Arena Football League releases 2012 schedule

The Arena Football League released its 2012 schedule on Oct. 6, including the lineup for Arena Football Friday on the NFL Network.

It's going to be a Storm-y Arena Football Friday season on the NFL Network, with the Tampa Bay Storm appearing a league-best five times in 2012.
Sharon Soares (used with permission)

The league's 25th season will begin Friday, March 9, 2012, with the regular season wrapping up on Sunday, July 22, 2012. The Arena Football League will feature another 18-game regular season over 20 weeks in 2012, with each of the 17 teams having two bye weeks. ArenaBowl XXV, which will be held in New Orleans, is set for Friday, August 10, 2012, to close out the Silver Anniversary season.
The entire 2012 schedule can be viewed here.
Also released was the 2012 Arena Football Friday schedule for games to be broadcast on the NFL Network. The schedule is as follows:
March 9: Pittsburgh Power at Orlando Predators
March 16: Georgia Force at Tampa Bay Storm

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March 23: Philadelphia Soul at Pittsburgh Power
March 30: San Jose SaberCats at Spokane Shock
April 6: Tampa Bay Storm at New Orleans VooDoo
April 13: New Orleans VooDoo at San Antonio Talons
April 20: Tampa Bay Storm at Philadelphia Soul
April 27: Kansas City Command at Tampa Bay Storm
May 4: New Orleans VooDoo at Jacksonville Sharks
May 11: Cleveland Gladiators at Milwaukee Mustangs
May 18: Orlando Predators at New Orleans VooDoo
May 25: Jacksonville Sharks at Orlando Predators
June 1: Cleveland Gladiators at Iowa Barnstormers
June 8: Pittsburgh Power at Cleveland Gladiators
June 15: Tampa Bay Storm at Orlando Predators
June 22: Arizona Rattlers at Milwaukee Mustangs
June 29: Milwaukee Mustangs at Cleveland Gladiators
July 6: Milwaukee Mustangs at Jacksonville Sharks
July 13: Cleveland Gladiators at Utah Blaze
July 20: Jacksonville Sharks at Pittsburgh Power
Absent from the Arena Football Friday schedule are the Chicago Rush, who finished the 2011 season as Central Division champions with a 13-5 record, advancing to the National Conference Championship game. The Rush boasted the No. 1 scoring defense in the AFL last season, allowing only 46.3 points per game.
The team with the most Arena Football Friday appearances in 2012 is the Tampa Bay Storm, who finished 2011 with a 7-11 record, and who will appear five times on national television in the 20-week schedule. The Storm is the oldest team in the Arena Football League—founded in 1987 as one of the AFL's original four charter franchises, the Pittsburgh Gladiators—and was No. 2 in attendance last season. It is the only remaining team to have played in every one of the AFL's previous 24 seasons.
The Jacksonville Sharks (14-4 in 2011, South Division Champions, ArenaBowl XXIV Champions) appear on the NFL Network four times, as do the Cleveland Gladiators (10-8, East Division Champions), the Pittsburgh Power (9-9), the Orlando Predators (11-7, wild card berth in 2011 playoffs, No. 1 in attendance), and the New Orleans VooDoo (3-15). The Milwaukee Mustangs (7-11, last in attendance), who didn't appear on Arena Football Friday last season, appear three times in 2012. The Philadelphia Soul (6-12) appear twice. Eight of the remaining nine teams in the league appear once.

South Division teams combine for 18 appearances on the NFL Network, while East Division teams combine for 15 appearances. West Division teams appear a combined four times, while Central Division teams only appear three times.

Altogether absent from the 2012 schedule is the Dallas Vigilantes, ending any speculation about their short-term future. Their long-term future remains up in the air.
The league's divisions will remain the same in the coming season, minus the Vigilantes in the Central Division. The Talons moved from Tulsa to San Antonio in the off-season but will remain in the Central Division.