Get ready for some foot-bahhh. The Arena Football League (AFL) is returning to Kansas City next April with a team called the Goats.
Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer Christian Okoye, Gates BBQ CEO George Gates II, and sports-radio personality Steven St. John own the squad.
But this isn’t our first arena football rodeo. Here’s a quick primer + history:
What is arena football, anyway?
The arena league is a non-NFL organization with faster-paced games than those played by the Chiefs.
It consists of:
- Six-on-six football
- 15-man rosters
- A 50-yard field
- A quick play clock
- No huddles
When it all started
Kansas City had arena league football teams before the Goats. In 2006, the AFL created an expansion team in KC known as the KC Brigade.
The Brigade played at the Hy-Vee Arena (Kemper at the time) from 2006-2007 before making the T-Mobile Center (Sprint Center at the time) its home through 2008.
The Brigade made it to the playoffs in its 2007 season before disbanding in 2008.
Enter: Kansas City Command
In 2011, the AFL decided to bring the league back to KC with a new name for the team, the Kansas City Command, and kept the same colors, logo, and arena.
Our city welcomed back arena football with open arms but the team shut down after two seasons.
KC gets its Goats
The AFL has been on a four-year hiatus. But the league announced earlier this year that it was returning with 16 teams — one of those being our KC Goats.
Fun fact: Fans named the team. Other name suggestions included the Kansas City Potholes, Kansas City Kings, and Kansas City Ribs.
Interested in seeing if the KC Goats will be the “greatest of all time?” Season ticket deposits are now open and start at $10/seat.
