Arena football’s most important work happened before kickoff

Arena football needs owners who know how to run a business as much as it needs coaches who know how to win football games. Jerry Kurz's Arena Football University brought both groups together this week, reinforcing a fundamental truth about professional indoor football: The strength of a league ultimately depends on the stability, professionalism and competitive quality of its individual franchises.

The latest AFU gathering provided Arena Football One with an opportunity to evaluate its operations, exchange ideas and prepare for the coming season. For owners and coaches, the meetings offered something more valuable than introductions and presentations. They provided access to practical experience that could help organizations avoid costly mistakes before another season began.

Gary Compton, AF1's director of football operations, emerged from the gathering encouraged by the collaboration among league officials, franchise representatives and the people responsible for building competitive teams.

"We had an excellent time collaborating at Arena Football University this week," he said. "It was a pleasure connecting, sharing ideas, and exploring opportunities to grow the game together. We're looking forward to building on the momentum with our current teams and our new expansion teams that will be announced soon."

Kurz championed the return of AFU ahead of AF1's inaugural 2025 season, restoring a development and educational gathering intended to address the unique challenges of operating professional arena football organizations. Previous gatherings included business workshops, football operations discussions, supplier presentations and ownership meetings.

The purpose remained practical. Give organizations access to experience they otherwise might have acquired through expensive trial and error.

That matters in a sport where football and business must develop together. A competitive roster gives people a reason to watch. A capable front office gives the franchise a chance to keep playing.

For owners, the greatest potential benefit came from honest exchanges about what worked and what did not. How did another team turn a group outing into repeat business? What did a sponsor receive after signing the check? Which promotions sold tickets, and which merely attracted attention? How much staffing did an organization need to deliver what it promised?

Those were the conversations worth having.

An owner should have returned home with more than another executive's telephone number. The meetings needed to produce ideas that could be implemented immediately — a better sales process, a more realistic staffing plan, improved sponsor relationships or a clearer understanding of expenses.

Experience also became more valuable when people were willing to discuss failure. A promotion that looked terrific but sold poorly could teach as much as a successful campaign. So could a sponsorship package that required more work than its revenue justified.

The willingness to share that information required owners to understand their unusual relationship. They competed for championships, but they also depended on one another to operate credible businesses. A strong opponent was part of the product every franchise sold.

An owner needed the visiting team to arrive organized, prepared and capable of putting a competitive game on the field. The home crowd purchased tickets to a professional sporting event. Both organizations shared responsibility for delivering one.

For coaches, AFU provided a different kind of preparation.

Previous sessions brought coaches, general managers and league football operations personnel together to work through rules, roster procedures and operational expectations. Those conversations mattered because clarity before training camp allowed coaches to teach with confidence and reduced the likelihood of disagreements once games began.

Compton's assessment captured one of the most important functions of AFU: Coaches who spent much of the season competing against one another had an opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss how the game was administered and develop a better understanding of the standards expected across the league.

A coach needed to understand how AF1 intended its game to be played and officiated. Questions about a rule's application belonged in offseason meetings whenever possible. Discovering conflicting interpretations after players had spent weeks practicing was an avoidable problem.

Coaches also benefited from hearing the business realities surrounding their teams. An owner's budget and a coach's roster plans could not exist independently. Recruiting, staffing, travel and player preparation required resources, and both sides needed a shared understanding of what the organization could reasonably deliver.

That relationship worked in both directions. Owners needed to hear what coaches required to prepare players properly. Coaches needed clear answers about available resources. Neither benefited from promises that became qualifications once the season began.

For AF1, the gathering created an opportunity to establish greater consistency across organizations operating in different markets, with different resources and varying levels of experience.

Fans had every right to expect a professional operation regardless of which team hosted a game. The league could explain those standards during meetings, but the more consequential work began when executives and coaches returned to their franchises.

Instruction was valuable. Follow-through determined whether anything changed.

Supplier presentations also played a role in the AFU concept. Previous gatherings included discussions involving footballs, uniforms and playing surfaces — essential operating needs that demanded planning, coordination and responsible spending. Teams that understood their equipment obligations and purchasing options were better positioned to avoid unnecessary expenses and preparation delays.

Expansion added another important dimension to the meetings.

Compton's disclosure that new franchises would be announced soon underscored the continuing effort to strengthen AF1's footprint. But expansion required more than identifying cities with available arenas and owners willing to invest.

Prospective ownership groups needed to understand the financial, staffing and operational commitments involved in running professional football franchises. League officials, in turn, needed to determine whether prospective owners possessed the resources and organizational preparation necessary to fulfill those obligations.

AF1 previously emphasized that receiving an invitation to AFU did not guarantee admission to the league.

That distinction deserved to remain firm.

Arena football's history demonstrated the risks of expansion without sufficient attention to franchise stability. New teams could generate enthusiasm and headlines, but sustainable growth required organizations capable of meeting payroll, managing travel, selling tickets, supporting coaches and delivering a dependable experience to fans and sponsors.

The proper measure of this week's Arena Football University gathering would emerge after everyone returned home.

Did an owner improve the operation? Did a coach receive useful answers? Did the league establish standards its franchises understood and could meet? Would prospective expansion owners enter the league better prepared for the considerable responsibilities they were accepting?

Those questions ultimately mattered more than attendance figures, meeting agendas or the enthusiasm that accompanied the gathering.

Kurz recognized the importance of putting the people responsible for arena football's future in the same room. Compton's assessment suggested the participants understood the value of exchanging knowledge, coordinating their work and developing relationships that could benefit the entire league.

The next test would take place in franchise offices, training camps and arenas throughout AF1.

Arena football has never lacked passionate owners, committed coaches or talented players. Its greater challenge has been building the organizational consistency necessary to turn those individual assets into lasting professional sports businesses.

Arena Football University addressed that challenge directly.

The meetings are over. The real work — building stronger franchises, preparing better football teams and delivering a professional product worthy of the fans' investment — is just beginning.