Shock, Tri-Cities in new arena football league

TULSA, Okla. — Arena football isn’t dead yet. Officials from what will be known as Arena Football 1 said Monday they will have 16 teams ready to play in 2010, including three in former Arena Football League markets: Chicago, Phoenix and Orlando, Fla. The league will also have teams from the AFL spinoff, arenafootball2, as well as at least one team from another indoor league. The new league says its markets also include Bossier-Shreveport, La., Arkansas, Fresno, Calif., Des Moines, Iowa, Jacksonville, Fla., Kentucky, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Alabama, Kennewick, Tulsa, Okla., and Utah. The new league says eight more teams have submitted membership applications. The old AFL canceled its 2009 season and folded in August, ending a 22-year run for the high-scoring indoor brand of football that helped launch the career of Super Bowl winner Kurt Warner. Play in af2 was never disrupted, but teams ended the season unsure of what would happen next. The new league will be based in Tulsa.