American Flag Football League

Last updated
American Flag Football League
Current season, competition or edition:
Sports current event.svg 2025 American Flag Football League season
SportProfessional Flag football
Founded2017
First season2018
PresidentJeff Lewis
No. of teams4
CountryUnited States
Headquarters New York
Official website American Professional Flag Football

The American Flag Football League is a semi-professional flag football league started in 2017. The league was founded by Jeff Lewis in May 2017, and played a tournament-style schedule every summer. League players are not paid during the season and most of them are primarily amateurs, instead cash prizes are awarded to the tournament winners. [1] The AFFL plan to launch a four-team pro league in 2024. [2] However, the AFFL announced in April 2024 that the debut season would be delayed until 2025 with additional teams and a women's division. [3]

Contents

The game is played seven players a side with no kicking game and no tackling.

History

Its first official game was an exhibition played between Team Vick (led by former NFL quarterback Michael Vick) and Team Owens (led by former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens) on June 27, 2017, [4] at PayPal Park in San Jose, California and was broadcast live on the league's website and rebroadcast on their official YouTube channel, [5] [6] The AFFL also had plans to have eight league-owned teams ready to kick off for an inaugural season in 2018. [7]

In 2018, the league began formal play with its first US Open of Football tournament. [1] [8] [9] The tournament format was broken into two converging, single-elimination brackets, with 32 teams of primarily amateurs on one side vying for the title of America's Champion and 4 teams of primarily professional gridiron football players on the other. The two champions would then meet in the Ultimate Final to decide the US Open champion. Prior to the US Open, the amateur bracket was narrowed down to 32 teams from a field of 124 teams via regional qualifiers. [10] The winning team will take home a $1,000,000 prize. For the 2019 and 2021 seasons, the winning team prize money was $200,000. [11]

In 2021 the league added a women's division, with The Academy defeating She Blitz 26-0 and winning the $200,000 prize money. [12]

2022–present

The league cancelled the 2022 tournament with an aim to move from knockout tournament to a regular professional league, with four to six teams that will play doubleheaders over a 10-week season to be launched in 2023. [2] In October 2022, the league sold its first franchises (Boston and Las Vegas) for $3 million each, while the league mentioned an ongoing discussions about a third franchise in Pittsburgh, with other teams targeted in Florida and Texas. [13] [14] In March 2023 the AFFL pushed the league starting date to 2024, after failing to secure additional owners, franchises and playing locations on time. [2] The league also mentioned they aim to start a women's league in 2025. [2] The AAFL also stated the men's and women's amateur tournaments will continue. [15]

In October 2023 the AFFL announced the league will launch on Saturday, April 27, 2024, with four-teams eight-week season. The teams will be located in Dallas and Nashville in addition to the already announced Boston and Las Vegas. The Championship Game will be played in the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. [16] The teams will barnstorm around the five locations, as all will be playing at the same location each weekend, with each team will play two games a day, for a total of four games at each venue weekly. [17] In April, 2024 the league its delay its launch until the spring of 2025. [18]

Teams

The American Flag Football League inaugural season will kick off with four teams in five locations: [19] [20]

ClubCityStadiumCapacityHead coach
Boston Brigade Quincy, Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Stadium 5,000Matt Bailey
Dallas Ocelots Dallas, Texas Gerald J. Ford Stadium/
Ford Center at The Star 		32,000
12,000		Patrick Alley
Las Vegas Lucky Sevens Las Vegas, Nevada Cashman Field 12,500 [lower-alpha 1] Jerry Urias
Nashville Nighthawks Nashville, Tennessee Vanderbilt University Soccer Complex 1,000Chris Hughes

Players and coaches

For the 2024 season the league announced the hiring of the four head coaches for the inaugural season, all with a deep background in flag football: Patrick Alley (Dallas), Chris Hughes (Nashville), Matt Bailey (Boston) and Jerry Urias (Las Vegas). [22]

On November 21, 2023, the AFFL announced their core players for its inaugural season, as many of the players have competed for USA Football in the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama. [23] [24] The AFFL's pro men's league plan to pay players $1,000 a week, plus travel and away game expenses. [13]

Rules

General rules

Post-snap

Scoring

Penalties

Source: [28]

Champions

YearAmerica's ChampionPro ChampionFinal score
2018Fighting CancerGodspeed
(Captain(s): M. Johnson/J. Forsett)		26–6
2019 [29] Fighting CancerTexas Money Team22–14
2020Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 [30] Kings of FloridaFreaks2-1 [lower-alpha 2]

Media coverage

In 2018, the league reached a broadcast deal with NFL Network, covering the final 11 games of the U.S. Open of Football tournament. [31] [32] [33] The league is leveraging technologies such as using a skycam as the primary angle, on-field graphics (such as a color-changing line of scrimmage and clock) for the league's "Go Clock" rule, and microphones on players. [34]

For the 2021 season, the AFFL reached a broadcast deal with CBS Sports, covering the 2021 tournament's Men's Final and the inaugural Women's Division Final. [35]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Falcons</span> National Football League franchise in Atlanta, Georgia

The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons were founded on June 30, 1965, and joined the NFL in 1966 as an expansion team, after the NFL offered then-owner Rankin Smith a franchise to keep him from joining the rival American Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag football</span> Variant of American football

Flag football is a variant of gridiron football where, instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a down. In flag football, contact is limited between players. The sport has a strong amateur following with several national and international competitions each year sponsored by various associations but is most popularly played in America where it was invented. The international governing body for the sport is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). In 2022, flag football was shortlisted as a proposed discretionary event for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, with inclusion being accepted on October 16, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soccer in the United States</span>

The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) governs most levels of soccer in the United States, including the national teams, professional leagues, and amateur leagues, being the highest soccer authority in the country. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs most colleges; secondary schools are governed by state-level associations, with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) setting the rules at that level. The match regulations are generally the same between the three governing bodies although there are many subtle differences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwight Freeney</span> American football player (born 1980)

Dwight Jason Freeney is an American former professional football player who played as a defensive end and linebacker for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orange, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. With the Colts, Freeney won Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears, and made seven Pro Bowls. He also played for the San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Washington, D.C.</span>

Washington, D.C., has major league sports teams, popular college sports teams, and a variety of other team and individual sports. The Washington metropolitan area is also home to several major sports venues including Capital One Arena, RFK Stadium, Commanders Field, Audi Field, and Nationals Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area</span> Overview of sports in the San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area, which includes the major cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, hosts six major league sports franchises, with a major women's sports franchise soon to start play, as well as several other professional and college sports teams, and hosts other sports events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American football</span> Team field sport

American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with possession of the oval-shaped football, attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or throwing it, while the defense, the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over the football to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive. Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in San Diego</span>

Sports in San Diego includes major professional league teams, other highest-level professional league teams, minor league teams, and college athletics. The San Diego Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB). San Diego FC begins play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2025. The San Diego State Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I (FBS). The Farmers Insurance Open, a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, is played annually at Torrey Pines Golf Course.

The prominent women's sports leagues in the United States and Canada serve as the pinnacle of women's athletic competition in North America. The United States is home to the vast majority of professional women's leagues. In North America, the top women's leagues feature both team sports and individual athletes. While some leagues have paid professional female athletes, others do not and function at a semi-professional level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's soccer in the United States</span> Womens association football in the United States

Women's soccer in the United States has developed quite differently from men's soccer. Until the 1970s, organized women's soccer matches in the U.S. existed only on a limited basis.

The Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) was a professional football minor league that played two seasons in 2014 and 2015. This league's stated goal was to become a professional feeder-system for the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional sports leagues in the United States</span>

Professional sports leagues in the United States includes major professional sports leagues, other highest-level professional leagues, and minor leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar Jackson</span> American football player (born 1997)

Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. is an American professional football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2016, and was selected by the Ravens with the final pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. Intended to serve as a backup in his rookie season, Jackson became the Ravens' starting quarterback after an injury to the incumbent Joe Flacco. He went on to clinch a division title with the team and became the youngest NFL quarterback to start a playoff game at age 21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan Controlled Football</span> Professional indoor football league

Fan Controlled Football (FCF) is a dormant professional 7-on-7 indoor football league that played two seasons in 2021 and 2022. The league operated on the premise of fans voting on play calls and other in-game events. All games were played at Pullman Yards in Atlanta, Georgia and broadcast on streaming television. The league plans to return in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Football League (2022–2023)</span> Professional American football league

The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football minor league that played two seasons from 2022 to 2023. It is now one of the two-component conferences of the United Football League (UFL), along with the XFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USL Super League</span> Professional womens soccer league in the United States

The USL Super League (USLS) is a professional women's soccer league in the highest level of the United States league system, alongside the National Women's Soccer League. Organized by the United Soccer League (USL), it operates as its premier league for women above the pre-professional USL W League. The league consists of eight clubs who annually play four round-robins – two in the fall and two in the spring – to earn four places in a playoff tournament that determines the league's champion. Additional clubs are expected to join the league in the future. Clubs in the league have no cap on salaries or squad sizes, while minimum salaries are around US$35,000 to 37,000. There is no draft system, and squads are primarily built with free agents. The league's matches are streamed nationally on Peacock.

The United States Football League was a proposed American professional football minor league founded in 2008 and aimed to begin play on February 20, 2010. The league was also known as the New United States Football League to distinguish it from the 1983–85 league of the same name. During its lifetime, the league had three different owner groups, with the last one aimed to start a season in 2015, but the plans never materialized; it was not until 2022 that a new version of the USFL would come to fruition; none of these versions of the USFL are directly related to each other.

Unrivaled is a women's professional three-on-three basketball league based in the United States.

The Major League Football (MLF) is a planned professional Fall American football minor league. The league was set to begin play in 2022 after the announcement of several teams, but made an announcement that they were postponing the start of their inaugural season until 2023 and later to October 2024. The start of the League was then postponed again, to September 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Elite Rugby</span> Proposed Womens rugby union club competition in the United States

Women's Elite Rugby (WER) is a proposed annual American semi-professional women's rugby union club competition to supersede the amateur Women's Premier League at the top level of the United States rugby union system. It is to be contested by six to eight clubs run by investor-operators, with all front office staff to be paid on a full-time basis, and players to be paid monthly stipends.

References

  1. 1 2 Pierce, David (July 11, 2017). "Pro Flag Football—Just Like the NFL, but Exciting!". Wired . Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "American Flag Football League Sells Dallas Team, Plans Women's League". Sportico. 9 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "AMERICAN FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE DELAYS MEN'S PRO LAUNCH TO 2025". Sportico. April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  4. ↑ Taylor, Tom (June 29, 2017). "Star-studded flag football league leans on NFL influences in debut". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  5. ↑ The American Flag Football League - Full Launch Game, League's YouTube channel
  6. ↑ Leung, Diamond (May 18, 2017). "A Pro Flag Football League Is Launching And It Might Be The Most High-Tech League In The World". SportTechie. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Weekly Sports League & Franchise Report by Dan Krieger July 3, 2017". OurSports Central. 3 July 2017.
  8. ↑ Rovell, Darren (May 18, 2017). "Michael Vick to play in trial game for American Flag Football League". ESPN . Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  9. ↑ Redd, Derek (May 19, 2018). "WV Ruckus hopes to make some noise in major flag football tournament". Charleston Gazette-Mail.
  10. ↑ "Bracket".
  11. ↑ "$200,000 on the line this weekend in women's flag football finals in Houston". KHOU. 26 August 2021.
  12. ↑ "American Flag Football League crowns first women's champion with $200K prize". Just Women’s Sports. 31 August 2021.
  13. 1 2 "American Flag Football League Sells Boston, Vegas Franchises for $3M". Sportico. 27 October 2022.
  14. ↑ "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report by Dan Krieger January 23, 2023". OurSports Central. 23 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report by Dan Krieger May 9, 2022". OurSports Central. 9 May 2022.
  16. ↑ "American Flag Football League Unveils Team Venues and Schedule". Business Wire. 20 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "American Flag Football League announces venues, schedule". Sports Business Journal. 19 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "American Flag Football League Delays Men's Pro Launch to 2025". Sportico. 11 April 2024.
  19. ↑ "American Flag Football's Inaugural 2024 Season To Feature Big Games in North Texas, Including the Championship". Dallas Innovates. 24 October 2023.
  20. ↑ "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report by Dan Krieger November 27, 2023". OurSports Central. 27 November 2023.
  21. ↑ "Las Vegas Lights FC will be Cashman Field's only tenant in 2019". November 29, 2017. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  22. ↑ "THE FUTURE OF FOOTBALL IS FLAG: THE AMERICAN FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE ANNOUNCES HEAD COACHES FOR INAUGURAL SEASON". News Direct. 12 July 2023.
  23. ↑ "American Flag Football League announces core players for inaugural men's pro league". The Washington Post.
  24. ↑ "American Flag Football League Reveals Core Players". Business Wire (Press release). 21 November 2023.
  25. 1 2 "Hall of Fame hosting national flag football event this weekend".
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 Pierce, David. "Pro Flag Football—Just Like the NFL, But Exciting!". Wired.
  27. ↑ "High-Tech Pro Flag Football To Launch, Will American Flag Football League, SMT Succeed?". 18 May 2017.
  28. ↑ "Home - American Flag Football League". American Flag Football League.
  29. ↑ "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report by Dan Krieger July 1, 2019". OurSports Central. July 2019.
  30. ↑ "2021 Men's Division Final Results". American Flag Football League. Archived from the original on 2022-12-03.
  31. ↑ "NFL Network set to air 11 flag football games". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  32. ↑ Weiner, Natalie (May 26, 2017). "Michael Vick, Other Former Players Talk New Flag Football League". Bleacher Report . Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  33. ↑ "NFL Network to Broadcast Pro Flag Football in 2018 - NFL Football Operations". NFL. 28 February 2018.
  34. ↑ "AFFL Production Style Is Back With U.S. Open of Football on NFL Network". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  35. ↑ "CBS Sports Network to broadcast American Flag Football League games starting this summer". CBS. 17 March 2021.
  1. ↑ Approximate capacity, including standing room and lawn seating. Cashman Field has 9,334 fixed seating, and it can expand to 14,500 with temporary bleachers. [21]
  2. ↑ Best-of-3 series (46-47, 26-13, 14-0)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.