Today, the Arena Football League (AFL) announced the West Texas Desert Hawks as the league's newest franchise, which will compete under the ownership of JAZ Diesel Services founder Zack Bugg.

The Desert Hawks join the AFL after previously playing in the National Arena League (NAL) in 2023 and the Arena Football Association (AFA) during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The franchise - which captured a league title in 2021 - previously competed as the "Warbirds," but changed the team's name as part of this transition.

"There's absolutely nothing like Texas football, so we're looking forward to competing for an Arena Football League championship for West Texas and bringing the community closer together," Bugg said.

The organization will play its home games at Ector County Coliseum, a 42-acre complex in Odessa, Texas nestled between Dallas and El Paso. The Coliseum sits roughly 6,000 people and also serves as the home of the NAHL's Odessa Jackalopes hockey team, the Permian Basin International Oil Show and a wide array of concerts, conventions, rodeos, trade shows and much more.

Bugg took over the ownership of the organization in April 2023 after serving as the team's general manager from July 2022 to February 2023.

The introduction of the West Texas Desert Hawks comes shortly after the AFL announced the Billings Outlaws as the league's inaugural franchise. The league previously announced its initial team markets in July 2023 and will return to the field in 2024 under the leadership of Commissioner Lee A. Hutton Ill and CEO and Deputy Commissioner Travelle Gaines.

For more information on the West Texas Desert Hawks, please visit them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wtxwarbirds/.