The
Tampa Bay Storm is a professional
arena football franchise based in
Tampa,
Florida, U.S. It is a member of the American Conference (AC) in the
Arena Football League (AFL). The team, along with the
Chicago Bruisers,
Denver Dynamite and
Washington Commandos, joined the AFL as one of the charter franchises, and is the only one of the four still operating. The franchise was originally located in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and known as the
Pittsburgh Gladiators. The franchise relocated to
Tampa Bay in 1991, changing its name in the process. The team played in
St. Petersburg from 1991–1996, then in
Tampa until 2008, after which point the AFL suspended operations and did not return until the 2010 season following the league's restructuring. Together with the
Orlando Predators, it has been in the same city for longer than any other AFL team. During its tenure the franchise won five
ArenaBowl championships. With 214 wins at the end of the 2013 season, the Storm has won more games than any other team in AFL history. The club is currently owned by
Jeffrey Vinik, also the owner of the
NHL's
Tampa Bay Lightning. Home games are played at the
Amalie Arena in Tampa.