Charm City’s newest pro sports franchise may not have a name yet, but the team is already gearing up for its first-ever matchup on April 7.
The Arena Football League announced its 2017 season schedule yesterday. The very first game for the AFL is a Beltway matchup between the Baltimore no-names and the Washington Valor, who are also entering their inaugural season. The game will happen at the Verizon Center, only a MARC train and a Metro ride away.
D.C. sports mogul Ted Leonsis owns both teams under the umbrella of his company Monumental Sports and Entertainment. That would be very weird in any other professional sports league. However, Leonsis simply appears to be buying into the 30-year-old AFL’s plans for a resurgent season by bringing in two new teams to add to the three other existing ones.
The Baltimore franchise officially got its head coach on Dec. 14 in Omarr Smith, a veteran arena footballer and the 2016 head coach of the now-defunct LA KISS (yes, named for the band). Leonsis described Smith as “a proven winner in the AFL.”
Now all they need is a name and some uniforms. Those reveals are set for Jan. 25.
The 2017 season features a 14-game schedule for all five teams; that means they’ll be seeing each other pretty often. The Baltimore no-names will be playing at Royal Farms Arena. Their first home game is set for May 7. Tickets will eventually be available here.
