• Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski, who is part of the Albany ownership group, speaks during a meet and greet with Albany arena football players, coaches and owners at an open house at the Times Union Center on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017 in Albany, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) Photo: Lori Van Buren / 20042314A
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Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski, who is part of the Albany ownership group, speaks during a meet and greet with Albany arena football players, coaches and owners at an open house at the Times Union Center on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017 in Albany, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) less
Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski, who is part of the Albany ownership group, speaks during a meet and greet with Albany arena football players, coaches and owners at an open house at the Times Union Center ... more
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Scott Butera, commissioner of the Arena Football League, speaks following a press conference to announce a new Albany Arena Football team on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, at the Hearst Media Center in Colonie, N.Y. The team's local owners are: George Hearst III, publisher and CEO of the Times Union; Dan Nolan, president and CEO of Hugh Johnson Advisors; and businessman Ed Swyer. (Will Waldron/Times Union) less
Scott Butera, commissioner of the Arena Football League, speaks following a press conference to announce a new Albany Arena Football team on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, at the Hearst Media Center in Colonie, N.Y. ... more
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Arena Football League commissioner Scott Butera speaks during the announcement of the return of Arena Football League to Albany during a news conference at the Hearst Media Center Tuesday Oct. 24, 2017 in Colonie, NY. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

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Arena Football League commissioner Scott Butera speaks during the announcement of the return of Arena Football League to Albany during a news conference at the Hearst Media Center Tuesday Oct. 24, 2017 in

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When the Arena Football League's 31st season kicks off on April 14, there will be a new commissioner at the helm.

The league announced on Tuesday that Randall Boe, who serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel to Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns two of the Arena Football League's four teams, would replace Scott Butera, who will leave his post on March 31. As part of the shakeup of league management, Philadelphia Soul majority owner Ron Jaworski was named chairman of the league's executive committee.

"Together, Ron and I are committed to developing the best fan experience for all arena football fans, and to making arena football one of the most cutting edge, technologically-advanced games in sports," said Boe in a league press release. "We are excited to bring in new partners to continue to grow and evolve this innovative league."

Butera was named commissioner of the AFL after the 2014 season. During his tenure, the league contracted, shrinking from a 12-team nationwide circuit in 2015 to a four-team league based in the northeast for the 2018 season.

When the Albany Empire expansion franchise was announced in late October, Butera, a former investment banker and casino executive, told the Times Union that the league would "take our best owners, and we're building the league around them."

At the time, the Empire became the league's sixth team for the 2018 season, but the Cleveland Gladiators, owned by the same group that owns the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters, announced in mid-November that the team would suspend operations for two years while Quicken Loans Arena undergoes renovations over the next two summers.

Less than a month later, the Tampa Bay Storm announced they wouldn't play the 2018 season, citing rising operating costs and reduced league revenues.

Boe, the new commissioner, will also remain in his position with Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Washington Valor and Baltimore Brigade.

In his role as chairman of the executive committe, Jaworski, who leads the ownership groups of both Philadelphia and the Albany Empire, will oversee the league's football operations.