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The Nashville Kats are moving to Clarksville.
The arena football team announced on Sept. 25 that it will play its home games at F&M Bank Arena starting with the 2026 season.
“Clarksville has shown us it’s ready to rally behind this team," Jeff Fisher, the Kats' majority owner and president of team operations, said in a team release. "The passion here is real, and this new arena is the perfect stage for what we’re building. We came up just short of a championship in 2025, and now with Clarksville as our home, I believe this team has everything it needs to finish the job in 2026.”
The Kats, who play in Arena Football One, will still be known as the Nashville Kats.
“With our goal of bringing a family fun event based on community, we have been blown away by the support we received from Clarksville and Montgomery County,” said Bobby DeVoursney, the team's CEO. “As for our players, our fans, and the future of the Kats, we are so excited to be growing as the first professional sports franchise to call Clarksville our new home host city. We look forward to a deep partnership with the community and to bringing economic value to the local businesses and families that support us.”
Fisher, who coached the Tennessee Titans from 1995-2010 and the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams from 2012-16, leads the Kats' ownership group, which also includes former NFL coach Jon Gruden and retired NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip. He also served as commissioner of Arena Football One for the league's inaugural season in 2025.
Arena Football One was founded in 2025 by the eight remaining members of the revived Arena Football League, which played its only season in 2024. The Kats are the second incarnation of the team which played in the old Arena Football League from 1997-2007.
The revived Kats played at Municipal Auditorium in 2024 and 2025, and also played in Clarksville for a pair of military appreciation games. They played at F&M Bank Arena for their home playoff semifinal on June 21, in which they beat the Southwest Kansas Storm 48-43, before losing to the Albany Firebirds 60-57 in the championship game in Albany, New York, on June 28.
MORE: Nashville Kats to play Arena Football One playoff games at Clarksville's F&M Bank Arena
The Kats led the league in average home attendance last season.
“Montgomery County has blown away our growth metrics in what we look for in a city to host an AF1 team," AF1 CEO Jerry Kurz said. "The economic growth, population surge, and passionate fanbase here make it one of the most exciting markets in the country for professional sports. It only makes sense that the Kats would look to this new chapter, and the league couldn’t be more supportive. We look forward to working not just with the Kats, but potentially with the community on a deeper level to bring more AF1 opportunities to Clarksville."
The AF1 is expected to add three expansion teams for 2026: the Beaumont Renegades, Kentucky Barrels and Minnesota Monsters, while the Storm and Salina Liberty are leaving the league. Fisher had also hinted at least one more team in Michigan or Ohio, but as of now, the league's membership stands at nine.
The Monterrey Kings and Stockton Crusaders were slated to join AF1 in 2025 but delayed their arrivals a year and the Wichita Regulators, who played in 2024, were dormant last season but planned on returning in 2026. It's unclear whether any of those teams will join next season.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Kats of Arena Football One moving to Clarksville for 2026
Continue reading...
The arena football team announced on Sept. 25 that it will play its home games at F&M Bank Arena starting with the 2026 season.
“Clarksville has shown us it’s ready to rally behind this team," Jeff Fisher, the Kats' majority owner and president of team operations, said in a team release. "The passion here is real, and this new arena is the perfect stage for what we’re building. We came up just short of a championship in 2025, and now with Clarksville as our home, I believe this team has everything it needs to finish the job in 2026.”
The Kats, who play in Arena Football One, will still be known as the Nashville Kats.
“With our goal of bringing a family fun event based on community, we have been blown away by the support we received from Clarksville and Montgomery County,” said Bobby DeVoursney, the team's CEO. “As for our players, our fans, and the future of the Kats, we are so excited to be growing as the first professional sports franchise to call Clarksville our new home host city. We look forward to a deep partnership with the community and to bringing economic value to the local businesses and families that support us.”
Fisher, who coached the Tennessee Titans from 1995-2010 and the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams from 2012-16, leads the Kats' ownership group, which also includes former NFL coach Jon Gruden and retired NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip. He also served as commissioner of Arena Football One for the league's inaugural season in 2025.
Arena Football One was founded in 2025 by the eight remaining members of the revived Arena Football League, which played its only season in 2024. The Kats are the second incarnation of the team which played in the old Arena Football League from 1997-2007.
The revived Kats played at Municipal Auditorium in 2024 and 2025, and also played in Clarksville for a pair of military appreciation games. They played at F&M Bank Arena for their home playoff semifinal on June 21, in which they beat the Southwest Kansas Storm 48-43, before losing to the Albany Firebirds 60-57 in the championship game in Albany, New York, on June 28.
MORE: Nashville Kats to play Arena Football One playoff games at Clarksville's F&M Bank Arena
The Kats led the league in average home attendance last season.
“Montgomery County has blown away our growth metrics in what we look for in a city to host an AF1 team," AF1 CEO Jerry Kurz said. "The economic growth, population surge, and passionate fanbase here make it one of the most exciting markets in the country for professional sports. It only makes sense that the Kats would look to this new chapter, and the league couldn’t be more supportive. We look forward to working not just with the Kats, but potentially with the community on a deeper level to bring more AF1 opportunities to Clarksville."
The AF1 is expected to add three expansion teams for 2026: the Beaumont Renegades, Kentucky Barrels and Minnesota Monsters, while the Storm and Salina Liberty are leaving the league. Fisher had also hinted at least one more team in Michigan or Ohio, but as of now, the league's membership stands at nine.
The Monterrey Kings and Stockton Crusaders were slated to join AF1 in 2025 but delayed their arrivals a year and the Wichita Regulators, who played in 2024, were dormant last season but planned on returning in 2026. It's unclear whether any of those teams will join next season.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Kats of Arena Football One moving to Clarksville for 2026
Continue reading...
