Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
by Dan Krieger
October 7, 2024 - National Arena League (NAL)
BASEBALL
Carolina League: Fans of the Low-A Carolina League's Myrtle Beach (SC) Pelicans are asking the city council to update the local ballpark and renew the lease to prevent the city from losing the affiliated team. Major League Baseball, which now controls Minor League Baseball, has required mandatory upgrades to the Pelicans' ballpark that is co-owned by the city and Horry County.
American Association: The independent American Association's 2023 champion Kansas City Monarchs will not be participating in the second annual Baseball Champions League Americas (BCL Americas), an international round-robin competition sponsored by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). The 2024 BCL Americas was to feature 2023 champions from teams in the American Association, the Colombian Professional Baseball League, the Mexican Baseball League, and the Cuban National Series playing in Puebla (Mexico) last month (September 24-28) but this year's event was cancelled. The BCL Americas plans to return in 2025 and the American Association's 2024 champion Kane County Cougars would be eligible to participate. Last year, the league's 2022 champion Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks participated and won the inaugural BCL Americas competition.
BASKETBALL
Basketball Super League: The men's professional BSL, which played its inaugural 2023-24 season with six Canada-based teams, announced the Jamestown (NY) Jackals have been added as the league's ninth team and third team based in the United States for the 2024-25 season. The Jamestown Jackals join the BSL from the affiliated minor league called The Basketball League (TBL) where the team had played since the 2019 season.
The Basketball League: The minor professional TBL has added the Lake County (IL) market, just north of Chicago, with a new Midwest Conference team called the Lake County (IL) Legacy.
National Basketball League - United States: The semi-pro NBL-US announced a new team called the San Antonio Soldiers will be part of the league's Winter Season that starts in December 2024.
Women's National Basketball Association: The professional WNBA announced the expansion draft for the new 2025 team called the Golden State Valkyries (San Francisco) will take place on December 6, 2024. The Valkyries join as the league's 13th team with new teams in Toronto and Portland set to start in 2026.
FOOTBALL
American Arena League 2: The professional developmental AAL2 announced the "Part 1" of its new teams for the 2025 season to include the Pittsburgh Outlaws, Georgia Indians (Alpharetta), Mississippi Wolfpack (Batesville), New York Smash (Syracuse) and the Tri-City Rivergators representing the Alabama cities of Huntsville, Birmingham and Albertville.
National Arena League: After playing their inaugural 2024 season at the Blue Arena in Loveland (CO), the NAL's Colorado Spartans are moving to Denver and the Denver Coliseum for the 2025 season.
Indoor Football League: The IFL's San Diego Strike Force is staying in San Diego County but moving its home from the Pechanga Arena in San Diego to the new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside (CA), about 40 miles north, for the 2025 season.
X-League: The women's indoor X-League, which plays a 7-on-7 hybrid of indoor football on a 70-yard field and has not played since the 2022 season, announced a new team called the New England Defenders will be added to the Eastern Conference when the league restarts play in May 2025. No specific market was listed as the home for the new team.
Winter Indoor Football: The new WIF, which is a professional developmental indoor football league organizing for this fall, has posted a 2024 schedule that features the Ohio Blitz (Dayton/Lima), Pittsburgh Outlaws, New York Nightmare and two travel-only teams listed as the UP 1 Athletics and Eastern Shore. The WIF season runs from October 26 through December 7, 2024, followed by playoffs with teams playing three to six games.
HOCKEY
British Columbia Hockey League: The independent Junior-A BCHL started its 2024-25 season last month with 21 teams each playing 54 games through March 30, 2025. The league started last season with 17 teams aligned in a nine-team Coastal Division and an eight-team Interior Division but added a five-team Alberta Division midway through the season when 5 teams joined from the Alberta Junior Hockey League, and the BCHL finished with 22 teams. The BCHL lost the Merritt Centennials team to the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and underwent a realignment for 2024-25. A Coastal Conference features five-team Coastal West and Coast East divisions while an Interior Conference has a five-team Interior West and a six-team Interior East.
Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey: The Quebec-based minor professional LNAH, or North American Hockey League, started its 2024-25 season this week with eight teams aligned in a single-table format and each team playing a 36-game schedule through March 9, 2025. All six teams from last season have returned and two expansion teams called the Bataillon de St-Hyacinthe and the National de Quebec, based in the Quebec City suburb of L'Ancienne-Lorette, have been added.
National Junior Hockey League: Canada's independent NJHL started its 2024-25 season last week with eight Alberta-based teams aligned in a five-team North Division and a three-team South Division. Of the six Alberta-based teams from last season, the Fox Creek Ice Kings folded and the Gibbons Pioneers team was relocated to become the Redwater Pioneers. The NJHL added three new teams called the Claresholm Thunder, Lac Le Biche Lakers and Crowsnest Crush (Crowsnest Pass) for the 2024-25 season. Teams are scheduled to play 42 games through March 8, 2024.
SOCCER
USL Super League (United Soccer League): As the new eight-team women's Division-I professional USL Super League proceeds with the Fall Schedule of its inaugural 2024-25 season, the league announced the Spring Schedule will feature the same eight teams each playing a 14-game schedule from February 15 through May 31, 2025. The 14-game Fall Schedule ends December 14, 2024, before a Winter Break.
Major League Indoor Soccer: The men's MLIS announced the Atletico Orlando FC has been added for the upcoming 2024-25 season. The Atletico Orlando FC, which also has an outdoor men's amateur team in the United Premier Soccer League, played the 2023-24 indoor season as a travel-only team in the Major Arena Soccer League 2. The club has secured a home at the Sofive Lake Nona facility in the Orlando area. The MLIS had doubled in size since last season and now lists 12 teams for the 2024-25 season.
Major Arena Soccer League Women: The MASL's new women's league known as the MASLW has added a team called the Wichita Lady Luck, or Wichita Luck, to the South Division for its inaugural 2024-25 season. The Wichita Luck is a sister organization of the Wichita Wings men's team in the MASL2.
OTHER
Athletes Unlimited - Pro Volleyball: The fourth season of the women's indoor Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball season started this week with four teams playing over five weeks at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa. Players earn points during each week of play based on various aspects of the game. Teams change players each week with the top four points leaders serving as captains and drafting their teams for the next week. The player with the most points at the end of the five-week season is crowned the league's individual champion.
League One Volleyball (LOVB): The new women's professional indoor volleyball league known as LOVB (pronounced "love") introduced the team uniforms and announced the six teams will be known as LOVB Atlanta Volleyball, LOVB Austin Volleyball, LOVB Houston Volleyball, LOVB Madison (WI) Volleyball, LOVB Omaha Volleyball and LOVB Salt Lake Volleyball when the league starts its inaugural season in January 2025.
Dan Krieger is the creator of the Weekly Sports League & Franchise Report, which has been tracking the changes in the sports world's leagues, teams, and nicknames since April 2007.
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