West Virginia Roughriders owner Gregg Fornario told Inside the Arena’s Stephen Ur the team will not be returning to the American Arena League in 2020. They have not spoken to any other arena league as of yet.
“By announcing that we are not going back to the AAL early in the offseason opens doors for other opportunities.,” Fornario said on Inside the Arena’s original post about the news. “But how things went on with the AAL on and off the field, we decided we need to move on. We need to do whats best for the Franchise, the players, and the city.”
The Roughriders were founded in 2017 by Fornario and joined the Arena Pro Football [APF] where they capped off an undefeated season with a win over the Florida Tarpons in the championship game. They originally planned on joining the National Arena League, but due to expenses, the team removed themselves from the NAL.
They joined the American Arena League. They finished as the top seed, but fell to the Atlanta Havoc in the championship game. Fornario attempted to start his own league, Professional Arena Football, but that fell through and the Roughriders were back in the AAL.
The Roughriders also made a move from Richmond, VA to Wheeling, WV due to the future of the Richmond Coliseum being up in the air, as it still is today.
They would go on to cap off their second undefeated season in three years with their second title in three years. Now, in 2020, no matter what league they plan to join, they will be looking for their third title in four seasons and the crown of a dynasty.
