The Iron Might Make It After All

They may have missed the playoffs, but the Milwaukee Iron may have succeeded in their one real goal this season: Make it to year two. With a nice crowd of nearly 6,000 to close out the season, it's clear there is at least some interest for an arena football team in Milwaukee. Despite the current financial woes of the team, the interest may be enough to keep the team running for at least another season.

That outlook seemed to get a little better with the folding of the Arena League this week. Keep in mind, the Milwaukee Iron are actually in arenafootball2, which I guess is now the elite arena football league in America despite the "2" in their name. Look for that to change, I'd think. Here's the official word from the Milwaukee Iron front office:

Amidst reports that the Arena Football League may decide to further suspend play in 2010, as the league did in 2009, the Milwaukee Iron and the arenafootball2 league will continue to operate as normal. The af2 employs a different structure and business model than that of the AFL and will not be directly affected by the AFL’s decision.

If anything, an extended AFL hiatus could be very beneficial to the Iron. If the AFL does not play next year, its players will be free to sign with af2 teams, giving the Iron a larger talent pool to draw from when filling their roster for the 2010 season.

The Iron are excited at the opportunity to continue to move toward their goal of winning a championship while offering a unique and fun entertainment option for fans. After coming within three points of the af2 playoffs in their inaugural season, the Iron are already preparing for further success on and off the field in 2010.

So things look positive for now, but keep in mind there's a long time between that letter from the Iron and the opening kickoff of next season. Still, it's interesting how at first glance you may think the AFL shutting its doors would be the worst thing for the Iron, when instead it may actually be the one thing that keeps them alive.