Toledo lands Arena 2 expansion franchise

Move over Walleye, let the name guessing begin.

A new arenafootball2 expansion franchise will soon join the Toledo Walleye Hockey Club as the two permanent residents of the new Lucas County Arena, currently under construction downtown.

Calling it a milestone for the City of Toledo, Toledo Arena Sports, Inc., announced Monday morning that they acquired a new af2 franchise that will start play in the spring of 2010.

The Walleye's first game is slated for mid-fall 2009 once the arena is complete.

"We are very excited about Toledo becoming part of the Arena Football family," said Joe Napoli, TAS President, which owns the Walleye and the Toledo Mud Hens. "After much research and due diligence, we have concluded that af2 is the proper fit and we look forward to introducing a fan-friendly and family oriented experience in the spring of 2010."

The new arenaball team will play eight regular season home games and eight away games between April - July. The af2 league has 28 teams across 18 states, including a club near Youngstown.

"This is yet another exciting event the whole family can enjoy," said Lucas County Commissioner Tina Skeldon-Wozniak. "From hockey to football, circuses to concerts, the new arena will bring a wide variety of world-class entertainment right here to Downtown Toledo."

The af2, which started play in 2000, is the minor league affiliate to the Arena Football League. The rules are the same as for the parent league, which was formed in 1987 -- playing indoor football inside hockey and basketball arenas.

In addition, the af2 is similar to other minor leagues because af2 teams play in smaller cities and smaller venues.

"We (af2) are excited about the addition of this new team to the af2 family for 2010,” said af2 President Jerry Kurz. “I have the utmost confidence in this operating group’s commitment to run a top-notch organization both on and off the field for many years. I know the fans in the Toledo area will thoroughly enjoy the total entertainment experience of Arena Football.”

Af2 sqauds compete on a 50-yard field, roughly one-fourth the size of a regulation outdoor football field. There are two giant rebound nets on either side of the field goal posts to keep the ball in play.

In the past year the af2 has expanded into four cities - Albuquerque, NM, Milwaukee, Buffalo, and Toledo.

"Arena football has proven to be a great success in other cities, including Cleveland and Columbus, and I can't wait to see the fans come out in Lucas County as well," said Commissioner Pete Gerken. "There's no question that Arena football will be a great fit for this area."

A team nickname will be announced by the end of the year.