Arena Football May Be Coming to L.A.; Sports Arena Is Close to Completing a Deal

The Coliseum may have lost the Rams and the Raiders, but the Sports Arena is close to gaining a team in the Arena Football League.

Glenn Mon, assistant general manager of the Coliseum and Sports Arena, said Friday that negotiations are in progress with a small group of local investors who plan to field a team in the expanded league next season.

“We’re very optimistic that the Sports Arena will be home to the Southern California team,” Mon said.

Mon said he expected the deal to be completed next week at a meeting among league officials, local investors and the Sports Arena.

The four-team league plans to add as many as six teams for the 1988 season, according to Mon, who said the local team would play 12 games, with an expanded season starting in April and running through the first week of August.