Tim Brown, commissioner of The Arena League, a professional indoor football league, spoke at a news conference Dec. 4 about a team for the league starting in Grand Island in 2026. Brown is an NFL Hall-of-Famer and Heisman Trophy winner. (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – A professional indoor football team is coming to Grand Island in 2026.
The announcement was made Dec. 4 at the opening to the Five Points Bank Golden Club Banquet on the arena floor of the Heartland Events Center, followed by a news conference.
Officials from The Arena League, an indoor football league, announced that Grand Island has been awarded the second of its three planned expansion teams for the 2026 season.
The yet-to-be-named team will be playing home games at the Heartland Events Center.
League representatives announced not only their arrival, but also plans to hire a local staff, involve local business leaders in the ownership group, the sale of season tickets and even have the community name the team.
The announcements come after months of preparation for league operations, visits to explore communities and arenas all over the Midwest and central portion of the U.S., and building relationships with key officials within Grand Island.
Led by league commissioner, NFL Hall-of-Famer and Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Brown, the league recently announced the addition of Memphis, Tenn., and will be announcing one additional community over the coming weeks to join the five current teams, Memphis and Grand Island.
“The show of passion to have professional football return to Grand Island along with the positive reception we received from Kyler Tarwater and his staff at the arena and other leaders in the local business community made the city a clear choice,” explained Brown. “We are very proud to announce Grand Island as one of The Arena League’s newest teams.”
Grand Island’s first indoor football team, the Nebraska Danger, won games and the hearts of big crowds for nine seasons beginning in 2011.
The Arena League version of the sport is designed to bring even more excitement to fans, but within an economical business model designed to ensure the longevity of its teams.
Created by experiences and passionate executives in the professional sports industry, The Arena League has been designed to present the popular sport of arena football in a fresh manner and to better entertain fans on and off the field.
With a faster pace of play, fewer players crowding the small field and even fan-rated systems for referees, The Arena League is as exciting as it is unique. The game features a very high-level of players as well with plans to offer opportunities to former NFL players using the league to work their way back up the ladder of professional football, along with talented young players fresh out of college.
The new team is also offering a chance for the people of Grand Island to get involved.
“While the league is prepared to own and operate the team, we feel that it will grow stronger roots in Nebraska if it were owned, at least in part, by local leader who want to invest in something designed to be good for their hometown,” Brown said. “I want to speak with interested people personally about being part of this team with us.”
A look at the future arena layout was also presented Dec. 4
“Football at the Heartland Events Center has been a remarkable experience from sight lines and close proximity to the action all the way through to the postgame autograph sessions,” The Arena League Owner Jeff Holmes said. “We are also excited to be adding field-level suites complete with luxury perks and unmatched interaction with the game.”
The team is now accepting deposits (starting at just $11 per seat) on season tickets, which start at just $110. Tickets to an individual game are as affordable as $15 for adults and $10 for kids 12-and-under.
Additionally, the team is announcing a unique “Name the Team” contest.
“The Arena League was clear that this is the community’s team, and they want input from us, the people of Grand Island on what it should be called, what the logo should represent and how it should be positioned within our city,” Brown said. “Passion for a revival of the Nebraska Danger name has already been submitted, which is a great start.”
People can submit a suggestion for the team name by going to: grandislandarenafootball.com. People interested in more information about the team may call (214) 412-6889. Team name suggestions can be made until Dec. 22. Only one suggestion can be made per email address.
Tommy Benizio of Benizio Sports, The Arena League league advisor, said at the news conference that league leaders have looked at how arena football can occur better than it is. Benizio said.
He brought Charlie Bosselman, an owner of the Nebraska Danger, into the indoor football league business.
Tim Brown, league commissioner, said the Grand Island facility is “second to none.”
Brown said that the team will provide jobs for 18 to 20 football players.
“We don’t pay these kids a whole lot of money,” Brown said. A football player may be paid $400 to $600 per week.
Prospective players may have been cut from a higher-level football team or sustained an injured. The Arena League provides one more opportunity for football players.
Brown said that he wants football players to “walk away from this game with their heads up high.”
Although it is possible for a player from The Arena League to eventually play for an NFL team, players are more likely to go to the UFL or Canadian football team.
Benizio said that a team may score anywhere from 40 to 80 points a game. He said America’s Got Talent will be featured at halftime.
A unique feature at the Heartland Event Center is that there will be seating for fans on the arena floor. Those field box/suite tickets for a 5-game season are $7,000.
Benizio said within the next four to six weeks, league officials will choose a team name, and a logo will be revealed. The league wants the team to have local ownership. There is a three-year lease for the league.
Kyler Tarwater is Executive Director of the Heartland Events Center. He said that games will begin in June with a season consisting of four home games, four away games, and one exhibition game. For the indoor football games, there is seating for 4,500 to 5,000 people, Tarwater said.
Benizio said that one factor for choosing Grand Island was that its location fit within the geography for the league. He mentioned other team locations including Waterloo, Iowa; and Eau Claire, Wisc. A big concern for the league is rising costs, Benizio said. He said that it made sense that the community would support the team.
He said that tryouts for the team will be two to three months before the season. At tryouts, a player who is a “diamond in the rough” can emerge, or the player may be from the Grand Island area. He said that coaches will know potential players who could be part of the team.
Benizio said that games are “streamed live.”
“Our games are awesome,” he said. “I would tell people to expect to have a lot of fun.”
In 2025, teams were located in Hot Springs, Ark.; Eau Claire, Wisc.; Duluth, Minn., Springfield, Mo.; Waterloo, Iowa; and Kansas City, Mo.
Play will occur in early June through mid-August, with playoffs in August.
