TEAMS: The Philadelphia Soul, New Orleans Voodoo and Austin Wranglers, swelling the league's ranks to 19.
OWNERS: Jon Bon Jovi (Philadelphia); Tom Benson (New Orleans); Greg Feste, Dell CFO Jim Schneider, Glyn Milburn, Leigh Steinberg, Tony Boselli, Mark Brunell and others (Austin).
LOCATION: The Buffalo Destroyers relocated to Columbus, Ohio.
ALIGNMENT: Detroit (East to Central), Las Vegas (East to West), Dallas (Central to East), Colorado (West to Central) and Carolina (South to East) switched divisions. Austin (South), New Orleans (South) and Philadelphia (East) make their debuts.
PLAYOFF FORMAT: Qualifiers were reduced from 12 to 8, based on overall record. Division winners are not guaranteed a spot.
FOOTBALL: Spalding's new light brown ball with a blue "S" stripe and crosshairs on each end should be easier for players and fans to see.
FANTASY FOOTBALL: The league teamed with SandboxPlus to create its first fantasy football program. Aspiring general managers can register at www.arenafootball.com or www.AFLFantasy.com
RULES: Camp invitees increased from 37 to 30. Offside or encroachment by the defense no longer will result in an automatic first down but tripping by a defensive player will. Hands-to-the-face fouls will draw a 5-yard penalty.
STORM NEWS: The Storm signed offensive/defensive lineman Jerome King to the practice squad.
- Compiled by Frank Pastor.
AFL's opening weekend
THURSDAY'S GAME: San Jose at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY'S GAME: Las Vegas at Colorado, 9 p.m.
SATURDAY'S GAME: Columbus at Indiana, 7 p.m.
SUNDAY'S GAMES: Orlando at Tampa Bay, 3 p.m.; Carolina at Dallas, 3 p.m.; Los Angeles at Arizona, 3 p.m.; Grand Rapids at Chicago, 3 p.m.; New York at Georgia, 3 p.m.; New Orleans at Philadelphia, 3 p.m.
