Grand Island gets Arena League football team

Professional indoor football will be returning to Grand Island next year.

The Arena League, which played its first season in 2024, announced Thursday that Grand Island is the second of three cities it plans to expand to for its 2026 season.

The yet-to-be-named team will play its home games at the Heartland Events Center.

“We are very proud to announce Grand Island as one of The Arena League’s newest teams,” said former NFL Hall of Famer and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown, who is the league’s commissioner.

The Grand Island team, one in Memphis, Tennessee, and one in a third city yet to be named will join the five existing teams next year.

Brown said the league is prepared to own and operate the Grand Island team if necessary, but it is looking for a local owner.

The league has not yet announced a schedule for 2026. This year, it played a nine-game schedule during the summer.

Grand Island previously had an indoor football team, the Nebraska Danger, that competed in the Indoor Football League from 2011-2019.