| The Arena Football League (AFL) is in full | | | | action-packed. |
| swing, attractingfans with fast, hard-hitting | | | | |
| action, a lot of scoring, anddazzling plays | | | | Each team gets three timeouts per half. |
| made in tight quarters. The AFL, which has | | | | |
| justentered its twentieth season, features 19 | | | | One thing that's missing from the AFL that |
| teams in twoconferences - the National and | | | | you'll find in the |
| American. Each conference isdivided into two | | | | |
| divisions, with the Eastern and | | | | NFL is the punt. That means, with the |
| Southerndivisions in the National Conference | | | | shortened playing fieldand the no punt rule, |
| and the Central and | | | | every play off the offensive line has |
| | | | thepotential to put points on the board. The |
| Western in the American. | | | | offense has fourdowns to move the ball 10 |
| | | | yards for a first down or to score. |
| If you've ever watched an AFL game, you | | | | |
| certainly recognizeit as being similar to the | | | | Scoring is also a bit different from the |
| NFL version. Scoring is basically thesame, | | | | other league with adrop kick after a TD being |
| although there are variations, and rules are | | | | given 2 points and a drop kickfield goal |
| alsosimilar but, again, with some wrinkles | | | | being awarded 4 points. All other scoring is |
| that give the indoorversion of American style | | | | thesame. |
| football an added edge. The sportis a whole | | | | |
| lot of professional football with some racket | | | | Passing follows NCAA rules, which state that |
| ball,basketball, and shrinkage thrown in. | | | | a receiver musthave one foot inbounds when |
| It's the Mini-Me of NFLfootball. | | | | catching a pass. The nets arethe other |
| | | | variation from the NFL game. The receiving |
| The Teams | | | | teammay also use the nets during a kickoff or |
| | | | a missed field goalto field balls. Thus, as |
| The National Conference contains ten teams | | | | long as the kick doesn't stray off intothe |
| with the Dallas | | | | sideline area, there is always the chance for |
| | | | a runback,since the ball cannot be kicked |
| Desperados, New York Dragons, Philadelphia | | | | beyond the end zone. |
| Soul, and | | | | |
| | | | Overtime rules also vary a bit from those in |
| Columbus Destroyers in the Eastern Division | | | | the National |
| and the | | | | |
| | | | Football League. NFL football plays one |
| Orlando Predators, Austin Wranglers, Georgia | | | | sudden deathovertime period during the |
| Force, Tampa | | | | regular season. AFL overtimeruns the same |
| | | | number of minutes, but it is not a sudden |
| Bay Storm, and Kansas City Brigade in the | | | | deathsituation. Each team gets one possession |
| Southern | | | | in the overtimeand if a team is ahead after |
| | | | that, they win. If the game is stilltied |
| Division. Last season the Dragons and Force | | | | after both have had one possession, then the |
| were tops intheir divisions. | | | | next teamthat scores wins. A regular season |
| | | | game can end in a tie. |
| In the Central Division of the American | | | | |
| Conference the fourteams are the Colorado | | | | Wagering |
| Crush, Chicago Rush, Nashville | | | | |
| | | | With so many scoring opportunities and such a |
| Kats, and Grand Rapids Rampage. The Western | | | | small playingfield, it's obvious that one of |
| Divisionincludes the Los Angeles Avengers, | | | | the hallmarks of AFL football ishigh scores. |
| San Jose Sabercats, | | | | Scores such as 62-63 are not unusual in |
| | | | thearena league. Depending on the weekly |
| Las Vegas Gladiators, Arizona Rattlers, and | | | | match-ups,over/unders can easily top 100 |
| Utah Blaze. | | | | points, whereas NFLover/unders tend to range |
| | | | between 33 and 46 points. Overallpoint |
| There are a total of nine teams in the | | | | spreads are the same as typical NFL |
| American Conferenceof which the Crush and | | | | differentiations,ranging from +/- 3 to the |
| Avengers were the best in theirrespective | | | | rare 10 ½ or 14 ½ variance. |
| geographical divisions. | | | | |
| | | | However, the spreads are determined |
| The Field | | | | differently. |
| | | | |
| The dimensions of the AFL field are what help | | | | Scores in the games tend to be relatively |
| make this aunique brand of football. The | | | | close, althoughthere are your 65-25 blowouts. |
| indoor surface, which ispadded, is 50 yards | | | | One of the great things aboutarena ball for |
| long and 85 feet wide. The goal posts,like | | | | bettors is the league is much more open |
| the field, are also smaller than those in the | | | | aboutteam information, willingly reporting |
| NFL - nine feethigh with a crossbar height of | | | | injuries to odds makers. |
| 15 feet as opposed to those inthe NFL, which | | | | |
| are 18 ½ feet wide with the crossbar at | | | | Why is this the case? The AFL knows that one |
| 10feet. | | | | of the thingsthat has made the NFL so popular |
| | | | is betting, and they'd likesome of the |
| There are 48 inch high sideline barriers made | | | | recognition and mass appeal that comes with |
| of high densityrubber, which help to ease the | | | | |
| impact of receivers, runningbacks, and | | | | Vegas and sportsbook "action." |
| defensive players smacking into the stands | | | | |
| asthey go out of bounds. | | | | This is a less defensive minded league, which |
| | | | makeshandicapping an AFL game different from |
| Each end zone, which is eight feet deep, has | | | | analyzing an NFLcontest. Remember, there's |
| a rebound netthat is 30 feet wide and 32 feet | | | | much less specialization in arenaball, which |
| high. The rebound net keepsthe ball alive | | | | means players must have skills on both sides |
| after a missed pass. If a ball is caught off | | | | ofthe ball. This also magnifies the |
| thenet, it is live and in play until it | | | | importance of an injury, whichcan have a |
| touches the playing surface. | | | | bigger affect in the AFL than it does in the |
| | | | NFL. |
| This feature, which allows play to continue, | | | | |
| providesadditional action. The nets and the | | | | Squads are also smaller in the 50-yard |
| short field help to increasescoring | | | | league, with 20 menper team and four |
| opportunities and are partly responsible for | | | | reserves. Again, that translates into |
| thetypically high scores. It's not unusual in | | | | eachplayer carrying more weight in the game. |
| an arena game forteams to put up a combined | | | | |
| total of over 100 points! In factthe field, | | | | The typical home field advantage in the NFL |
| along with the rulebook, is geared towards | | | | results in a 3-point spread, whereas that |
| creatinga plethora of scoring opportunities, | | | | advantage in the AFL is 5-points. |
| giving the AFL game anongoing give-and-take | | | | |
| unpredictability you often don't find inthe | | | | Two things influence the higher spread - the |
| NFL. | | | | high scoring andthe intensity of AFL fans. In |
| | | | arena football, spectators areextremely close |
| The Rules | | | | to the game, making the experience morelike a |
| | | | NBA game than a NFL contest. The physical |
| The petite field demands fewer players; | | | | closenessof fans to tough, unrelenting play |
| you'll find 8 ratherthan the standard NFL 11 | | | | can exacerbate emotions. |
| on either side of the ball. There arealso | | | | |
| fewer specialists in the arena game - | | | | Arena football venues rock! Thus, the home |
| quarterback, oneoffensive specialist, a | | | | field advantagehas more power over the |
| kicker and two defensive specialists. | | | | outcome of the game. |
| | | | |
| The offensive line must have four players and | | | | When wagering, you should carefully consider |
| the defensiveline three. | | | | the kickinggame. Remember, it's a fifty-yard |
| | | | field, which means anaccurate kicker with a |
| A few ways in which the rules are focused on | | | | good leg can score from anywhere. |
| keeping playcontinuous and action ongoing | | | | |
| include theoffensive/defensive rosters, the | | | | Additionally, there are no weather conditions |
| substitution rule and the playclock. | | | | to influencekickers or any other players. |
| Players, except for the specialists, play | | | | Finally, there's a lot morepassing in the AFL |
| both offenseand defense, which means there is | | | | and when researching QB, offensive |
| less change over whenthe ball is turned over. | | | | anddefensive ratings you want to keep this in |
| Additionally, all non-specialists | | | | mind. Player powerratings are also determined |
| maysubstitute only once during a quarter. | | | | differently because playersperform on both |
| Finally, unlike the verylong 45 second clock | | | | sides of the ball. |
| found in the NFL, the arena league hasa more | | | | |
| basketball-like 25 second clock, which over | | | | Arena football, with its emphasis on |
| thecourse of a 60 minute game just about | | | | offensive action, creatingmore scoring |
| doubles the number ofplays run. | | | | opportunities, and desire to have |
| | | | morecontinuous play than the NFL, offers fans |
| There are four 15 minute quarters; however, | | | | and bettors a venueunlike any other. |
| unlike the NFL,the clock does not stop for | | | | Rambunctious, fast-paced, and frenetic,arena |
| out of bounds plays or incompletepasses | | | | football has created its own niche in the |
| unless the game is in the last minute of play | | | | world ofprofessional sports. Fans love it - |
| in the halfor the referee stops it for a | | | | take a look if you haven'talready. If you |
| penalty or injury. Once again, playoccurs at | | | | love the sport of football, you'll probably |
| a very quick rate, making the game | | | | gethooked. |