Michael Vick to be offensive coordinator on new Alliance of American football Atlanta team

ATLANTA - Atlanta is getting a new professional football team, and Michael Vick will be back on the sidelines, only this time as an assistant coach. 

Officials with the Alliance of American Football league announced on Wednesday morning that Atlanta was awarded a franchise. The new team will play their home games at Georgia State Stadium, formerly known as Turner Field. 

Former Atlanta Falcons Pro-Bowl Quarterback Micheal Vick will serve as the team's Offensive Coordinator under Head Coach Brad Childress.  

At a press conference on Wednesday, league officials said the Atlanta team will debut in spring of 2019.

The Alliance of American Football will kick off the Sunday after Super Bowl Sunday. Games will be available on network television as well as through a multitude of free digital platforms.

The Alliance is the creation of Pro Football Hall of Famer and former NFL General Manager Bill Polian, and Charlie Ebersol, a longtime TV and film producer.

Former NFL players such as Justin Tuck, former UGA standout Hines Ward, and Jared Allen will have significant roles in a league the younger Ebersol calls a "true partnership."

The league will have eight teams, and play starting in February and end the season in late April. Rosters will be culled from NFL cuts to the 53-man maximum after preseason, which Polian calls "the core of our constituency"; collegians who have gone undrafted, including underclassmen who have lost any remaining eligibility; players looking to return to the sport; and free agents from the CFL or elsewhere.

Vick's new coaching role comes on the heels of the NFL's announcement that Vick will announce the Atlanta Falcons second-round draft pick on Friday, April 27.