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Northwoods League

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
January 6, 2025 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)


BASEBALL

American Association: The city council in Blaine (MN) approved zoning in October for an entertainment district to include a multi-use stadium that is being targeted for an expansion team in the independent American Association. The league was also interested in a potential development to include a proposed minor league baseball stadium in the northwest Houston suburb of Jersey Village (TX), but the city appears to be moving in a different direction and announced it will start selling off parts of the development site.

Northwoods League: The summer-collegiate Northwoods League announced its 2025 season schedule that will feature 24 teams aligned in 6-team divisions (Great Lakes East, Great Lakes West, Great Plains East and Great Plains West). Each team will play a 72-game schedule from May 26 through August 9, 2025. The league had 26 teams last season but the Kokomo (IN) Jackrabbits are involved in a lawsuit with the city over its stadium lease and have been dropped from the 2025 schedule and removed from the Great Lakes East. To keep an even number of teams, the league also dropped the Minnesota Mud Puppies travel-only team from the Great Plains East.

BASKETBALL

American Basketball Association: The semi-pro ABA is looking to expand into several Caribbean countries under the ABA Caribbean banner. Back in December 2020, the ABA first announced an ABA Caribbean initiative to develop ABA leagues in Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic. At that time, the ABA talked of starting the initiative in 2021 with a 16-team tournament in Kissimmee (FL) followed by similar tournaments in 2022 and 2023 but these never developed.

The Basketball League: The minor professional TBL's Providence-based Rhode Island Kraken, which completed its first season in the league in 2024, announced it will be sitting out the upcoming 2025 season. However, the Kraken recently played two exhibition games against the Newfoundland Rogues (St. John's) from the affiliated professional Basketball Super League (BSL) and stated the team will play two more exhibition games against BSL teams in January and February.

National Basketball Association Gatorade League (G-League): After starting the 2024-25 season with a Tip-Off Tournament in November and December, the NBA G-League has started the regular-season portion of the season. The 31 teams were aligned in a seven-team West and eight team East, Central and South divisions for the tournament and each team played at least 16 games. For the regular-season portion, the teams are aligned in a 16-team Eastern Conference and a 15-team Western Conference with each team playing 34 games through March 2025.

FOOTBALL

American Indoor Football: A new version of the AIF is planning a return in 2025 and the league announced a 2025 season schedule that will feature three member teams- the Cedar Rapids (IA) River Kings, Coralville (IA) Chaos and the Muskegon-based West Michigan Ironmen- each playing six to seven games from February 4 through May 17, 2025. The schedule includes each team playing two games against non-league teams listed as the Michigan Avengers, Michigan Gladiators, Detroit Ravens and the Hidden Gems Phenoms.

Professional Arena Independent Association: After removing the Knoxville Bandits from its 2025 line-up of teams last month, the proposed new PAIA has reinstated the team due to a misunderstanding.

United Football League: The professional spring-season UFL announced the schedule for the 2025 season will feature the same eight teams as last season and again aligned in a four-team XFL Conference and a four-team USFL Conference. Each team will play a ten-game schedule from March 28 through June 1, 2025.

HOCKEY

American Premier Hockey League: After recently announcing a move from Poughkeepsie (NY) to Brewster (NY) prior to playing its first games of the 2024-25 season, the Hudson Valley Vipers of the amateur senior-level APHL announced this week the team will now sit out the season and hopes to return for the 2025-26 season.

ECHL: The ECHL's Wichita Thunder played a game this weekend as the Wichita Plainsmen, which was the runner-up to the Thunder nickname in fan voting when the team was first organized in 1992.

Quebe Maritimes Junior Hockey League: The Quebec-based Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the major-junior QMJHL played a "Retro Night" game this week as the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser, which was the name of the team that relocated to Rouyn-Noranda to become the Huskies prior to the 1996-97 season.

Western Hockey League: The major-junior WHL's Brandon (Manitoba) Wheat Kings and Swift Current (Saskatchewan) Broncos each took fish-based alternate identities as the Wheat City Walleye and the Lake Diefenbaker Slough Sharks for a game this week in the Saskatchewan/Manitoba Fishing Derby promotion.

SOCCER

National Women's Soccer League: The Division-I professional NWSL announced Denver has been awarded the league's 16th franchise with a team to start playing in the 2026 season. Cincinnati and Cleveland were also finalists for the 16th franchise. The NWSL completed the 2024 season with 14 teams and last year announced Boston as its 15th franchise that is also expected to start in 2026. The Boston team was announced in October as the BOS Nation FC but this week the ownership acknowledged it is revisiting the team's name after an unfavorable response to the name from fans.

Women's Premier Soccer League: The elite amateur-level WPSL has announced several 2025 expansion teams over the past few months to include the TN Tempo FC (Nashville), Jackson (TN) Ignite, Sporting Connecticut (Hartford), Milwaukee City AFC, Peoria (IL) City, Albany (NY) Rush, Northern Colorado Rain (Windsor) and a yet-to-be named team in Peoria (AZ). The league's Utah Red Devils merged with the City SC to form City SC Utah for the 2025 season. This week, the WPSL announced a partnership with the Gulf Coast Premier League whose women's teams will join the WPSL and operate as the Gulf Coast Conference in the WPSL's 2025 alignment.

League1 Alberta: Canada's Division-3 pro-am League1 Alberta soccer league, which operated with seven-team men's and women's divisions in its inaugural 2024 season, recently announced the Calgary Villains club will join the league for the 2025 season with both men's and women's teams.

League1 British Columbia: The Kamloops-based Rivers FC, which had men's and women's teams in the 2024 season of Canada's Division-3 pro-am League1 British Columbia soccer league, has merged with the Kamloops Youth Soccer Association to become the Kamloops United Football Club, or Kamloops United FC, starting with the 2025 season.

League1 Ontario: Canada's Division-3 pro-am League1 Ontario soccer league, which operates men's and women's division at three different levels (Premier, Championship and League2), recently announced the Sudbury Cyclones and The Borough (Scarborough) will move up from the Men's League2 to the Men's Championship level for the 2025 season. The league's Whitby-based Darby FC, which operated men's and women's team in the 2024 Championship level, has changed its name to the Whitby FC.

OTHER

Northwoods League Softball: The women's NWLS summer-collegiate softball league, which had four teams operated by affiliated men's baseball teams from the summer-collegiate Northwoods League during its inaugural 2024 season, announced the 2025 season will feature five teams with the addition of a new yet-to-be-named team in Wausau (WI), currently called the Wausau Softball Club. All four teams from 2024 will return and each of the five teams will play 42 games from June 10 through August 2, 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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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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