The Louisiana Venom are preparing for their first season in the American Professional Football League, a new organization focused on giving overlooked athletes another opportunity to continue their football careers.
Louisiana Venom head coach Ananias Johnson Jr. says the league is designed to open doors for players who have exhausted their college eligibility but still have the drive to compete at the next level.
“We’re starting with four teams South Carolina, New York, Virginia, and us,” Johnson said. “We know we’re all together in this, but we’re trying to whip New York, we’re trying to whip South Carolina, we’re trying to whip Virginia.”
Percy Williams Jr., the Venom’s general manager, emphasized the league’s broader mission of opportunity for athletes who were overlooked by the NFL.
“Only about 1.6% of college players make it to the NFL,” Williams said. “So we want to tap into that 98.4% of players who didn’t make it but still have that desire and that will.”
Johnson said the Venom are focused on giving players a second chance, including those who went undrafted or missed opportunities the previous year.
“We want guys who didn’t get the opportunity last year, or didn’t get drafted, to get that second opportunity to make it to the NFL,” Johnson said.
The Venom are casting a wide net across Louisiana for their inaugural 2027 season, with first tryouts scheduled for June. The organization is targeting players 21 and older from across the state, including Shreveport, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Iberia and Opelousas.
“We want everybody from Shreveport to New Orleans to Baton Rouge to Lafayette to try out,” Johnson said. “We want all the schools Tulane, LSU, Grambling, Southern, Nicholls, McNeese, UL everybody to come try to make it to the next level.”
Beyond player development, the league is also emphasizing fan engagement through digital innovation, including multiple camera angles, interactive viewing features and expanded access to players and content.
Williams said the goal is to make the experience more connected for fans and families.
“We’re really trying to get fans involved,” Williams said. “More player interaction, more ways to experience the game the whole idea is to make it something everybody can enjoy.”
Williams added that the team identity was built with statewide pride in mind rather than focusing on a single city.
“We could have chosen a city,” Williams said. “But we decided to build something for all of Louisiana something everybody in the state can be proud of.”
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