A deal that will return the Arena Football League to Times Union Center after an 18-year absence is in the works, multiple sources confirmed Thursday.

The agreement has not been finalized, but negotiations are ongoing. They involve some local businessmen and the ownership group of the Philadelphia Soul, one of five league franchises.

The AFL's Albany Firebirds operated downtown from 1990 to 2000. Attendance peaked at 12,240 per game in 1995 before dropping to 9,872 in 2000.

The Firebirds won the 1999 Arena Bowl with a 59-48 victory over the Orlando Predators in front of a sellout crowd of 13,652 at what was then Pepsi Arena.

Citing a need to be in a larger market, the Firebirds moved to Indianapolis. They were replaced by the Albany Conquest, in a lower-level arena league, and attendance plummeted.

The downtown arena has not had a pro sports tenant since the Albany Devils of the American Hockey League moved to Binghamton at the end of last season.

One source said negotiations are "pretty far along" but "there are still a handful of things that need to be discussed." No timetable has been set to finalize a deal, but the goal is to have a team in place for 2018.

The Arena Football League plays a four-month season, beginning in early April. The CBS Sports Network televised a Saturday night game each week during the 2017 season.

Only five franchises — Tampa Bay (joined in 1987), Cleveland (1997), Philadelphia (2004), Baltimore (2017) and Washington (2017) — played last season in the AFL, which has had as many as 19 teams.

The league recently adopted a philosophy of having owners maintain more than one franchise. The Baltimore and Washington teams both are operated by Ted Leonsis, who also owns the NHL's Washington Capitals, NBA's Washington Wizards and WNBA's Washington Mystics.

Ron Jaworski, an NFL quarterback for 17 seasons and until recently a pro football analyst at ESPN, is majority owner of the Soul. The 13-person ownership group includes former NFL coach Dick Vermeil. Philadelphia has won the past two Arena Football League championships.

pdougherty@timesunion.com • 518-454-5416 • @Pete_Dougherty