Gunslingers: The Path Ahead

SAN ANTONIO, TX - After 12 weeks of hard fought battles, the San Antonio Gunslingers are poised to bring a professional football championship home to San Antonio. The Gunslingers clinched a playoff berth last Saturday night with another exciting win at home in the Freeman Coliseum. They now have a league-leading 8-1 record with three games left to play and must continue to fight hard to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs. 

San Antonio sports fans may associate the Gunslinger name with the 1984-1985 United States Football League team of the same name. In 2021, the Gunslingers returned to San Antonio as a professional arena football team. In 2022, the Gunslingers joined the National Arena League (NAL) and have played their home games in the Freeman Coliseum. Last year, the team suffered a 0-5 start but recovered with a three game winning streak and finishing the season at 4-8, barely missing a playoff spot. 

Owner Don Rackler had this to say last year, "We started the year as a sponsor. When the opportunity presented itself, we decided to go all in. This is a game and a team for the working families of San Antonio to enjoy. It’s affordable family fun and I am proud to keep making it available to the great people of San Antonio." 

This year, the Gunslingers won their first six games including five consecutive road victories before suffering their first and only loss at home to the Jacksonville Sharks in week 8. The Gunslingers then rebounded with three straight home wins. League veteran fullback and linebacker Pierre Turner said, “Resilience is what separates us from the other teams, being able to overcome adversity and to continue to come away with the wins. That’s what makes us a championship caliber team. The scary part is, we haven’t even come close to our full potential.”

Now with three games left in the regular season the Gunslingers travel to Orlando to face the fourth place Orlando Predators on July 1st. After a bye week, it’s off to Greensboro, North Carolina to play the third place Carolina Cobras on July 15th. The Gunslingers return home on July 22nd to the Freeman Coliseum to finish their regular season in a rematch with the Carolina Cobras. Head Coach Fred Shaw said of the home stretch, “We are going to approach these games the same way we have all season, one game at a time, one and oh (1-0) every week. When we play our game, there is no one better than our team. We also have the greatest fans and we feed off of their energy.”

A win in any of these games clinches the second seed and a home game for the playoffs. A win in all three games secures the top seed and the honor to host the 2023 NAL Championship game in San Antonio, at the Freeman Coliseum on August 12th. Minority owner and General Manager James Steubing said, "Our boys have worked so hard this year, overcoming a grueling road schedule and beating some really tough teams.  I am excited about the prospect of bringing the championship game to San Antonio so our awesome fans can be a part of the finale to a tremendous season."

Jon Wayne Service Company will host watch parties for both of the remaining road games at Alamo Beer Hall on 202 Lamar Street in San Antonio. Operations Manager April Steubing said, “These watch parties are a lot of fun. We also love it when people discover that San Antonio has a professional football team with football players that are actually from San Antonio and are a part of our community.” 

Tickets for the regular season finale on July 22nd, against the Carolina Cobras, are available now at sanantoniogunslingers.com.

ABOUT THE SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS

The San Antonio Gunslingers are members of the National Arena League (NAL) and were awarded Franchise of the Year by the NAL for their overall performance during the 2022 season.  Gunslingers play all  home games at the Freeman Coliseum. Follow the Gunslingers on Facebook at @210sagunslingers, on Twitter @SA_Gunslingers and Instagram @sanantoniogunslingers.  For Gunslingers season tickets, group packages or partnerships, visit  https://www.sanantoniogunslingers.com/tickets or call (210) 298-6900.

ABOUT NATIONAL ARENA LEAGUE

The National Arena League was founded in 2016 and hosted its inaugural season in 2017 as the premier league in arena football. The National Arena League has kicked off its seventh season in 2023. For more information regarding expansion opportunities or partnerships, contact Commissioner Chris Siegfried at chris@nationalarenaleague.com . For more information about the NAL visit www.nationalarenaleague.com, facebook.com/nationalarenaleague, twitter.com/NALfootball, Instagram.com/nationalarenaleague.