The Fastest Game on Turf: A Night with the Minnesota Monsters at Amsoil Arena

If you’ve only ever known Amsoil Arena as a hockey venue, you’re in for a surprise. Sunday night, the Minnesota Monsters hosted the Kentucky Barrels in Arena Football 1 action, and I’ll admit I walked in with modest expectations — a little football, a little popcorn, home by nine. The Monsters had other plans.

The first thing I noticed wasn’t the field — it was the photo op booth. Monsters players were posing for pictures with young fans, and their smiles were big and genuine. These guys are not phoning it in. They’re elated to have folks come out to see them play, and they have a real gift for making young fans feel special.

That energy carried right into warm-ups, where players tossed footballs back and forth with fans in the stands. All around the arena, fans twirled hankies in anticipation. Before the game even started, it felt like a party.

The field itself is vibrant and bright, with pulsing music that keeps the energy up from start to finish. The sound system and scoreboard make everything feel thoroughly professional — like, am I still in Duluth? The arena cam loved featuring kids dancing in the stands — and sometimes those dance moves were rewarded with gift cards and pizza.

And the food? I went in telling myself I was just there to observe, a professional with a notebook. Then someone walked by with a pickle-bacon pizza slice and a 1/2 lb Monster Dog, my journalistic integrity folded like a lawn chair. In short, come hungry.

Between all of this, the Monsters’ Dance Team fired mini footballs into the crowd, keeping fans on their toes (and reaching for souvenirs).

photo by Jacob Meyer (taken at different game)

Here’s what sets arena football apart: the panes of hockey glass that normally separate fans from the ice? Gone. For arena football, there is NOTHING between you and the play.

Balls fly into the stands. Players tumble into the stands. It’s all right there. When a football sails into your section, you just throw it back — you’re part of the game. At one point, a ball and two players tumbled clean over the boards in the end zone. A ref ran up, peered into the pile of players and fans, and determined it was a touchdown. Try getting that close to the action anywhere else.

You even hear the refs over the PA system, which gives the whole game an insider feel. Like you’re in on this decision. And the commentary doesn’t assume you know the rules of arena football — which, for a newcomer like me, was perfect.

The Monsters took the field in dark blue uniforms with yellow accents, looking really sharp. They played even sharper.

The final score was Monsters 60, Barrels 8. I don’t know a lot about football, but I know math, and that math says our guys had themselves a night. But what struck me most wasn’t the scoreboard — it was how the players treated the crowd throughout. Between plays, they were high-fiving kids along the boards and raising their arms to pump up the crowd for more noise. Kids proudly wore ball caps covered in player signatures.

Oh, and at one point,when the Monsters scored, everyone in Section 118 got a certificate to Pizza Lucé. Winning has its perks.

During intermission, fans came down for putting contests and games of throwing footballs into buckets to win prizes. Was it silly? Absolutely. Was it fun? Even more so.

photo by Jacob Meyer (taken at different game)

Here’s the moment that stuck with me: after the game, the team invites fans down onto the field for autographs — and even to run around on the field itself. Watching kids pass a football with their heroes on the same turf where the game had just been played was special.

If you’re looking for an affordable, high-energy, family-friendly night out in Duluth, put a Minnesota Monsters game on your calendar. The action is fast, the players are genuinely engaged with the community, and there’s truly nothing between you and the game.

See you at Amsoil Arena — and get a hanky to twirl.