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af2's seventh season to open with seven games

November 1, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


CHICAGO - arenafootball2 (af2) opens its seventh season March 30, 2006 with seven games over four days, including the first-ever Arena Football game in the state of Washington and the return of the Tennessee Valley Vipers to Huntsville, Ala. The 18-week, 184-game regular season schedule features 23 teams and concludes July 29.

"This schedule encompasses the best af2 has to offer in terms of competition, rivalry and balance," says af2 President Jerry Kurz. "We're excited that by having the schedule out earlier than ever, our teams, fans and sponsors have more time than ever to prepare for the best season in league history."

WEEK 1 (All times ET)
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Stockton at Spokane 9:00 p.m.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Louisville at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
Albany at Green Bay 8:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Quad City 8:30 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 1, 2006
Memphis at Tennessee Valley 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 2, 2006
Bakersfield at Everett 5:00 p.m.

Kicking off the season in historical fashion, the expansion Spokane Shock host fellow first-year club Stockton in the first-ever Arena Football game played in the state of Washington on Thursday, March 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET. Other highlights of the Week 1 schedule include the Tennessee Valley Vipers hosting the defending ArenaCup Champion Memphis Xplorers on Saturday, April 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game marks the official return of Arena Football to Huntsville after a one-year hiatus. On Sunday, April 2 at 5:00 p.m. ET., the second Arena Football game in the state of Washington is played as the expansion Everett Hawks play their first game in af2 when they host the Bakersfield Blitz.

A few other notable matchups on 2006 schedule include:

- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers at the Manchester Wolves in Week 5 on Saturday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET ... The defending East Division Champion Wolves renew their back-and-forth series with division foe Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. These teams have met 11 times since 2002 with the Pioneers hanging on to a 6-5 series lead. The interesting thing about this series is that the teams have taken turns sweeping each other each season. In 2002, the Pioneers went 3-0 against the Wolves. In 2003 it was the Wolves going 3-0 against the Pioneers. 2004 saw the Pioneers go 3-0 and in 2005 the Wolves went 2-0.

- The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz hosting the Tulsa Talons in Week 6 on Saturday, May 6 at 8:00 p.m. ET ... The Yard Dawgz own a one-game edge in this intra-state rivalry, but the Talons have won two of the last three. The games played at Oklahoma City in this series have averaged better than 13,000 per game.

- The Rio Grande Valley Dorados meeting the Amarillo Dusters in Week 8 on Saturday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET ... The two teams from Texas meet for the first time in history and as division rivals. Both coming off impressive postseason runs in 2005, this series has all the makings of a classic. They conclude their head-to-head matchup in Hidalgo in Week 11 on Saturday, June 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

- The Birmingham Steeldogs facing the Tennessee Valley Vipers in Week 8 on Saturday, May 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET ... Arguably one of the best rivalries in league history, the 'Dogs and Snakes renew pleasantries for the first time since June of 2004. Tennessee Valley owns a 9-2 cushion in this series, but six or less points decided the last three meetings.

- The Quad City Steamwheelers against the Tennessee Valley Vipers in Week 13 on Saturday, June 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET ... The first two ArenaCup participants meet again for the first time since July 10, 2004. Quad City holds a 7-3 lead in the all-time series, but the teams split the last four meetings.

- The Louisville Fire taking on the Memphis Xplorers in Week 15 on Saturday, July 8 at 7:00 p.m. ET ... Freedom Hall will be rocking for this 2005 ArenaCup rematch as long-time friends TOMMY JOHNSON and DANTON BARTO lead their squads towards another playoff run.

Each team will play a total of 16 games (eight home/eight away). Just like 2005, the alignment consists of the American and National Conference with two divisions per conference. The East and South Divisions fall into the American Conference, while the Midwest and West compose the National Conference. With the addition of four new teams, the divisions have been re-arranged from 2005. They are as follows:

AMERICAN CONFERENCE East
Albany Conquest
Green Bay Blizzard
Louisville Fire
Manchester Wolves
Quad City Steamwheelers
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers

South
Birmingham Steeldogs
Florida Firecats
Macon Knights
Memphis Xplorers
South Georgia Wildcats
Tennessee Valley Vipers NATIONAL CONFERENCE Midwest
Amarillo Dusters
Arkansas Twisters
Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
Rio Grande Valley Dorados
Tulsa Talons

West
Bakersfield Blitz
Central Valley Coyotes
Everett Hawks
Spokane Shock
Stockton

Optimal Planning Solutions Inc. (www.optimalplanning.com) assisted the af2 in producing the 2006 schedule. OPS is the leading provider of optimization-based professional sports-league scheduling. They also assisted the AFL in developing their 2006 schedule.

About af2
Entering its seventh season in 2006, af2 serves as a vehicle to bring Arena Football to second-tier cities and as a developmental league with an unmatched history of sending players, coaches and officials to major professional football leagues each year. af2 operates under the same Mission Statement and Fans' Bill of Rights as the Arena Football League, which begins its 20th Anniversary season in January of 2006. Log on to www.af2.com for more information.

-2006 WEEK-BY-WEEK SCHEDULE TO FOLLOW-

2006 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
ALL TIMES EASTERN

Week 1
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Stockton at Spokane 9:00 p.m.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Louisville at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
Arkansas at Quad City 8:15 p.m.
Albany at Green Bay 8:30 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 1, 2006
Memphis at Tennessee Valley 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 2, 2006
Bakersfield at Everett 5:00 p.m.
Bye: Amarillo, Birmingham, Bossier-Shreveport, Florida, Macon Manchester, Oklahoma City, South Georgia, and Tulsa

Week 2
Friday, April 7, 2006
Green Bay at Manchester 7:30 p.m.
Tulsa at Rio Grande Valley 8:30 p.m.
Spokane at Bakersfield 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 8, 2006
Albany at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Valley at South Georgia 7:30 p.m.
Amarillo at Arkansas 8:00 p.m.
Everett at Birmingham 8:00 p.m.
Central Valley at Bossier-Shreveport 8:00 p.m.
Stockton at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
Florida at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
Bye: Louisville, Quad City, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Week 3
Friday, April 14, 2006
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Albany 7:00 p.m.
Manchester at Louisville 7:30 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Birmingham 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Tulsa at South Georgia 7:30 p.m.
Florida at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Amarillo 8:00 p.m.
Arkansas at Bossier-Shreveport 8:00 p.m.
Tennessee Valley at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
Green Bay at Quad City 8:15 p.m.
Everett at Spokane 9:00 p.m.
Bakersfield at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Bye: Stockton

Week 4
Friday, April 21, 2006
South Georgia at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
Birmingham at Louisville 7:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Green Bay 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Albany at Manchester 7:30 p.m.
Memphis at Florida 7:30 p.m.
Spokane at Amarillo 8:00 p.m.
Bossier-Shreveport at Tulsa 8:00 p.m.
Stockton at Quad City 8:15 p.m.
Macon at Tennessee Valley 8:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Rio Grande Valley 8:30 p.m.
BYE: Bakersfield, Central Valley, and Everett

Week 5
Friday, April 28, 2006
Macon at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Green Bay at Louisville 7:00 p.m.
Quad City at Albany 7:00 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Manchester 7:30 p.m.
Birmingham at South Georgia 7:30 p.m.
Florida at Bossier-Shreveport 8:00 p.m.
Amarillo at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Tulsa 8:00 p.m.
Tennessee Valley at Arkansas 8:00 p.m.
Bakersfield at Stockton 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Central Valley at Everett 5:00 p.m.
Bye: Spokane

Week 6
Friday, May 5, 2006
Manchester at Birmingham 8:00
Saturday, May 6, 2006
Green Bay at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
South Georgia at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Louisville at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
Arkansas at Amarillo 8:00 p.m.
Tulsa at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
Florida at Tennessee Valley 8:30 p.m.
Bossier-Shreveport at Rio Grande Valley 8:30 p.m.
Bakersfield at Spokane 9:00 p.m.
Everett at Stockton 10:00 p.m.
Quad City at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Bye: Albany

Week 7
Friday, May 12, 2006
Spokane at Everett 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Manchester at Albany 7:00 p.m.
Tulsa at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
Memphis at South Georgia 7:30 p.m.
Birmingham at Florida 7:30 p.m.
Amarillo at Bossier-Shreveport 8:00 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Arkansas 8:00 p.m.
Louisville at Quad City 8:15 p.m.
Macon at Green Bay 8:30 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Bakersfield 10:00 p.m.
Central Valley at Stockton 10:00 p.m.
Bye: Tennessee Valley

Week 8
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Albany at Louisville 7:00 p.m.
Florida at Manchester 7:30 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Everett at Tulsa 8:00 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Amarillo 8:00 p.m.
Bossier-Shreveport at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
South Georgia at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
Birmingham at Tennessee Valley 8:30 p.m.
Quad City at Green Bay 8:30 p.m.
Stockton at Bakersfield 10:00 p.m.
Spokane at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Bye: Arkansas


Week 9
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Manchester at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
Green Bay at Albany 7:00 p.m.
South Georgia at Florida 7:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Tulsa 8:00 p.m.
Macon at Birmingham 8:00 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Bossier-Shreveport 8:00 p.m.
Louisville at Tennessee Valley 8:30 p.m.
Quad City at Spokane 9:00 p.m.
Stockton at Everett 10:00 p.m.
Bakersfield at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Memphis at Amarillo 4:00 p.m.
Bye: Rio Grande Valley

Week 10
Saturday, June 3, 2006
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Louisville 7:00 p.m.
Tulsa at Manchester 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Valley at Florida 7:30 p.m.
Macon at South Georgia 7:30 p.m.
Bossier-Shreveport at Arkansas 8:00 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
Albany at Quad City 8:15 p.m.
Central Valley at Spokane 9:00 p.m.
Amarillo at Bakersfield 10:00 p.m.
Memphis at Stockton 10:00 p.m.
Birmingham at Everett 10:30 p.m.
Bye: Green Bay

Week 11
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Spokane at Louisville 7:00 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Albany 7:00 p.m.
Arkansas at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Tulsa 8:00 p.m.
Manchester at Quad City 8:15 p.m.
South Georgia at Birmingham 8:30 p.m.
Bakersfield at Tennessee Valley 8:30 p.m.
Stockton at Green Bay 8:30 p.m.
Amarillo at Rio Grande Valley 8:30 p.m.
Everett at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Bye: Bossier-Shreveport, Florida, and Memphis

Week 12
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Quad City at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
Louisville at Albany 7:00 p.m.
Green Bay at South Georgia 7:30 p.m.
Macon at Florida 7:30 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Arkansas 8:00 p.m.
Central Valley at Amarillo 8:00 p.m.
Bakersfield at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
Tennessee Valley at Bossier-Shreveport 8:00 p.m.
Birmingham at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
Manchester at Tulsa 8:00 p.m.
Everett at Stockton 10:00 p.m.
Bye: Spokane


Week 13
Friday, June 23, 2006
Louisville at Manchester 7:30 p.m.
Florida at Birmingham 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
South Georgia at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
Tulsa at Amarillo 8:00 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Green Bay 8:30 p.m.
Quad City at Tennessee Valley 8:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Rio Grande Valley 8:30 p.m.
Albany at Spokane 9:00 p.m.
Bossier-Shreveport at Stockton 10:00 p.m.
Central Valley at Everett 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Arkansas at Bakersfield 6:00 p.m.
Bye: Macon

Week 14
Friday, June 30, 2006
Memphis at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 1, 2006
Green Bay at Florida 7:30 p.m.
Spokane at Arkansas 8:00 p.m.
Rio Grande Valley at Bossier-Shreveport 8:00 p.m.
Bye: Albany, Amarillo, Bakersfield, Birmingham, Central Valley, Everett, Louisville, Manchester, Oklahoma City, Quad City, South Georgia, Stockton, Tennessee Valley, Tulsa, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Week 15
Friday, July 7, 2006
Manchester at Green Bay 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 8, 2006
Florida at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
Memphis at Louisville 7:00 p.m.
Macon at Albany 7:00 p.m.
Bossier-Shreveport at South Georgia 7:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Tulsa 8:00 p.m.
Tennessee Valley at Quad City 8:15 p.m.
Birmingham at Rio Grande Valley 8:30 p.m.
Amarillo at Spokane 9:00 p.m.
Bakersfield at Everett 10:30 p.m.
Stockton at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Bye: Arkansas

Week 16
Friday, July 14, 2006
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Manchester 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 15, 2005
Quad City at Louisville 7:00 p.m.
Albany at Florida 7:30 p.m.
Birmingham at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Amarillo at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
Arkansas at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
Tulsa at Bossier-Shreveport 8:00 p.m.
South Georgia at Tennessee Valley 8:30 p.m.
Central Valley at Bakersfield 10:00 p.m.
Spokane at Stockton 10:00 p.m.
Green Bay at Everett 10:30 p.m.
Bye: Rio Grande Valley


Week 17
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Manchester at Albany 7:00 p.m.
Louisville at Florida 7:30 pm
Tennessee Valley at Macon 7:30 p.m.
Bossier-Shreveport at Amarillo 8:00 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Quad City 8:15 p.m.
South Georgia at Rio Grande Valley 8:30 p.m.
Memphis at Birmingham 8:30 p.m.
Tulsa at Arkansas 8:00 p.m.
Everett at Spokane 9:00 p.m.
Stockton at Bakersfield 10:00 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Central Valley 10:30 p.m.
Bye: Green Bay

Week 18
Friday, July 28, 2006
Quad City at Manchester 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Albany at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 7:00 p.m.
Florida at South Georgia 7:30 p.m.
Macon at Arkansas 8:00 p.m.
Amarillo at Tulsa 8:00 p.m.
Bossier-Shreveport at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
Louisville at Green Bay 8:30 p.m.
Spokane at Rio Grande Valley 8:30 p.m.
Tennessee Valley at Birmingham 8:30 p.m.
Everett at Bakersfield 10:00 p.m.
Central Valley at Stockton 10:00 p.m.
Bye: Memphis



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