Minnesota Monsters Unveil New Logo, Share New Info About Upcoming Season

A new, bigger, badder monster has been unleashed into the Northland sports world.

In a joint event with representatives from Duluth's Minnesota Monsters and the AF1 football league on hand, a new logo and a deeper look into what to expect were shared with media and members of the public as Duluth joins the new league.

As we've shared previously, the Duluth Harbor Monsters made the decision to jump to a new league after their second season in The Arena League. The move to AF1 is being billed by team leadership as "bigger and better" in every way, from opportunities for players, fan experience, and exposure for the Duluth area.

As part of the move, the team needed to rebrand due to their previous league owning the branding they had been previously using. Team CEO and General Manager Steve Walters spoke about how they deliberately designed the new logo and look for the team to feel familiar to the loyal fans who have supported them over the last couple of years.

READ MORE: What Fans Need To Know About The Monsters' Move To The New League AF1

Walters commented that while they're excited about their new look, they also embrace fans who will show up to games and go around the community sporting their legacy-branded gear.

Besides unveiling the new logo, new Minnesota Monsters owner Jake Lambert, new head coach Daron Clark, and AF1 CEO Jerry Kurz were all on hand to speak a little about the league, the new season, and answer fan and media questions.

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Kurz, who was instrumental in developing the original Arena Football League in the 1980s, spoke in depth about how excited he is for Duluth to be joining his new league, which enters its second season in 2026.

He explained that adding a championship-winning team with a large, engaged fanbase to their new league is exactly what they are looking for as they continue to grow their footprint around the country.

READ MORE: Learn About The New Head Coach Of The Minnesota Monsters

Walters and Kurz both addressed concerns from members of the audience that the rebrand to "Minnesota Monsters" was an indication that the team may leave Duluth someday. Walters clearly reiterated, as has been reported before, that this is and will continue to be Duluth's team.

Kurz addressed concerns about the size of the DECC Arena if they continue to grow attendance, noting that there's another, larger building very close to their current home that could serve as a future venue for the team, if needed. He said his main focus is seeing the DECC Arena filled up every game before worrying about that.

More clarity was also provided about what the new season will look like for the Minnesota Monsters.

The game experience for fans is being promised to be even more exciting and action-packed than what had previously been offered at Monsters games. As Kurz put it, downtime at a football game is like dead air on the radio; you don't want that to happen. Walters pointed to live music, giveaways, and other interactive opportunities outside of the game, paired up with game action that will offer more.

In the AF1, there are offensive/defensive lines, which bring trench battles into the mix. Kicking is also part of gameplay, with an interesting twist being that teams are able to score two points by kicking a kickoff through the opposing end's uprights.

The 2026 AF1 season will start on April 12 and run through August 9, which is a larger calendar footprint than the Duluth Harbor Monsters had previously played. There will be more games on the schedule as well, with each team getting 6 home games ahead of the playoffs in August, where higher-seeded teams will host additional games.

The final schedule has not been released yet, but is expected to come out in the next few weeks. Kurz says they are trying to "fill a few geographic holes" with expansion teams yet. Once that expansion is complete, the schedule will be finalized and released.

Here are photos from the day's event, including a helmet with the new logo and some new merchandise that is available now: