Albany Empire

In a year full of plenty of highs, and at least an equal amount of lows, here are the top ten sports moments in the Capital Region from 2021.

Time has officially run out on the Times Union Center. Albany's famous sports venue will have a brand new name come the beginning of 2022.

Mere days are left in the Times Union Center's current naming rights contract, and reports are surfacing that a change may be imminent.

There have been a bunch of incentives that are being given across the state if you get a COVID vaccine. Now add Albany Empire football tickets to the list. Albany County is offering for fans to get vaccinated at the Times Union Center on a certain day and you will receive a pair of tickets to a future Albany Empire arena football game.

Great news for fans of the Nets, Knicks, Islanders, Rangers, and Albany Empire. In today's coronavirus press briefing, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the current 10% capacity limit set on all indoor sports arenas in New York state will increase to 25% on Wednesday, May 19th. This is great news for teams like the Nets, Knicks, and Islanders who all appear to be headed to postseason play. The Rangers are far from a lock for the postseason but still alive thanks to a four-game sweep over the New Jersey Devils. This also confirms the reports that the Albany Empire would be able to host 25% of the Times Union Center for their home opener now scheduled for Saturday, May 29th.

Fans of arena football in the Capital Region are getting some good news: Football is coming back to Albany.  And the National Arena League is getting even better news, you're coming to Albany.  As lucky as we are to have the announcement of area football back in our area, this league is even luckier to have us; the best fans in the history of arena football.

Ever since the Arena Football League folded due to a lawsuit against the league's former leadership, we here in the Capital Region have been holding out hope indoor football would return. News broke earlier today that Arena Football could be far closer to returning than any of us thought. Spectrum News Albany's Jaclyn Cango Tweeted out that the owners of the Orlando Predators of the National Arena League are interested in bringing a team to the Times Union Center.

The Albany Empire franchise came and went in a blink of an eye.  In the two short years that they existed, players, staff, sponsors and fans were all-in on arena football's return to Albany. But as players, staff and fans celebrated the title in 2019, many of the women who cheered the loudest for the now defunct franchise, feel cheated. The Albany Empresses dance team say they were lied to about a

It's official.  Our hometown Albany Empire will forever be known as the last Arena Football League champion because today comes the somber news that fans were hoping they wouldn't hear. The Arena Football League and our hometown Albany empire are officially dead.

We are all saddened by the news that our beloved Albany Empire are no more. But no one is more devastated in our eight-year-old son, Ryan. It was heartwrenching when I told him the news.

The Empire is crumbling.  Fans of the Albany Empire, world champions following their second season of re-emergence into the Arena Football League, may not even get to see the championship banner raised at the start of the next season.  It appears highly unlikely there will be a next season after news broke today that the league is in serious financial jeopardy. Ironically enough, this comes 20 yea

The Albany Empire and 5 additional teams have shut down due to a lawsuit that has led to the Arena Football League to rethink their strategy moving forward.