Louisville isn’t done with arena football, but team ownership is considering a new home for the AF2 franchise in a new facility at Northern Kentucky University.

General manager Dave Berryman said the team’s ownership group is pursuing an Arena Football League franchise, a huge step up in quality of play and the amount of money involved.

“We’re looking at the AFL coming to Louisville, and you can’t have two teams here, so we may relocate the Fire to make room for the AFL,” Berryman said.

The timing of the moves is uncertain, but a move to bring an AFL franchise here seems unlikely next year, and could be tied to the construction schedule on the downtown arena, scheduled to open in the fall of 2010.

Bill Stone, a member of the Fire investor group headed by Will Wolford, said the focus is on moving from AF2 to the AFL.

“The whole object is the dream to bring a major league team in here,” Stone said. “Louisville is moving up to a level far beyond the cities in that league.”

Berryman said he’s talked with officials at the Bank of Kentucky Center, a brand-new 10,000-seat arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University, as a possible venue for the Fire and AF2 if Louisville lands an AFL franchise.

Berryman said there’s also an August 6 meeting with officials of the Cordish Companies, the firm behind Fourth Street Live. Cordish is developing the Center City project, which includes massive renovations to Louisville Gardens. That site could become home to a minor leauge professional ice hockey franchise.

Another scenario would have the Fire returning to Freedom Hall, which Berryman said was an option still on the table.

The Fire just concluded its season July 26 and missed the playoffs, finishing with an 8-8 record.