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The New York Dragons are back!
Last month, the ENTFLA announced the return of Arena Football to Long Island for the league’s inaugural 2025 season. Today, the league held a press conference in Hicksville to announce the name and branding of the new team.
The team name pays homage to the original New York Dragons, featuring the familiar red and black color scheme used from when the original Dragons played at Nassau Coliseum from 2001 through 2008.
As new general manager Peter Schwartz stated to the crowd, “I wanted the logo to be like the old one on steroids.”
Here is the logo, along with alternative logos released today:
The league ran a naming contest that featured hundreds of submissions but the one that kept coming up was the Dragons, so it became an obvious choice for the ENTFLA.
“The Dragons were a significant part of the Long Island sports landscape for eight exciting seasons. I’m delighted that our new team will continue the legacy and tradition of the old team. Our goal with the new Dragons is to complete the mission of the original franchise and hang a championship banner from the rafters of the Coliseum,” said Schwartz.
The last professional sports team to hang a championship banner from the Coliseum rafters was the 1983 New York Islanders after they won their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup.
Schwartz made sure to mention that his goal was for the team to host a banner-raising ceremony in June of 2026, after a championship first season.
That first season is set to get underway officially on Saturday, June 7, as the New York Dragons will go on the road to play the Danbury Diesel.
The home opener for the Dragons will take place the following Saturday, June 14, at 6:05 pm at the Nassau Coliseum.
Fans will have the opportunity to meet the players and coaches after games, a staple of the ENTFLA experience, along with halftime performances under consideration.
The team does not have a coach or any players yet, but once that is announced, they’ll be looking to ingratiate themselves in the community by participating in football camps run by the Nassau County PAL.
Check out the New York Dragons website for more information on the team, and to purchase tickets.
Top: Uniondale youth football players were invited to help help announce Long Island’s arena league name today at the Hicksville Athletic Center. (Credit: Matthew O’Leary)
