UPDATED: Tampa & Louisville Memberships Terminated

ATLANTA – The National Arena League announces the termination of the membership agreements for both the Tampa Bay Tornadoes and the Louisville Xtreme. Both franchises were scheduled to play in the upcoming 2021 season but due to the current COVID-19 situation both teams failed to provide the league-mandated letters of credit, the National Arena League’s front office was forced to proceed with the decision to dismiss both franchises.

The National Arena League is confident in its decision with the 2021 season on the horizon. It’s current franchises, the Jacksonville Sharks, Columbus Lions, Carolina Cobras, Orlando Predators, Jersey Flight, and Albany Empire will continue to move forward towards the 2021 season. The league has shown a constant commitment to its long-term future, and actions like these may appear discouraging in the short-term but are sometimes necessary for the league’s long-time success.

In addition, due to the current situation regarding the global pandemic, the West Virginia Roughriders have opted to go dormant for the 2021 NAL season. The Roughriders plan to return to action in 2022 with the National Arena League. According to NAL League Officials, the West Virginia Roughriders will remain members in good standing.

The league looks to kick off the 2021 season this spring with the first games slated for April. The league expects to announce exciting news within the months to come. For all news updates, visit nationalarenaleague.com and follow the National Arena League on social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The National Arena League would like to take the time to retract it's statments made on a press release issued on October 30, 2020 (the "Press Release")  regarding the termination of the membership agreements for both the Tampa Bay Tornadoes and the Louisville Xtreme. Reference was made to both teams failing to provide league-mandated letters of credit as the reason for not participating in the 2021 season.  In no way did the National Arena League intend to deceive anyone into thinking that either team did not have the financial wherewithal to meet League obligations. Both franchises were scheduled to play in the upcoming 2021 season but due to the current COVID-19 situation. The Tampa Bay Tornados in particular notified the National Arena League they were no longer interested in participating in the 2021 season. The National Arena League’s front office proceeded with the decision to mutually terminate the Tampa Bay Tornados’ relationship and wish them the best of luck in future endeavors.

ABOUT NATIONAL ARENA LEAGUE
The National Arena League was founded in 2016 and hosted its inaugural season in 2017 as the premier league in arena football. For more information regarding expansion opportunities or partnerships, contact Commissioner Chris Siegfried at chris@nationalarenaleague.com . For more information about the NAL visit www.nationalarenaleague.com, facebook.com/nationalarenaleauge, twitter.com/NALfootball, Instagram.com/nationalarenaleague.