FIELD
• An indoor padded surface 85 feet wide
and 50 yards long with eight-yard end zones.
• Goal posts are nine feet wide with a crossbar
height of 15 feet (NFL goal posts are 18-1/2
feet wide with the crossbar at 10 feet).
• The goal-side rebound nets are 30 feet
wide by 32 feet high. The bottoms of the
nets are eight feet above the ground.
• Sideline barriers are 48 inches high and
made of high-density foam rubber.
EQUIPMENT
• The official football is the same size
and weight as the National Football League
ball. Each ball is manufactured by Spalding,
a division of Russell Corporation.
PLAYERS AND FORMATIONS
• Eight players on the field; 20-man active
roster; four-man inactive roster.
• Players may play both offense and defense.
• Substitution: Coaches are permitted to
substitute players at will.
• Four (4) offensive players must line up
on the line of scrimmage.
• Three (3) defensive players must be down
linemen (in a three- or four-point stance).
One linebacker may blitz on either side
of the center. Alignment is two-or-more
yards off the line of scrimmage. No stunting
or twisting.
• Offensive motion: One receiver may go
in forward motion before the snap.
TIMING
• Four 15-minute quarters with a 15-minute
halftime.
• The clock stops for out-of-bounds plays
or incomplete passes only in the last minute
of each half and when the referee deems
it necessary for penalties, injuries or
timeouts.
• Each team is allowed three (3) timeouts
per half.
MOVEMENT OF THE BALL
AND SCORING
• Four (4) downs are allowed to advance
the ball 10 yards for a first down, or to
score.
• Six (6) points for a touchdown.
• One (1) point for a conversion by place
kick after a touchdown, two (2) points for
a conversion by drop kick and two (2) points
for a successful run or pass after a touchdown.
• Three (3) points for a field goal by placement
or four (4) points for a field goal by drop
kick.
• Two (2) points for a safety.
KICKING
• Kickoffs are from the goal line. Kickers
may use a one-inch tee.
• Punting is illegal. On fourth down, a
team may go for a first down, touchdown
or field goal.
• The receiving team may field any kickoff
or missed field goal that rebounds off the
net.
• Any untouched kickoff, which is out of
bounds, will be placed at the 20-yard line
or the place where it went out-of-bounds,
whichever is more advantageous to the receiving
team.
PASSING
• Receivers must have one foot inbounds
for a catch. A forward pass that rebounds
off the rebound net or sideline barrier
is a live ball and is in play until it touches
the playing surface.
OVERTIME RULES
• Overtime periods are 15 minutes for both
the regular season and the playoffs.
• Each team gets one possession to score.
If, after each team has had one possession,
one team is ahead, that team wins. If the
teams are tied after each has had a possession,
the next team to score wins.
PLAYOFF QUALIFICATION
• Sixteen teams qualify for the playoffs,
eight from each conference (American and
National).
• The eight qualifing teams from each division
consist of the three division champions
and five wild card teams, determined by
best overall record.
• Seeding is based on overall record, with
the top three seeds in each conference reserved
for the division champions, regardless of
record.
• The First Round will be held the weekend
of August 1-3 hosted by the highest seeded
team.
• The Second Round will be held the weekend
of August 8-10 hosted by the highest remaining
seeded team.
• The Conference Championships will be held
the weekend of August 15-17 hosted by the
highest remaining seeded team..
• The 2008 ArenaCup will be held on the
weekend of August 22-24 at a site to be
named at a later time.
Glosary of Terms
BALL IN THE
STANDS– When a ball is thrown or bounces
into the seats surrounding the playing field,
the "lucky" fan that catches the
ball keeps it.
DROP KICK– A drop-kicked FG
is worth 4 points. A drop-kicked extra point
is worth 2 points. Former Milwaukee Mustangs
kicker Kenny Stucker is the last man to
have connected on a two-point dropkick (1997).
FANS– More than 22 million
fans have experienced an AFL game in the
League’s 21-Year History. Last year, in
2007, the AFL drew a record 1,887,054 fans
in the regular season, and including the
postseason, more than 2 million fans attended
games for the first time in League history.
IRONMAN– Signifies participants
playing both offense and defense.
“MAC” AND “JACK” LINEBACKERS
– “Mac” may rush the QB straight on without
stunting, twisting or drop-back coverage.
“Jack” must stay within an imaginary box
behind the line of scrimmage. Either LB
may cover the fullback or tight end, but
double-teaming is illegal.
OFFENSIVE MOTION– Unlike stadium-played
football, one offensive back may go into
forward motion prior to the snap of the
ball.
OVERTIME– Arena Football has
a unique overtime rule. If a contest is
tied after regulation, teams will play a
15-minute overtime. Each team will have
one opportunity to score. If, after each
team has had one chance to score, the game
is tied, the first team to score is crowned
the winner.
REBOUND NETS– Goal-side rebound
nets extend outward from each upright. The
nets are 30-feet wide, 32-feet high and
extend to 40 feet above the playing surface.
The bottom bars of the frames are positioned
eight feet above the surface. The “scoring
area” is nine-feet wide and 15-feet high.
Nets are stretched taut so that a missed
kick attempt will rebound off the net and
back into the field of play. Once the ball
caroms off the net, it's live.
SIDELINE BARRIERS– Similar
to the sideboards that surround a hockey
rink, the sideline barrier encircles the
playing surface. The barrier is made of
a high-density foam pad, measuring four
inches thick.
STUNTING OR TWISTING– When
a defensive lineman is rushing the passer,
there's no “stunting” or “twisting”. In
other words, linemen are required to power
past offensive linemen.
TIGHT END– One offensive lineman
must declare himself a tight end prior to
the snap by simply raising his arm and “declaring”
himself a tight end. The Mac (rush-eligible)
linebacker must line-up on the opposite
side of the center from the tight end.
TWO-WAY PLAYERS – One of the
most "throwback" features of the
Arena Football League is the fact that the
game features eight-on-eight football, where
at times, some players will play both offense
and defense.
OPPONENTS
AMERICAN
CONFERENCE
South |
Midwest |
East |
Daytona Beach Thunderbirds |
Green Bay Blizzard |
Albany Conquest |
Florida Firecats |
Iowa Barnstormers |
Mahoning Valley
Thunder |
South Georgia Wildcats |
Lexington Horsemen |
Manchester Wolves |
Tennessee Valley
Vipers |
Louisville Fire |
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Pioneers |
|
Peoria Pirates |
|
|
Quad City Steamwheelers |
|
NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
Central |
Southwest |
West |
Amarillo Dusters |
Austin Wranglers |
Boise Burn |
Arkansas Twisters |
Bossier-Shreveport
Battle Wings |
Central Valley Coyotes |
Lubbock Renegades |
Corpus-Christi Sharks |
Spokane Shock |
Oklahoma City Yard
Dawgz |
Texas Copperheads |
Stockton Lightning |
Tulsa Talons |
Rio Grande Valley
Dorados |
Tri-Cities Fever |
| |
|
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