Tampa Bay Football History Network - 2009 Tampa Bay Storm

2009 Tampa Bay Storm

There had been speculation that the Arena Football League was in financial trouble. The AFL had not selected a permanent replacement for longtime commissioner David Baker, delayed the start of free agency and the release of the 2009 schedule.

On Wednesday December 10, a league statement said the 2009 season was not suspended "despite rumors and reports to the contrary." On Sunday December 15, the owners held a conference call and did an about face. Short on details, a press release the next day stated, "The Arena Football League Board of Directors will suspend the 2009 season subject to agreement and cooperation with the Arena Football League Players Association while the League works on developing a long-term plan to improve its economic model."

Several factors brought about the decision. Some owners thought the only way to survive was from an infusion of cash from a private equity firm called Platinum Equity. When that deal fell apart, owners from Columbus, Dallas and Philadelphia lead the charge to cancel the season. There was a rumor that ESPN would not televise a six-, seven-, or eight-team league.

Facing uncertainty in a difficult economic climate, the board voted on the fate of the 2009 season. The first vote on December 10 saw the board, consisting of all 16 franchise owners and a representative from AFL patent holder Gridiron Enterprises, vote 10-7 against playing. The Tampa Bay Storm were joined by Arizona, New York, San Jose, Orlando, Chicago and Gridiron Enterprises in the effort to save the season. Since this was short of the needed majority, the league announced the season was not suspended.

The faction to cancel the season did not give up. They forced another vote by stating they would fold their franchises, leaving a six-team league to play in 2009. The arm twisting worked and the second vote had the required two-thirds majority. Orlando and Chicago switched sides and the 12-5 decision was enough to cancel the season.

A press release had plenty of quotes from those involved. Acting Commissioner Ed Policy said, "Every owner in the AFL is strongly committed to the League, the game, and, most importantly, the fans." Georgia Force owner Arthur Blank added, "We support the decision to focus our energies on securing the long-term success of the Arena Football League."

Tampa Bay Storm head coach Tim Marcum was one of those who voiced strong opposition. "How can this be good for this league? How can taking a year off be good for any league? The USFL took a year off, too. And look what happened. We want to play. We don't want this thing to go away." Orlando Predators head coach Jay Gruden agreed, "I don't know many other leagues that have taken a break and come back."

On April 23, 2009, the league provided an update that said, "The Arena Football League today announced that it has finalized a revitalized business model that will enable the league to return to competition in time for the 2010 season." That release also said the restructuring process "should be completed in the next 30 days."

Over the summer, there were no further updates and constant rumors that the AFL was going to fold. On August 4, 2009, the league released a statement suspending operations indefinitely. Chicago Rush owner Alan Levin commented, "Our problems have started with bad leadership from the commissioner on down."

It did not take long for the AFL void to be filled. On September 28, 2009, a press conference was held in Tulsa announcing the formation of Arena Football 1. AF1 would effectively kill the af2 league by absorbing its top franchises and adding several teams in new markets. Despite talk of the AFL returning in 2011, some AFL owners decided to play in the new league. The Orlando Predators and Arizona Rattlers defected to AF1 and the league said it was negotiating with at least seven other AFL teams, including the Tampa Bay Storm. Sixteen teams were announced at that press conference with the expectation that 24-30 teams would play in 2010.

The Arena Football League assets were auctioned off on November 25, 2009 and a bid of $2.5 million by Arena Football 1 was approved by US Bankruptcy Court on December 7, 2009. The purchase included the team names and logos of all former AFL and af2 teams.

On December 10, a press conference was held to announce that the Tampa Bay Storm would be joining AF1. The ownership group would include Tampa Bay Lightning owner Oren Koules and Tim Marcum would return as general manager and head coach. Marcum commented, "In many respects, we see this as a rebirth of the arena football product that Tampa Bay fans have long enjoyed. We have high expectations, we intend to win, and many of the players our fans have come to enjoy watching will be back with us."

On February 17, 2010, the league announced it would use the traditional Arena Football League name.