Only halfway into the 2023 arena football season, Albany was left without a team. The Albany Empire, under the ownership of former NFL star Antonio Brown, was plagued by team members either getting fired or quitting, a rotating array of coaches, unpaid bills and lots of off-field drama. Eventually, the team was kicked out of the league mid-season.

NewsChannel 13 reports a new team with familiar name, will return for the 2024 season. The Albany Firebirds. They will be part of the Indoor Football League, which has 17 teams so far. 

Mike Kwarta, one of the former owners of the Albany Empire prior to Antonio Brown's takeover, confirmed there will be a press conference on Monday (10/2) to announce the new team. 

The Albany Firebirds arena football team played from 1990 to 2000.