Arena Football League
The Arena Football League ( AFL ) was a league for arena football in the United States . It existed from 1987 to 2019.
history
In 1987 the AFL was founded with just four teams. The league became more and more popular over the years, increasing the number of teams. After a brief decline in viewers during the New Economy crisis and the attacks of September 11th around the turn of the millennium, the average number of viewers grew to almost 13,000 per game by 2008.
Up to the 2009 season, 15 teams played in the league, which were divided into two conferences , which in turn were each divided into two divisions . Due to financial problems during the economic crisis , the 2009 season was completely canceled.
After initial uncertainty about the future of the league, it was re-established under the name "Arena Football 1". Above all, emphasis was placed on an improved financial concept. During the re-establishment, some teams (some with a change of name) were taken over, teams from the minor league "Arena Football 2" were incorporated and two new ones were founded.
In April 2010, the game was then resumed using the old league name with 15 teams.
In the 2017 season, the league consisted of only five teams. Philadelphia Soul , Tampa Bay Storm , Cleveland Gladiators , Washington Valor , which formed in 2016 but did not enter the league until the 2017 season, and the Baltimore Brigade, which was only formed in 2017 . For years the league has been struggling with withdrawals from many teams. The reasons are, on the one hand, the often precarious financial situation of the teams; on the other hand, many teams have switched to the Indoor Football League (IFL), which was founded in 2008, in recent years . Nonetheless, the AFL is considered the best arena football league in the USA. Players earn many times more than in the second-rate indoor football league. On average, players earn $ 875 per game plus bonuses or accommodations. At IFL, players earn an average of $ 250 per game plus room and board if applicable.
The Tampa Bay Storm franchise, steeped in tradition , announced in December 2017 that it would no longer participate in league operations for the 2018 season. Reasons for this are the weak structural situation of the league, as well as falling income from only five teams in the AFL.
In January 2018 it was announced that there would be a new franchise in Albany, New York , the Albany Empire . After the very successful Albany Firebirds from the 1990s, it is the second franchise from Albany to take part in the Arena Football League.
In March 2019, the AFL announced that a new franchise was taking part in gaming operations for the 2019 season, the Atlantic City Blackjacks , from Atlantic City, New Jersey . The league also confirmed the return of the Columbus Destroyers for the 2019 season. In October 2019, all teams ceased operations and at the end of November 2019, the AFL went into bankruptcy .
Foundation of af2
Af2 was founded in 1999 . It is a development league or minor league in which players play who are not yet good enough for the AFL. In addition, mainly smaller markets take part in gaming operations. While markets from New York, Philadelphia or Los Angeles are represented in the AFL, teams from smaller cities or suburbs from metropolitan areas play in the af2.
The league was disbanded after the 2009 season.
Game mode
The regular season ran over 18 game days, with four weeks being listed as “Bye Weeks” for each team in the calendar. This is similar to the NFL , where each team only has one game day free.
Each team played against two other teams three times and against two teams four times.
Team list season 2019
| team | founding year |
|---|---|
| Columbus Destroyers | 1999 |
| Albany Empire | 2018 |
| Atlantic City Blackjacks | 2019 |
| Philadelphia Soul | 2004 |
| Washington Valor | 2016 |
| Baltimore Brigade | 2017 |
ArenaBowl
All results of the ArenaBowl , the annual AFL final of the two Conference winners, since 1987:
Title holder
| team | Number of titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Rattlers | 5 | 1994 , 1997 , 2012 , 2013 , 2014 |
| Tampa Bay Storm | 5 | 1991 , 1993 , 1995 , 1996 , 2003 |
| Detroit Drive | 4th | 1988 , 1989 , 1990 , 1992 |
| San Jose SaberCats | 4th | 2002 , 2004 , 2007 , 2015 |
| Philadelphia Soul | 3 | 2008 , 2016 , 2017 |
| Orlando Predators | 2 | 1998 , 2000 |
| Albany Firebirds | 1 | 1999 |
| Chicago Rush | 1 | 2006 |
| Colorado Crush | 1 | 2005 |
| Denver Dynamite | 1 | 1987 |
| Grand Rapids Rampage | 1 | 2001 |
| Jacksonville Sharks | 1 | 2011 |
| Spokane Shock | 1 | 2010 |
| Washington Valor | 1 | 2018 |
| Albany Empire | 1 | 2019 |
Team list of the AFL history
Web links
- Homepage of the AFL (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ AFL stops playing
- ^ IFL Announces Addition of Arizona Rattlers . In: Indoor Football League . October 17, 2016 ( goifl.com [accessed June 27, 2017]).
- ↑ Shock moves closer to IFL, but players not happy with potential move . In: Spokesman.com . ( spokesman.com [accessed June 29, 2017]).
- ↑ Jack Williams: An Indoor Football Team Has Its Fans Call the Plays . In: The New York Times . February 17, 2017, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed June 29, 2017]).
- ↑ Press Releases: Tampa Bay Storm To Suspend Operations, Effective Immediately (Tampa Bay Storm press release) | ArenaFan.com. Accessed January 30, 2018 .
- ↑ Press Releases: Albany Empire Announced as AFL Team Name and Logo (Albany Empire press release) | ArenaFan.com. Accessed January 30, 2018 .
- ↑ Press Releases: Atlantic City Blackjacks Announced as AFL Team Name and Logo (Atlantic City Blackjacks press release) | ArenaFan.com. Retrieved May 6, 2019 .
- ^ The Arena Football League Announces Expansion To Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved May 7, 2019 .
- ↑ Jacob Bogage closeJacob BogageNational sports writer, bloggerEmailEmailBioBioFollowFollow: Arena Football League shuts down and files for bankruptcy amid financial struggles. In: washingtonpost.com. Washington Post, accessed December 1, 2019 .
- ↑ Over 140 Former af2 Players in AFL Camps - OurSports Central. Retrieved July 4, 2017 .
- ↑ AFLDigital.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017 (English).
- ↑ AFL Team List | ArenaFan.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017 .