| Stockton Crusaders | |
| Founded: | 2024 |
| City: | Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California |
| Misc: | StocktonCrusaders.com |
| Coach: | Kurt Bryan |
| President: | Scott McKibben |
| General Manager: | Greg Pearce |
| League: |
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| Team History: |
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| No League Champs: | 0 |
| No Conf Champs: | 0 |
| No Div Champs: | 0 |
| Arena Years: |
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The Stockton Crusaders are a future professional indoor football team based in Stockton, California. They were announced as one of the inaugural teams for the new Arena Football One, but will begin play in 2026.
Arena Football One's predecessor, the 2024 revival of the Arena Football League, had initially announced a team in California's Central Valley.[1] With a leaked social media page indicating this team would be named the California Grizzlies, this team was originally to play 233miles southeast of Stockton, in Bakersfield; its owner, Tim Carbajal, owned a semi-pro outdoor team in that city. Ultimately, Carbajal was unable to secure a lease agreement with Mechanics Bank Arena, and the Grizzlies never made it to play.[2] The team logo eventually went with the Oregon Blackbears. Carbajal is now part-owner of the Arizona Bandits of AF1.
The Stockton Crusaders were founded in June of 2024. On September 9, 2024, the Crusaders announced their intentions to join the newly-formed Arena Football One. Its head coach Kurt Bryan was a co-creator of the A-11 offense briefly used in outdoor football.[3] Team president Scott McKibben had previously been chairman of the Oakland Coliseum authority.[4]
On November 18, 2024, the AF1 league announced that the Crusaders and Monterrey Kings will sit out the 2025 season and debut in 2026.[5]