OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — The Wisconsin Aviators, an indoor football team, will play at the Oshkosh Arena starting next year, bringing eight home games and extra foot traffic that local businesses expect to benefit from.
The Aviators will play in the American Indoor Football League, or AIF.
Andy Linton, executive director of the Oshkosh Arena, believes the team will have a financial impact on the area.
"It'll actually bring a lot more business to town, to Oshkosh," Linton said. "It'll help out the Sawdust District and downtown as well, as far as local businesses and everything are concerned."
Ian Wenger, the owner of 5th Ward Brewing — just up Main Street from the arena — agrees.
"The arena's been a really great asset to this sort of South Side Main Street business ecosystem," Wenger said.
WATCH THE FULL BROADCAST HERE:
When NBC 26 neighborhood reporter Hayden Bailey asked Wenger what impact he anticipates from the new football team, he pointed to the added visitors.
"So the foot traffic is always a plus," Wenger said. "We do see pregame and postgame visitors, and we do have our beer over at the arena, so it's always good just to kind of help us get the name out there as well."
Oshkosh's marketing bureau, Discover Oshkosh, adds that the Aviators could draw in customers from the broader Fox Valley area.
"We could definitely see an increase in tourism just from this," said Anna Murphy-Pociask, marketing coordinator for Discover Oshkosh.
"People tend to eat, get dinner or lunch before these games," Murphy-Pociask added. "They're getting their gas here. They might be staying overnight in our local hotels, so we can definitely see some uptick with any new things like this, including sports," Murphy-Pociask said.
The Wisconsin Aviators are slated to play eight home games, with their season starting in March 2027. Their full schedule has yet to be released.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
