Albany's newest arena football team will have a familiar name - The Empire. The expansion National Arena League franchise announced its name Tuesday morning for an expected Spring 2021 debut. It will be run by the owners of the Orlando Predators of the NAL and play at the Times Union Center.
The latest local team, also known as the Albany Empire, averaged more than 10,000 fans a game at the TU Center for 2019's Arena Bowl winning season. There was no title defense, as the Arena Football League ceased operations last fall and filed for Chapter Seven bankruptcy protection.