That`s the way the ball bounces

That’s the way the ball bounces
An Arena Football League Primer
Graphic by Ken Marshall | The Plain Dealer
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C
leveland joins the fast and wacky Arena Football League this
season, when the Cleveland Gladiators take the field as the
city’s newest professional franchise. In a bit of a turn-around for
Cleveland fans, a team actually has moved here from another city — the
Gladiators played in Las Vegas last season. This high-scoring version of
football has been adapted to indoor settings on fields about the same
size as a hockey rink. Padded walls surround the playing surface, and
rebound nets bounce missed field goals and passes back into play, keeping the action fast and loose.
The following graphic is a brief overview of how the sport differs from
the collegiate and NFL game.
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Graphic by Ken Marshall | The Plain Dealer
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NFL: 53.3 yards wide
AFL: 28.3 yards wide
THE FIELD
Size: The indoor field is only 50 yards deep,
with 8-yard-deep endzones.
Sidelines: Lined with padded walls for player safety.
End zones: Have high rebound nets that
bounce kicks back into play.
AFL: 50 yards long (with two 8-yard end zones)
NFL: 100 yards long (with two 10-yard end zones)
Goal posts
are 9 feet wide with
a crossbar at 15 feet.
(NFL goal posts are
18 1/2 feet wide with
the crossbar at
10 feet.)
Kickoffs from the goal line
(NFL from the 35-yard line)
Padded walls
4 feet high
Rebound nets are tightly strung mesh,
30 feet wide, by 32 feet high.
The receiving team may field any kickoff
or missed field goal that bounces off the nets.
A pass bouncing off the net or the sideline
boards is a live ball and can be caught by
a receiver.
The field is a padded,
indoor artificial grass surface.
How the AFL field
compares with NFL fields
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Graphic by Ken Marshall | The Plain Dealer
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How the game is played
PLAYERS AND FORMATIONS
TIME OF PLAY
Eight players are on the field
(roster carries 20, with four-man inactive)
Four 15-minute quarters, 15-minute halftime.
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 injury, penalty or timeouts.
Players sometimes play both offense and defense. In earlier times in the league,
more players stayed in for offensive and defensive plays. Today, they tend to specialize more.
Formations:
Four offensive players must line up on the line of scrimmage.
Receiver may go in forward motion before the snap. Three defensive players must be down
linemen (in three- or four-point stance). One linebacker may blitz on either side of center.
Alignment must be at least two yards off the line of scrimmage.
No stunting or twisting.
Each team gets three timeouts per half.
Overtime: 15 minutes long. Each team
gets one possession to score. The team with
the highest score after both possessions wins.
Sudden death, if game remains tied.
BALL MOVEMENT AND SCORING
Four downs to advance
ball 10 yards or score.
No punts. On fourth down
team must go for first
down or try to score.
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The receiving team
may field any kickoff
or missed field goal
that bounces off the
rebound nets.
Touchdown: Six points
Conversions: One point by place kick; two points by run, pass or drop kick.
Field goal: Three points by place kick; four points by drop kick
Safety: Two points
Graphic by Ken Marshall | The Plain Dealer
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Arena Football League divisions
Arena
Football League divisions and teams
and
teams
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Chicago
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Utah
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San Jose
Los Angeles
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Grand Rapids
� Cleveland
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Colorado
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� New York
Philadelphia
Columbus
Kansas City
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Arizona
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Georgia
Dallas
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New Orleans
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AMERICAN CONFERENCE
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Orlando
Tampa Bay
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
WEST DIVISION
CENTRAL DIVISION
EASTERN DIVISION
SOUTH DIVISION
Arizona Rattlers
Los Angeles Avengers
San Jose SaberCats
Utah Blaze
Chicago Rush
Colorado Crush
Grand Rapids Rampage
Kansas City Brigade
Cleveland Gladiators
Columbus Destroyers
Dallas Desperados
New York Dragons
Philladelphia Soul
Georgia Force
New Orleans Voodoo
Orlando Predators
Tampa Bay Storm
Graphic by Ken Marshall | The Plain Dealer
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2008
Gladiators
schedule
Gladiators home games
are at Quicken Loans Arena.
March 3
New York Dragons*
March 9
Utah Blaze
March 15 at Columbus Destroyers*
March 21 at New Orleans Voodoo
7 p.m.
12:30 p.m.
7 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
Bye week
April 5
at Dallas Desperados*
8 p.m.
April 11
Colorado Crush
7 p.m.
April 19
at Los Angeles Avengers 10:30 p.m.
April 26
at New York Dragons*
7 p.m.
May 2
Philadelphia Soul*
7 p.m.
May 9
Orlando Predators
7 p.m.
May 17
at Colorado Crush
8 p.m.
May 23
at Tampa Bay Storm
May 31
Dallas Desperados*
7 p.m.
June 7
Chicago Rush
7 p.m.
June 14
at Philadelphia Soul*
7 p.m.
June 21
Columbus Destroyers*
7 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
* Eastern Division game
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Graphic by Ken Marshall | The Plain Dealer
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