ArenaBowl to Return to Home Field Advantage in 2014

Wednesday March 5, 2014

 CHICAGO – After two straight neutral site championship games, the ArenaBowl will return to a ‘home field advantage’ format in 2014, as ArenaBowl XXVII will be hosted by the highest remaining playoff seed, the Arena Football League office announced today.

“We listened to our fans and our fans wanted ArenaBowl to be a home game,” AFL Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz said. “We’ve also added a bye week in between the Conference Championships and ArenaBowl, which will give our fans and teams an additional week to prepare and ensure that ArenaBowl XXVII on ESPN is the best ArenaBowl yet.”

ArenaBowl XXVII will kick off at 8:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, August 23 live on ESPN.

The League has also announced revised tiebreaking procedures to account for the new conference alignment in 2014. Four teams from each conference will clinch playoff berths, with the four division winners claiming the top two seeds in their respective conferences.

Complete tiebreaking rules and procedures can be found at: http://www.arenafootball.com/sports/a-footbl/spec-rel/playoffs.html.

About the AFL
Since its inception in 1987, the Arena Football League has showcased a fast-paced and exciting game to millions of fans in a myriad of markets across the country. The ESPN family of networks and CBS Sports Network will nationally broadcast AFL games each week for the entire 2014 season. The AFL schedule culminates with ArenaBowl XXVII Saturday, August 23, 2014 on ESPN.