Indoor professional football is returning to Little Rock in 2027.
The Arkansas Diamonds, launched in 2025 as the Hot Springs Wiseguys in The Arena League and rebranded as the Diamonds last year, are moving to the larger and more established Indoor Football League, the club announced Tuesday.
The team played its first two seasons at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs and will make Little Rock’s venerable Barton Coliseum its home as it moves to the IFL, considered the highest level of indoor football in the U.S. Tim Brown, the former Heisman Trophy winner at Notre Dame and all-pro receiver for the Raiders in the NFL, is the IFL commissioner. IFL games are broadcast on the Yahoo! Sports Network, which plans to live-broadcast 64 games during the 2026 season.
Diamonds owner Mark Bertel said in a press release that the move was necessary as the team moved up to the IFL.
“I’ve lived in and loved Arkansas my entire life,” he said. “This is an opportunity to build something meaningful, give our players the environment they deserve and create a professional sports organization Arkansas can be proud of. This isn’t Little Rock’s team, and it isn’t my
team. This is Arkansas’ team.”
Bertel stressed that the move was not a reflection of any lack of support in the Spa City.
“Hot Springs will always be the foundation of the Arkansas Diamonds,” he said. “That community welcomed us, supported our players, filled the stands and believed in what we were building. We will never forget that. Everything we are able to announce today was built on the support we received in Hot Springs, and for that, we are incredibly grateful. This was not about wanting to leave Hot Springs. It was about what was required for our organization to take the next step. Joining the IFL gives us the opportunity to represent Arkansas on a much larger stage, and Little Rock provides the centralized location, market size and arena capabilities necessary for that opportunity. But Hot Springs is where this journey began, and that will always be part of who we are.”
The team finished 6-4 in the Arena League regular season last year, winning a playoff game before falling in the league championship game.
Arkansas will enter the 2027 season as one of four expansion teams, bringing the league to 18 teams.
The IFL roster now includes the following teams:
The Western Conference:
- Arizona Rattlers (reigning league champions);
- Arkansas Diamonds expansion team;
- Austin expansion team;
- New Mexico Chupacabras;
- Northern Arizona Wranglers;
- San Antonio Gunslingers;
- San Diego Strike Force;
- Tucson Sugar Skulls;
- Vegas Knight Hawks.
The Eastern Conference:
- Athens (Ga.) Crush expansion team;
- Fishers Freight (in Fishers, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis);
- Green Bay Blizzard;
- Iowa Barnstormers;
- Jacksonville Sharks;
- Orlando Pirates;
- Quad City (Iowa) Steamwheelers;
- Savannah expansion team;
- Tulsa Oilers.
“The Arkansas Diamonds understand that building a successful professional sports organization involves more than what happens on the field,” said IFL President Jared Widman. “Television, corporate partnerships, community engagement and the fan experience are all important parts of growing our league. We are excited to welcome the Diamonds to the IFL and believe Arkansas can become an important market for our league.”
Each IFL season runs for 19 weeks from March through July, with each team playing 16 regular-season games with three byes. The IFL championship game is played in August. The IFL serves as a de facto feeder league to the United Football League.
