Arena Football League Approves New Team for Atlantic City

Another professional sports team is ready to call Atlantic City and the Boardwalk Hall home. Starting in the spring of 2019, the new Atlantic City Arena League Football team will call the historic building home as the sixth member of the Arena Football League.

The departure of the Boardwalk Bullies, and the Surf has left a hole in the professional sports schedule in South Jersey and the Arena Football League should fill that void much to the delight of South Jersey fans.

“Atlantic City is a great market for the Arena Football League,” said AFL Commissioner, Randall Boe in a press release. “The AFL is focused on fan engagement and the integration of sports betting, fantasy and fan gamification with our games. Atlantic City is a perfect fit with that strategy and will be a great city for the Arena Football League.”

The Team, which will be operated by Trifecta Sports and Entertainment (TSE), has not yet been named, and fans will have the opportunity to submit and vote on team names

TSE is owned by a group of businessmen including Ron Jaworski, George Hearst III, Craig Spencer, Dan Nolan, Ed Swyer, Dick Vermeil, Marques Colston and Jahri Evans. The group was custom designed to operate Arena Football League teams, with the goal to maximize teams’ resources and operating efficiencies.

“I couldn’t be more excited that Arena Football is coming to Atlantic City,” said Ron Jaworski, AFL Executive Committee Chair and TSE Owner in a press release. “We are going to bring a family friendly affordable entertainment product to AC, and bring a team that will become an integral part of the community, giving people in the area a team to be proud to call their hometown team.”

The Boardwalk Bullies were a success on the ice, but not at the box office.  The Bullies won the ECHL Championship in 2003, beating the Columbia Inferno, but attendance averaged slightly above 3,000 per game and the team moved after the 2005 season to Stockton, CA.

The 2019 season will feature a 12-game regular season schedule.

The new Atlantic City team is currently conducting a search for a head coach, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

The addition of Atlantic City would give the league fix teams. Other cities include Albany, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Cleveland.

Listen: Dave Weinberg from the Press of Atlantic City talk about the new Arena League Football team on The Sports Bash.