A poorly kept secret was made official Monday: the Albany Firebirds franchise is being rebooted for the second time ahead of the 2024 season at MVP Arena. The Firebirds will compete in the new Arena Football League. The original iteration of the franchise played in the 1990s.
Bob Belber is General Manager of the Albany County-owned MVP Arena. He spoke at a kickoff press conference.
“The downtown businesses need to have activity here in the building, and so in that time period between April-August when stuff starts to go outdoors a little bit more, at SPAC, we need to have these events take place in downtown Albany,” he said. “The downtown needs it. The businesses need it. The hotels need it.”
The original Firebirds won the 1999 ArenaBowl and were often seen on national broadcasts.
This new franchise replaces the Albany Empire football team, which had playoff-level teams but eventually lost its membership in the National Arena League in June.
The NAL board of owners decided to terminate the Empire’s membership after team owner Antonio Brown failed to pay the league-mandated and overdue assessments.
During a chaotic return to Albany, the former NFL star wide receiver – whose father Eddie Brown played for the original Firebirds – claimed outright ownership of the franchise once run by Mike Kwarta and suggested he would play for the franchise without ever taking the field.
Kwarta is part of the Firebirds’ local ownership group, which also includes Andy Guelcher.
“This is going to be a great story, so we’re very, very excited to be part of the community and really do it the right way this time,” Guelcher said, “and hopefully bring a championship to Albany.”
The team will be led by Albany Empire coaching veteran Damon Ware, who will also serve as general manager.
“Coming back in 2023, just an odd year. Just a very odd year. I’ll leave it at that,” he said. “But coming back here for year No. 4 is special. Bringing this back, bringing back a part of history, bringing back the Firebirds’ name, going to the Arena Football League. You’re talking about a bunch of special events. We’re going to bring in some great players, we’re going to keep this tradition going, of winning. We’ve built a culture here over the last several years that’s very successful. We’ll keep that going.”
Ticket information and the team’s schedule have not been announced.
