Tuesday, October 31 Barnstormers will relocate to New York
	SportsTicker UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders ownership group has purchased the Arena Football League's Iowa Barnstormers and will move the team to Nassau Coliseum for the 2001 season. Charles Wang and Sanjay Kumar teamed with Computer Associates co-founder Russell Artzt to buy the indoor football league team. They will formally make the announcement Wednesday afternoon at the Nassau Coliseum. The Barnstormers, who played their first six seasons in Iowa and produced NFL Most Valuable Player Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams, will be renamed the New York Dragons, for Wang's Asian heritage. Wang, the billionaire founder of the Long Island-based Computer Associates, and Kumar were introduced as the Islanders' new owners in April after purchasing the team from brothers Howard and Edward Milstein and Steven Gluckstern. The purchase and move of the Barnstormers will give the Nassau Coliseum a third tenant, joining the Islanders and New York Saints of the National Lacrosse League. The Saints have outside ownership. The new owners timed their purchase perfectly, with the NFL reportedly interested in buying 49.9 percent of the Arena League, making franchises even more valuable. The Barnstormers finished first in the Central Division last season, going 9-5. They have made the playoffs in five of their six seasons, winning four division titles and twice reaching the title game. They also drew nearly 7,300 fans per home game to their 11,000-seat arena. The Islanders, one of the worst draws in the NHL, attracted 6,336 fans against Anaheim on October 17. The Barnstormers will be the third Arena team to relocate since the end of the 2000 season, following franchises in Hartford and Albany. Others reportedly will be moved before the 2001 season. The only other New York area team in the Arena League is the New Jersey Red Dogs, who play at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford. Hartford originally played in New York's Madison Square Garden.		ALSO SEE Islanders cap strong October, beat Bruins