There are three teams that ended up getting out of the Arena Football League before the 2015 season. One of them left for another league while the other two have dissolved.
AFL Iowa Barnstormers
The Iowa Barnstormers had been involved with the AFL for quite some time as they had been involved with it in some form since 1995. This Des Moines-based team had struggled to bring in fans over the years and had often been thrown around due to the AFL’s financial struggles. The team even moved to New York for a few years before eventually returning. The Barnstormers were particularly notable for being the team that football star Kurt Warner played with for a few years.
The Barnstormers have moved on to the Indoor Football League. This is a smaller ten-team indoor football league that features teams from the middle part of the United States, including teams in Green Bay, Bemidji and Wichita Falls.
Pittsburgh Power
The Pittsburgh Power went 15-3 in 2014 but the team was never able to get much of a following in the city. The team also struggled to keep its finances intact. The Power ceased operations after the past season and all of its players have been made available to other teams in the AFL.
San Antonio Talons AFL
The San Antonio Talons has been in the AFL since 2010 and was a part of AF2, a minor league, from 2000 to 2009. Most of the team’s history was spent in Tulsa.
However, the original owners of the Talons failed to follow up with a purchase of the team. As a result, the AFL took control of the team. The league was in talks with a group that owned a number of other sports teams that play in the San Antonio area. However, there was no way how the team was able to be unloaded, thus causing the Talons to cease operations.
It is unclear as to whether or not any of the two non-functioning AFL teams will return in the future. The Barnstormers are at least active in a different league.