Arena football is coming back to Tampa Bay as the Tampa Bay Storm will join the newly created Arena Football 1.
Tampa Bay Lightning owner Oren Koules and Storm head coach and general manager Tim Marcum made the announcement Thursday afternoon at the St. Pete Times Forum.
"We are very pleased to be able to bring back arena football and the Storm back to the fans and the community of Tampa Bay," Koules said. "And everyone knows there is no arena football in Tampa Bay without coach Tim Marcum. We are excited to be working with him and look forward to fielding the top notch competitive team that Storm fans expect."
Tampa Bay had one of the most successful franchises in the old Arena Football League, which ceased operations last December after 22 seasons. The Storm won five AFL titles.
Tampa Bay will become the 15th team in AF1, according to the league's Web site. The league is scheduled to begin playing in the spring of 2010.
Marcum, the coach and general manager of the Storm when the AFL ceased operations, is excited to return.
"In many respects, we see this as a rebirth of the arena football product that Tampa Bay fans have long enjoyed," Marcum said in the release. "We have high expectations, we intend to win, and many of the players our fans have come to enjoy watching will be back with us."
Marcum also confirmed that several of the Storm's top players from the 2008 season, including quarterback Brett Dietz and receivers Hank Edwards and Tyrone Timmons, have committed to playing with Tampa Bay.
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