Though arena football is gone from the state of Alabama and the Steeldogs are no more, that doesn’t mean as a dedicated fan you have seen your last arena football game. Only a relatively short time ago, it looked as if the Arena Football League may be gone for good, with AF2 suffering a similar fate. Closing to find a more profitable business model, there was no guarantee the league would return, but the AFL is officially back, playing its first season under new management from early April until the end of July. In fact, former AF2 team, the Tennessee Valley turned Alabama Vipers, located in Huntsville, even made an appearance in the AFL’s second inaugural season. Unfortunately, starting with the 2011 regular season, the Alabama Vipers will be relocating to Gwinnett County, a suburb of Atlanta, where they will take the banner of a former AFL franchise, the Georgia Force. Still, as the closest team to the Birmingham area, the Force represent the best chance for Birmingham arena football fans to get their fix. Just a straight shot down I-20 to Atlanta, the team’s new home is less convenient than the shorter drive up the road to Huntsville, but still much closer than any current existing team. Not to mention, Atlanta is a great weekend trip, a big city with plenty to do outside of Arena football. Just pick a game on a Saturday and make it a family event.Finally, Force fans can relate to what the Steeldog faithful have gone through in losing their team. The Nashville Kats relocated to Atlanta in 2002, where fans enjoyed 7 consecutive seasons of arena football fun up through the 2008 season. The Force suspended operations due to the collapse of the AFL and were not included in the initial re-launch of the league. Fans in the Atlanta area will certainly be excited to see their team return in 2011, and Steeldog fans should join them, supporting the only arena team in the general area until maybe the Steeldogs too can make a prodigal return to Birmingham.