Arena football isn’t new to the Pueblo, Colorado community. Dating back to 2007 with the Pueblo Pistols, 2016 featuring the Steel City Menace, and now 2026’s Pueblo Punishers, arena football is reviving in Southern Colorado.
On June 18, 2025, Lisa Rohrich, announced her ownership of the Punishers, whose season will begin early next year. The Punishers are a part of the National Arena League (NAL), which differs from professional National Football League (NFL) teams in a few ways. Featuring an indoor stadium, half yard size of an NFL field, and a smaller number of athletes in play, the NAL focuses on fast paced, high scoring games.
Becoming the 8th team inside the NAL, the Punishers will be joining their state counterpart, the Colorado Spartans, alongside the Amarillo Warbirds, Omaha Beef, Dallas Bulls, Salina Liberty, Louisiana Rouxgaroux, and the Sioux City Bandits.
Season tickets and merchandise began selling at the 2025 Colorado State Fair, where the upcoming season will also take place. The Southwest Motors Events Center, where concerts, monster truck shows, and more have previously taken place, will be the new home of Punishers games. This enclosed arena will offer audiences a chance to enjoy the sport comfortably from the weather, which can still present snow throughout spring.
Christapher Garcia, the official team DJ and Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) radio DJ alumni, says, “With an arena football experience, a lot of what’s happening from an entertainment standpoint, happens both on and around the field… It’s a spectator-centric experience.”
Where typical NFL stadiums typically have rows between field and audience, arena football offers a chance for the audience to be on the floor alongside the team, similar to court side seating at a basketball game. In expanding the way that arena football, specifically the Punishers, interacts with the audience, the team is bringing music, collaboration with local businesses, and more to create a more intimate experience for the Pueblo community.
A major way that the Punishers staff and team members are already participating is by showing up at major Pueblo events, such as the annual Chili & Frijoles Festival, trunk or treats, and local high school and collegiate football practices — including CSU Pueblo, where many arena league players come from.
Several players who begin in Division 1(D1), Division 2 (D2), or Division 3 (D3) schools often make transitions to arena leagues as a stepping stone towards the NFL. Quarterback Kurt Warner, who became a two-time NFL MVP and won Super Bowl XXXIV under the St. Louis Rams, only made the transition to the NFL after playing for arena football team, the Iowa Barnstormers. Similarly, players such as wide receiver Terrell Owens and other professional league members have started in arena football. For CSUP’s D2 athletes, the Punishers can provide a key connection in their future football careers.
For athletes that come out of the Pueblo area, a new way to support local business has been created. Rohrich, the owner of the team, is working with local hotels to provide players with a place to stay during the season. Another implementation is collaborating with local restaurants in order to ensure these athletes are fed throughout the season that they’re here. This provides an opportunity for these restaurants to have their logos added to sponsored advertising for the Punishers, alongside other perks.
A few local businesses have even been selected as official “away-game watch party” locations, such as Stacy’s 7th St. Station, located on 7th St. and Business 50. More announcements for collaborations are typically posted through the team’s social media when they become public.
While lots of members of the community are excited, some are concerned that the league hasn’t been marketed enough. Rev 89, a radio station functioning under Southern Colorado Student Media at CSU Pueblo, hosts a variety of radio shows including The Bullpen, a sports orientated show hosted by the station’s operations manager, Zach Peulen and student DJ Tyler Burke. Both sports fans have noted concerns for how much the Pueblo community knows about the Punishers so far.
“I feel like as a potential fan, it’s kind of flown under the radar,” Peulen says, “I feel like people in my life would be interested in it if they knew more about it, I feel like it hasn’t been publicized very much.”
This concern is one shared by The Bullpen’s cohost, who also mentioned his excitement for the team but fears that the general Pueblo community may not be as informed as they should be.
“There’s always potential, I think it just all comes down to how you approach it and how much work you put into it. If ownership goes into this wanting it to be a staple of Pueblo, and they’re willing to dump in the resources, it’ll be great,” Burke said.
Despite the concerns about marketing, sports fans who are aware of the Punishers’ presence in Pueblo have begun preparing for the upcoming season, with season ticket holders already having their seats. Several of these initial ticket holders found themselves exposed to the team at the initial marketing booth at the Colorado State Fair. These ticket holders have the advantage of picking their seats early.
Nicholas Cassias, a community member who made his purchase after an interaction at the fair, noted the importance of the team for the community.
Local tryouts happened on October 18th at East High School, allowing high school and college level athletes to display their skills for the teams coaches. One of these players was Cassias’ nephew, who learned about the team through his uncle, who is a recent Pueblo County High School graduate who went to tryouts.
“It is good to know that they’re looking at local athletes to play,” Cassias says.
The Punishers are gearing up for a season beginning in March of 2026 that will continue through the beginning of summer. With more community collaborations yet to be announced and the exciting revival of arena football in Pueblo, sports fans across the city will have a home team to root for.
