Arena Football is back in Enid! The National Arena League announced in a press release that they will be returning to Enid. More information will be revealed on Thursday at 10 am in a press conference at the Chisholm Trail Expo Center.
The full press release by the NAL is below.
ATLANTA, GA – The National Arena League officially reveals Enid, Oklahoma as the newest franchise to join the National Arena League for the 2024 season. The Flying Aces become the 8th member of the 2024 National Arena League scheduled to kick off in March. The Flying Aces become the first Oklahoma based arena football team to play in the National Arena League in league history where they will face off against teams in Colorado,Texas, Kansas, North Carolina, Nebraska, Iowa, and Idaho.
In 2024, the Flying Aces will host their home games at the Chisholm Trail Expo Center in Enid, Oklahoma. Prior to joining the National Arena League, the Flying Aces last played in the Champions Indoor Football League in 2021.
“It took a lot of time and patience for us to work through all the moving parts of the post Covid business environment, but we always felt like there was a pathway for us to succeed in Enid. We remained committed to reworking the formula, and waiting for the right opportunity to make our return,” said Richard Davis, Managing Partner of the Oklahoma Flying Aces. “The opportunity to partner with a league such as the NAL, coupled with our new partnership with the Chisholm Trail Expo Center, which will allow us so many new opportunities to grow, is what convinced us now was the time to make our return. As we continue this next chapter, the entire Flying Aces organization is thrilled to showcase our team, our new home, and our new partnership with the NAL. We will be hosting our formal press conference at the Chisholm Trail Expo Center later this week, so please follow us on Facebook @ Oklahoma Flying Aces for more information on today’s exciting announcement.”
The Flying Aces join the North Texas Bull, Sioux City Bandits, Omaha Beef, Carolina Cobras, Topeka Tropics, Colorado Spartans, and Idaho Horsemen as current NAL members. With final team scheduled to join as a 2024 member, the NAL will be revealing its 2024 regular season schedule tomorrow.
“The return of the Flying Aces is important not only to the National Arena League due to their geographic footprint, but also because it serves as a reminder that franchises can restructure and return to the football field after being dormant for a period of time”, states Ricky Bertz, Executive Director for the National Arena League. “Having personally made trips to watch Flying Aces games in the past, the support from the fans and business community to make this franchise successful was always there, just some things were out of their control with Federal requirements and insurance. Thankfully, the entire group stayed committed to working through and getting changes implemented so that arena football could return, and I have a feeling that the community will be that much more supportive and appreciative of having a professional football team to call their own”.
