NFL Network personalities Paul Burmeister and Charles Davis will be in the booth as the AFL opens its 25th season on March 9, 2012 featuring the Pittsburgh Power at Orlando Predators. The season opener will be coined as the “Hall of Fame Game” as members of the 2011 AFL Hall of Fame Class will be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame. The 2012 season will mark the third consecutive year of “Arena Football Friday” on NFL Network. During the 23-game slate, which includes 20 regular season games, two playoff contests and ArenaBowl XXV held in New Orleans, Burmeister will share play-by-play duties with Fran Charles, and Ari Wolfe, while Davis, Brian Baldinger, Solomon Wilcots, AFL Hall of Fame Inductee Kurt Warner and Anthony Herron serve as analysts. Wolfe and Herron will serve as sideline reporters throughout the season as well. NFL Network’s “Arena Football Friday” telecasts are set for 8:00 pm ET. The AFL’s national game of the week on NFL Network is coming off a record rating for ArenaBowl XXIV featuring the Jacksonville Sharks at Arizona Rattlers on August 12, 2011. Below is a schedule for “Arena Football Friday” broadcasts on NFL Network:
DATE MATCHUP
March 9 Pittsburgh Power vs. Orlando Predators
March 18 Georgia Force vs. Tampa Bay Storm
March 22 Philadelphia Soul vs. Pittsburgh Power
March 30 San Jose SaberCats vs. Spokane Shock
April 6 Tampa Bay Storm vs. New Orleans VooDoo
April 13 New Orleans VooDoo vs. San Antonio Talons
April 20 Tampa Bay Storm vs. Philadelphia Soul
April 30 Kansas City Command vs. Tampa Bay Storm (Special Monday Night game after the NFL Draft Weekend)
May 4 New Orleans VooDoo vs. Jacksonville Sharks
May 11 Cleveland Gladiators vs. Milwaukee Mustangs
May 18 Orlando Predators vs. New Orleans VooDoo
May 25 Jacksonville Sharks vs. Orlando Predators
June 1 Cleveland Gladiators vs. Iowa Barnstormers
June 8 Pittsburgh Power vs. Cleveland Gladiators
June 15 Tampa Bay Storm vs. Orlando Predators
June 22 Arizona Rattlers vs. Milwaukee Mustangs
June 29 Milwaukee Mustangs vs. Cleveland Gladiators
July 6 Milwaukee Mustangs at Jacksonville Sharks
July 13 Cleveland Gladiators vs. Utah Blaze
July 20 Jacksonville Sharks vs. Pittsburgh Power