The AFL Needs To Do This Right

[AJP87]

The AFL is just barely staying afloat. Now they want to add a developmental league, targeting mid-sized markets for football teams. To pull the league ahead (in terms of popularity and support), the league needs to handle this off-season right.

The league has already taken a step in the right direction this year with the new player CBA. The next thing that they need to do right is improve the quality of refereeing. There are many ways to do that (I will not discuss this), but I know it can be done.

17 teams is not an ideal number of teams. 18 or 20 is an ideal number of teams. 18 teams allows for fewer repetions of opponents and allows for two teams to take a bye week at once instead of only one. It makes scheduling a much easier task. For 2013 I see the Dallas Desperados coming back to the league, BUT after buying the Nashville Kats name and moving to Memphis. So, how I envision the 2013 league looking, I see all former 17 teams and the addition of the Memphis Kats to make 18 teams.

The safest approach on a developmental league would be to start with 8 teams within a relatively close region. In the beginning, I see the developmental league being a "bus league". That would dramatically reduce traveling costs. I also see the new AFDL teams reusing nets, goal posts, and turf from the dufunct AF2 teams. This would basically allow the AFDL to get off the ground even if they had little numbers of support or attendance.

Each AFDL team's stadium should hold a minimum of 7,000 fans to allow for a large crowd, Arena Cup (possible name) crowd, and uncramped conditions. So here is how, if I were the commisioner of the AFDL, I would start the AFDL.

Northeast conference:
Conneticut Coyotes (Hartford, Connecticut)
New York Dragons (New York City, New York)
Louisville Fire (Kentucky)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (Pennsylvania)

Central conference:
Quad City Steam Wheelers (Moline, Illinois)
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (Oklahoma)
Arkansas Vipers [buying the name from Alabama] (Little Rock)
Minnesota Fighting Pike (Minneapolis)

[AJP87]

Now could also be a good chance to add the Sioux City (Iowa) Bandits to the AFDL. They have just recently announced that they have left the APFL.

[kwhey]

Arkansas Twisters

[Caballo Diablo]

[AJP87]

kwhey said: "Arkansas Twisters"

I know about the Twisters. I just think that the Vipers would be a better name for them.

[AJP87]

Caballo Diablo said: Word is that Sioux City has started a league of their own, the CPIFL
Champions Professional Indoor Football League

I doubt that the CPIFL will really get off the ground. So far only the Bandits have joined and the league is only targeting teams from Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas.

[Wild09]

I would give the CPIFL a better shot of actually starting than the AFDL.

Its a nice list of teams you have, but the hard part is finding owners. I can list hundreds of cities across America that could host an AFDL team, but finding owners is the hard part. So Congrats. You made a list of American cites. Good for you. Now go find ownership and I will be impressed.

[kwhey]

[AJP87]

kwhey said: No, if you you are going to have Little Rock in the AFDL, they need to be the Twisters. The Vipers were Tennessee Valley.

And the Alabama Vipers. I just think that the Arkansas Vipers has a better ring to it than the Arkansas Twisters.

[geauxvoodoo]

A group of Shreveport buisnessmen and women want to bring back and put the Battle wings in the AFDL. I also think the AFDL teams should be connected to the AFL teams. Like Triple A baseball.

[VooDoo's Kelly Bones]