Portland Steel
Portland Steel / Portland Thunder 
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| City: | Portland , Oregon | ||
| Founded: | 2014 | ||
| Team colors: | Navy blue, royal blue, silver |
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| League (): | AFL (2014-2016) | ||
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| Greatest successes | |||
| AFL : 2014, 2015, 2016 | Playoff participations | ||
| AFL : - | League champions | ||
| Stadion | |||
| Surname: |
Moda Center |
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| Address: | 1 Center Court, Portland, Oregon | ||
| Capacity: | 18,280 | ||
| Data status | |||
| 17th July 2017 | |||
The Portland Steel were an arena football team from Portland, Oregon that played in the Arena Football League (AFL). The franchise was originally founded as Portland Thunder but changed its name to Steel in 2016. The team's home games were played at the Moda Center .
history
Portland Thunder (2014-2015)
The franchise was founded in 2014 and started gaming operations in 2014. Founder was Terry Emmert , an American businessman who already owned several sports franchises.
The playoffs could be reached in both seasons, but they never got past the first round.
At the end of 2015, Emmert tried to acquire further potential sponsors in order to secure Thunder's liquidity. After this failed, the AFL took over the franchise. The logo and naming rights were still owned by Terry Emmert, so the AFL had to rename the company. The Portland Steel was officially presented on February 24, 2016.
Portland Steel (2016)
The Steel operated only one season, but in which the playoffs were reached. Nonetheless, the average attendance continued to drop rapidly. With just over 5,000 spectators per game, the Steel welcomed by far the fewest spectators in the league. At the end of the season it was announced that the Steel would disband after just one year.
Season statistics
| year | team | league | S. | N | Playoffs reached | Playoff round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Portland Thunder | AFL | 5 | 13 | Yes | N quarterfinals vs. Arizona Rattlers 48:52 |
| 2015 | Portland Thunder | AFL | 5 | 13 | Yes | N quarterfinals vs. San Jose SaberCats 28:55 |
| 2016 | Portland Steel | AFL | 3 | 13 | No | N quarterfinals vs. Arizona Rattlers 40:84 |
Audience development
| year | team | Audience average |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Portland Thunder | 8,586 |
| 2015 | Portland Thunder | 8,290 |
| 2016 | Portland Steel | 5,055 |
Individual evidence
- ^ Milwaukee Mustangs bound for Portland . ( jsonline.com [accessed July 17, 2017]).
- ^ Kerry Eggers: Thunder's AFL future up in the air . In: https://joomlakave.com . ( portlandtribune.com [accessed July 17, 2017]).
- ↑ Arena Football League Takes Ownership of Portland Thunder Away From Terry Emmert . In: Willamette Week . ( wweek.com [accessed July 17, 2017]).
- ↑ Portland AFL Organization Rebrands to Steel - OurSports Central. Retrieved July 17, 2017 (English).
- ^ Erik Siemers: Portland Steel shuts down, joining parade of franchises exiting Arena Football League. bizjournals.com, October 19, 2016, accessed July 27, 2017 .
- ↑ Portland Thunder Team History - 2014 | ArenaFan.com. Retrieved July 17, 2017 .
- ↑ AFL Arena Football History - Year By Year - 2014 | ArenaFan.com. Retrieved July 17, 2017 .