Albany Firebirds flying closer to return

ALBANY, NY (NEWS10) -- The Albany Firebirds hosted fans at MVP Arena on Wednesday, as they unveiled their new field and revamped mascot, Spike, just three days ahead of their season kickoff.

The Firebirds kickoff the return of the Arena Football League on Saturday on the NFL Network against the Orlando Predators at 8:00 PM. Co-owner Mike Kwarta was also a co-owner with the Albany Empire. It's been a long process to bring arena football back to Albany, and Kwarta is excited to see it come to fruition. "Can't wait to get started," said Kwarta. "Saturday night is going to be incredible on NFL Network. Just getting the original name back, the original league back from back in the day, the way it was meant to be played: iron man football. It's just the way football belongs in Albany."

Former Empire wideout and NAL MVP Darius Prince is back to help lead the Firebirds. He's ready to help turn the focus back on the field. "We only know how to do one thing here and that's win championships," said Prince. "Since 2021, you know, we won back to back championships. So that's what we're going to put on the field now. So just come out, support us. Championship caliber football."