The Georgia Force is Atlantas arena football team. This variation of regular football is played exclusively indoors on a smaller field, with only eight players from each team on the field at one time. Fans of arena football can catch some exciting game action from March to July.
There are 17 teams in the Arena Football League that play an 18 game season schedule. The Georgia Force plays in the Southern Division of the American Conference. The team came to Atlanta in 2002 from Nashville, after being purchased by an Atlanta businessman. The team played consistently well, making the playoffs in five out of seven seasons. The 2005 season was the most successful in franchise history. The Georgia Force finished their season with a record of 11-5 and were undefeated at home. The team won their division title and the National Conference Championship before losing to the Colorado Crush in Arena Bowl XIX. The Georgia Force also won division titles in 2007 and 2008.
The original Georgia Force franchise folded in 2009 after the Arena Football League suspended operations. The league resumed play in 2010. The Alabama Vipers announced that their team would leave Huntsville after the 2010 season ended. That team came to Atlanta as a new Georgia Force team for the 2011 season. The Georgia Force head coach is Dean Cokinos. Before coming to Atlanta, Cokinos coached the Alabama Vipers for three seasons. He led the Vipers to a 2008 Arena Cup Championship. When the Vipers announced that the team would move to Atlanta for the 2011 season, Cokinos moved with the team. Cokinos led the Georgia Force to the Conference Championship in 2011.
The Georgia Force is off to a good start this season. The team won its opening game on March 12 against the Cleveland Gladiators. They lost to the Tampa Bay Storm in their second matchup, and then scored a big win over the Jacksonville Sharks in game three. There are eight remaining home games this season. The next home game is against the Philadelphia Soul on April 7. Other home games this season are as follows: April 14 vs Chicago Rush, April 29 vs the Arizona Rattlers, May 12 vs the Tampa Bay Storm, June 2 vs New Orleans VooDoo, June 9 vs Jacksonville Sharks, July 1 vs the Orlando Predators, and July 14 vs the Pittsburgh Power.
Georgia Force games are played at the Arena at Gwinnett Center, located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth, Georgia. Single game ticket prices range from $10-$100 and are available online or from the Gwinnett Arena Box Office. Parking at the Gwinnett Arena is free.