After operating with only four teams last season, the Arena Football League will announce the addition of two franchises by the end of the month, an Albany Empire executive said Friday.

George Manias, vice president of business operations for the Empire, said Friday that the league expects to make an announcement next week about one expansion team, and likely will reveal a second team the following week.

"I'm confident there will be six teams this year," Manias said. "I'm confident there will be 10 teams in 2020."

One of the expansion teams is expected to be in Atlantic City, N.J. A source said that the franchise will be operated, at least initially, by Trifecta Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Empire. Manias would not comment on that.

The AFL already has dual ownership in that Trifecta owns both the Empire and the Philadelphia Soul. The league's other two franchises, the Baltimore Brigade and reigning champion Washington Valor, belong to Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the Ted Leonsis-run company that also owns the NBA's Washington Wizards and NHL's Washington Capitals.

Manias said shortly after the announcement of the additional teams that the 2019 schedule will be announced, likely in early February.

The season will start the weekend of April 20-21, one week later than last year, with three weeks of playoffs. The ArenaBowl is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 10.

Once the schedule is released, teams will be able to sign players. Under the three-year collective bargaining agreement reached before the start of last season, all players are signed to one-year contracts. So all those who played last year are free agents and can sign with any team.

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