the 2014 season. The other two teams were the Adrian (MI) Pioneers and a travel team called the Ohio Travelers based in Marion (OH).

Pacific Association: The independent Pacific Association recently posted its 2015 season schedule that will feature the same four California-based teams as last season - the Pittsburg Mettle, San Rafael Pacifics, Sonoma Stompers and Vallejo Admirals. Teams will play a 78-game schedule from June through August.

Great West League: The proposed new summer-collegiate GWL will have a team based in Portland (OR) when the league starts play in 2016. The GWL plans to have all teams located in Oregon and California and it previously announced teams for the California markets of Chico and Lodi.

BASKETBALL

Central Basketball Association: The CBA, which was formed when several teams from the Central Basketball League broke away to form a new spring league last season, will return for a second season in 2015 with eight teams. The CBA recently announced a new affiliated Brazilian league called CBA Brazil that will start play in September 2015 with at least ten teams throughout the country. Top players from the CBA springtime season will be invited to play in the CBA Brazil fall season, while top CBA Brazil players will be invited to play in the CBA. The CBA Brazil could lead to the development of leagues in other South American countries like Argentina and Chile for the 2016-17 season.

Eastern Basketball Alliance: The EBA announced the Hagerstown-based Western Maryland Elite has been suspended for failing to meet league obligations. The Elite joined the EBA for the 2015 season.

International Basketball League: The IBL announced its new Portland Pro-Am league will be based at Multnomah University in Portland (OR) when the league starts play in the summer of 2015.

FOOTBALL

Arena Football League: The Philadelphia Soul of the AFL plans to play one 2015 home game in Atlantic City (NJ). A team called the Atlantic City CardSharks played in the 2004 season of the defunct National Indoor Football League.

Women's Football Alliance: The owner of the WFA's Boston Militia, which was the 2014 league champion, decided to shut down the team earlier this year. A new team called the Boston Renegades has formed from the disbanded Militia and will be part of the 2015 WFA season that starts next month. The WFA is a full-tackle outdoor women's football league that started play in 2009.

HOCKEY

American Hockey League: The AHL's new Stockton (CA) team, which is currently playing in Glens Falls (NY) as the Adirondack Flames and is owned by the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames, will be called the Stockton Heat when the team relocates next season as part of a new AHL Pacific Division. Other nicknames under consideration were the Blaze, Fire, Inferno and Scorch. The AHL announced two other changes for the 2015-16 season. The Hamilton (Ontario) Bulldogs were sold to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League and the team will move to St. John's (Newfoundland) for the next two seasons. The Canadiens are then expected to move the AHL team to a new arena under construction in Laval (Quebec), which is closer to Montreal. The AHL's current St. John's IceCap team, which is owned by the NHL's Winnipeg Jets, will move to Winnipeg where the team will be renamed the Manitoba Moose for the 2015-16 season. This is also considered to be a temporary move as the Jets try to find a more permanent home for its AHL affiliate close to Winnipeg. The Jets had been linked to a proposed new arena in Thunder Bay (Ontario), but that has yet to get off the ground. The owners of the Winnipeg Jets operated an AHL team called the Manitoba Moose that was part of the league from 2001 to 2011. When the Jets' ownership purchased the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers and moved the team to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 season, the Manitoba Moose moved to Newfoundland as the St. John's IceCaps.

Ontario Hockey League: The owner of the American Hockey League's Hamilton Bulldogs team, which was sold and will relocate to St. John's (Newfoundland) next season, has purchased the Belleville Bulls team in the major-junior OHL. The Belleville Bulls will move to Hamilton next season and the team will be renamed the Hamilton Bulldogs. Belleville is about 160 miles northeast of Hamilton and has the second-lowest attendance in the OHL this season. Hamilton was home to several previous OHL teams, the last of which left after the 1990-91 season. The Belleville Bulls joined the OHL as an expansion team for the 1981-82 season.

United States Premier Hockey League: The junior-level USPHL, which started play in the 2013-14 season and currently operates three eastern Tier-III leagues as a Premier Division, an Elite Division and an Empire Division, is trying to expand into the Midwest for the 2015-16 season. Earlier this year, the USPHL announced plans to take over 14 teams from the Tier-III Minnesota Junior Hockey League and create a Mid-West Division of teams. This week the USPHL Mid-West Division added eight more teams - seven from the Midwest Junior Hockey League and the Kalkaska Rhinos - to grow to a 22-team league. The USPHL would like to eventually have some of its divisions operate at the Tier-I and Tier-II levels under the USA Hockey structure.

SOCCER

Women's Premier Soccer League: The WPSL announced three more new teams for its upcoming 2015 season. The Dallas City FC Lions of the men's National Premier Soccer League, which is affiliated with the WPSL, will add a Dallas City FC women's team that will join the new Los Angeles-based SoCal FC and the Bay Area's new Tottenham Hotspur East Bay Ladies in the 2015 WPSL season.

Major League Soccer: Although an official announcement is not expected for the next month or two, the MLS is reported to be considering the owners of the Minnesota United FC in the Division-II North American Soccer League for the league's next expansion team. The Minnesota United FC group is working to build a new soccer-specific stadium in Minneapolis, while another Minneapolis expansion effort is tied to the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings and would use the new NFL stadium that is under construction as home for an MLS team. Minneapolis and the Sacramento Republic FC of the United Soccer League are considered frontrunners for the league's 24th team. The Sacramento group has strong ownership and is also planning a new soccer-specific stadium, but the MLS appears to be leaning toward adding another team in the Midwest. The MLS has 20 teams this season with new teams in Los Angeles and Atlanta set to join in 2017. Another expansion team was awarded in early 2014 to a Miami group headed by former MLS player David Beckham on the condition it build a new soccer-specific stadium, but it has been having trouble finding a suitable stadium site.

OTHER

Professional Bowlers Association "" The League: The eight-team PBA League will return for its third season that will be played March 28-29, 2015 in Portland (ME). The five-player teams for 2015 will include the GEICO New York City WTT KingPins, Barbasol Motown Muscle, Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits, Silver Lake Atom Splitters, Philadelphia Hitmen, L.A. X, BROOKLYN STyLES and Dallas Strikers.

Dan Krieger is the creator of the Leagues, Teams & Nicknames 2013-14: "The Leagueology Almanac" , which tracks the changes in league alignments, franchise movements and team nicknames in today's sports world. The publication is currently available at www.amazon.com.

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