A new professional football team will be coming to Long Island and playing at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Entertainment Football Association announced Jan. 15 that it will be bringing a team to Uniondale. The league held a press conference at the Coliseum to unveil the new team to the public. Founder Douglas Freeman, Commissioner and NFL Hall-of-Famer Andre Reed, Chief Operating Officer William Rolack, Long Island Team Advisor Peter Schwartz, League Advisor Tommy Benizio and Lisa Giamo all spoke about the new team and their excitement to have ENTFLA part of the Long Island community.
“Something I noticed about the people of Long Island is you guys have this unparalleled sense of community,” Benizio said.
“And you know, Nassau, we are sports people, so bringing another sport to our county is just a double plus,” Treasurer for the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce Gary Slavin added.
Nassau Coliseum has had its fair share of hosting professional sports teams throughout its history. The arena was the home of the New York Islanders from 1972 until 2021. The New York Nets spent five years at the Coliseum in the 1970s. The Nets’ G-League affiliate has called the Coliseum home since 2017. The New York Dragons were the last football team to play at the venue. The American Football League team played in Uniondale from 2001 to 2008.
“We are so excited about the entertainment football association coming here to Nassau County, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.
He then proceeded to throw a football pass to Reed, who spent 16 years in the NFL as a wide receiver. The commissioner of the ENTFLA said the new league is expected to have promising potential.
“Sometimes you gotta travel far for a really good thing,” Reed, a San Diego, CA, resident said about the East Coast league.
The logo, colors and name of the team have yet to be decided, but community participation will be allowed through Feb. 1 as fans can give their input on the new Long Island team.
The league has already announced the formation of three other teams: the Danbury Diesel, Fitchburg Heroes and New Jersey Ciphers. The four teams will play nine regular season games, four at home, four away, and one at a neutral site. A schedule has yet to be finalized, but the ENTFLA says that games will probably take place during the summer months with the first game likely to be played in the beginning of June.
The league also detailed a timeline of events leading up to the start of the season. Season tickets and suites have already gone on sale. The Long Island team’s general manager and staff will be announced in February along with the official team name and logo. School programs will begin to be launched in March. Uniforms, the coaching staff and mascot will be unveiled to the public in April. The final roster is expected to be announced in May, according to the ENTFLA.
Tickets for single games at the Coliseum start at $30 and kids ages 12 and under can get in for $20. All tickets include the football game as well as a free concert that the league wants to hold at each event. The ENTFLA also wants to hold tailgate events before each game.
The ENTFLA will play the 2025 season with its four inaugural teams. Freeman spoke about how the league hopes to reach 30 teams and potentially move overseas as well.
Along with the new league, there is also a new way to watch the action. Freeman announced the Entertainment Football Association Network which will televise games. The network is expected to partner with brands and appeal to people ages 15 to 34 years of age, according to Freeman.
One of the goals of the ENTFLA is to be able to get players to the NFL level, something that having a Hall-of-Famer as commissioner helps with.
“They’ll listen to Andre, so that’s going to be a real blessing,” Benizio said about the NFL.
