Arena Football League declares bankruptcy, shuts down

The Arena Football League, in which the Georgia Force once played, announced Wednesday it had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and was ceasing operations for its remaining six teams.

“These closures have resulted in the elimination of various staff positions, and is a direct consequence of the current financial constraints facing the AFL, which include extensive legacy liabilities and a recent multimillion-dollar litigation filed against the League by an insurance carrier that provided coverage for the AFL between 2009 and 2012,” the league said in a statement. “Those liabilities, which are all related to prior League operations, severely constrain the League’s ability to expand and operate.

Commissioner Randall Boe made this statement on Twitter:

The Georgia Force played in Gwinnett County in the stadium now known as Infinite Energy Arena.

Six teams remained in the league, renamed Arena Football One: Albany, New York; Atlantic City, Baltimore, Columbus, Ohio; Philadelphia and Washington.

The Arena Football League was founded in 1987, but financial issues forced it to suspend in 2009, and then return as Arena Football One.

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Tim Darnell

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