For anyone who was sad that there was no arena football in the area this season there is hope for the future.
No, the Philadelphia Soul haven't announced that they are coming back. The American Indoor Football Association announced Monday that its newest expansion franchise was going to be in Trenton, N.J.
The franchise, nicknamed the Trenton Steel, is set to kick off in 2011.
The team draws its name from the area’s manufacturing tradition. The famed Lower Free Bridge, known for the famous words “Trenton Makes, the World Takes,” is said to have an influence on their yet-to-be-seen logo.
The Steel will call the Sun National Bank Center home. The state-of-the-art arena boasts a capacity of about 8,100 fans and comes equipped with skyboxes and an in-house television production facility, which could come in handy since AIFA just got a new TV deal.
The announcement came on the heels of a successful weekend for the AIFA. The league held its annual Kickoff Classic in Richmond, Va., where five thousand enthusiastic fans welcomed the new Richmond Raiders.
The game also marked the debut of the AIFA's new national television syndication, where the Kickoff Classic was beamed to more than 40 million TV households nationwide.
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"The AIFA is on a roll right now," said AIFA co-founder John Morris. "The awarding of this franchise fits right into the league's momentum. Trenton is a perfect fit for the AIFA...the marketplace, the building...everything."
"With so many league franchises nearby, the rivalries will be fantastic," he claimed.
Natural rivals for the Steel should include the New Jersey Revolution, which joined the AIFA for the 2010 season and the Harrisburg Stampede. The two teams are scheduled to play in Trenton in June to work up the hype before the Steel kicks off next season.
