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New Spring Football League

TDX27

TDX27

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Anyone hear much about the new MLFB (Major League Football) set to start in the spring of 2016? I don't think they've announced the cities with teams yet but it is supposedly a go. They signed for a new building in Florida for their corporate headquarters. Seems aggressive to think they will start in 2016 if the cities haven't even been announced but we shall see.
 
Once more. if a competing league wants to make an impact... have them draft guys out of high school and anytime in college... basically make it a minor league system that the NFL would have to buy contracts from or buy out altogether
 
Id sure wish any legitamite league success oer the current nfl.



Salute the nation
 
Drink IRON City said:
Id sure wish any legitamite league success oer the current nfl.



Salute the nation
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Keep the news flowing brother iron and TDX27 a new league even if minor could only be a big plus for the game and the fans. Might also eliminate a lot of the college crap as kids could get paid in the minors right out of high school and then college might have to focus on education. Karma to you for excellent awareness.:biggrin-new:.........................................................:ty:...........................................................:gopitt:
 
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I've thought up my own version of a minor league football season, but it's a bit long and complicated.

I had an idea of an 8-team league with a season from late September to early December. They play their games on Wednesday afternoons to be broadcast over the internet. Each team represents each division. And each team in a division has to relegate 10 players on their September 1st cuts to the minor league team (that's 40 players). The coach/GM then has 10 open spots to fill out the roster and positions. The players are all paid $15,000.00 per game. No inactives. 50 players per team. They play 10 weeks.

Teams can call up their own players, but have to pay a fee.

Since teams have 5 home games and 5 away games, FOUR of the home games have to be played one on each stadium in that division. So the AFC North team, which has 10 players relegated after cuts from BAL, PIT, CIN, CLE and 10 other players plays one home game in each of those cities. And one extra home game wherever is convenient. Think if the games as "Business Man's Specials" on Wednesday afternoons. Very cheap. $10 tickets. $5 beers. Free parking. Open seating (sit wherever is open).

Since the games are televised on the internet the league can experiment a LOT with how to present the game on an internet platform (which is where this game is headed anyhow). This is an opportunity for them to get the kinks out of multiple cameras, letting fans replay their own plays, etc.

In addition, the coaching and player evaluation is VERY open. Coaches' grades of their players are public on Thursday/Friday. Game plans are made available after the fact. Coaches talk openingly about the behind the scenes parts of the game.

I think fans would be invested since each team "owns" 10 of the players and gets a good look at the talent of their division rivals as well.

I actually think something like this could be done for about $5 million/club and there might be some internet revenue and ticket revenue as well.
 
The only thing that would ever work would be this. An American version of the CFL with NFL rules, used as a minor league system. And the big thing would be the market. You have to go to the small market that is just happy to have pro anything. And even at that it has to be a less than 10% chance of working.
 
Why on Wednesday afternoons during the season? Why not night and weekend games during the offseason?

I like the idea if access to coaching and player evaluation. Why not put mics on the sideline? Let viewers know what play is coming.
 
They're looking to do it in the spring. My guess is the season will start shortly after the NFL Super Bowl and the championship will be before training camps for the NFL start. That will give teams the opportunity to sign someone before camp. At least, that seems to be what they are talking about since they say the players cut from NFL teams will be given the chance to play for the MFLB.
 
deljzc said:
I've thought up my own version of a minor league football season, but it's a bit long and complicated.

I had an idea of an 8-team league with a season from late September to early December. They play their games on Wednesday afternoons to be broadcast over the internet. Each team represents each division. And each team in a division has to relegate 10 players on their September 1st cuts to the minor league team (that's 40 players). The coach/GM then has 10 open spots to fill out the roster and positions. The players are all paid $15,000.00 per game. No inactives. 50 players per team. They play 10 weeks.

Teams can call up their own players, but have to pay a fee.

Since teams have 5 home games and 5 away games, FOUR of the home games have to be played one on each stadium in that division. So the AFC North team, which has 10 players relegated after cuts from BAL, PIT, CIN, CLE and 10 other players plays one home game in each of those cities. And one extra home game wherever is convenient. Think if the games as "Business Man's Specials" on Wednesday afternoons. Very cheap. $10 tickets. $5 beers. Free parking. Open seating (sit wherever is open).

Since the games are televised on the internet the league can experiment a LOT with how to present the game on an internet platform (which is where this game is headed anyhow). This is an opportunity for them to get the kinks out of multiple cameras, letting fans replay their own plays, etc.

In addition, the coaching and player evaluation is VERY open. Coaches' grades of their players are public on Thursday/Friday. Game plans are made available after the fact. Coaches talk openingly about the behind the scenes parts of the game.

I think fans would be invested since each team "owns" 10 of the players and gets a good look at the talent of their division rivals as well.

I actually think something like this could be done for about $5 million/club and there might be some internet revenue and ticket revenue as well.
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I think your time period is wrong. If you want to have attendance and viewing have it in the spring when there is no football. Football will not be competing with new tv shows, the nfl, college and high school football. Also the new league can use their coaches as scouts and recruiters since they will not be involved in a season when the other football teams are playing. It will also not be overload of football by it being in the spring. Championships can be early summer and held up North instead of in the winter and held in the South.
 
I really do like the IDeA of a leauge, but am also smart enough to realize the nfl will have their hands in it. It would be nice if an independent leauge would get up and running. LOOOOOoooooong shot of coarse, but fanyasy wish.
.............Now the reality of it is the NFL will control every aspect of this new leauge. It will be all about prifit / ownership / big money (gambling for those to blind to see) / rules / officiating / players / and finally the fan(s). YES, the fans are in last place of concerns,you will feel first in the money bags hearts. Unless there is money to be made, this "nfl" minor leauge won't happen. NFL Europe is a great example.
.............Like I said, I'd love to see an independent leauge come in and do something, but the deck would be stacked against them. NFL would see to that. The internet could be a changing of the guard factor. It'd take big planning, but faster movement, due to the greed of the nfl. Good luck if an independent did try, I'd be rooting big time for them.



Salute the nation
 
I think Del is treating his league like an in season talent pool that you can utilize to call them up during the season. Since they are playing during the same time, they should be in playing shape, and that would make the transition easier for players looking to play on an NFL Roster on Game days.
 
Cope said:
I think Del is treating his league like an in season talent pool that you can utilize to call them up during the season. Since they are playing during the same time, they should be in playing shape, and that would make the transition easier for players looking to play on an NFL Roster on Game days.
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I agree Cope, that aspect of it makes sense. The other reasons for off season leauge, seems to out weigh this one. Just more likely of success as if concurrent, not many would watch / over loaded football.


Salute the nation
 
Troglodyte said:
Why on Wednesday afternoons during the season? Why not night and weekend games during the offseason?

I like the idea if access to coaching and player evaluation. Why not put mics on the sideline? Let viewers know what play is coming.
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Because off-season doesn't help the players. So a players is going to be on an NFL roster possibly one year, go play in the minor league in springs and then play more football the following fall? That doesn't make sense to me.

Fall is football season. Players go right from OTA's, into training camps in August. The ones that don't quite make it, but teams feel need more work show go right into PLAYING FOOTBALL, not sitting around until next spring. If you set the 10-week season us from late September, then players that don't make rosters go right from one training camp into another training camp (where they would get a LOT more reps) and have about 3-weeks to learn whatever system that team is runnings.

Plus, they are game ready, if/when a team needs to call them up. Remember, a minor league players would play a game on Wednesday, then if an injury happens in an NFL game, that team could "call up" a guy on Monday/Tuesday and have that week to get them ready for a Sunday game. That's 10 days off for the minor player, which is about correct to get acclimated physically.

I think you would get more internet traffic from people at work on Wednesday afternoons than try and compete with prime time. I also think you'd generate a lot of interest with afternoon games in the stadiums. You could set a 2pm or 3pm start. And the games could be recorded and people could watch them on the internet in slow-mo with all the coaches tape and angles almost immediately. You could encourage families (it is no big deal to take a few hours off from work, take your kid out of school after lunch and go see a game once/year). I wouldn't be against some games being Wednesday afternoon and some Wednesday evening, but the games HAVE to happen in fall for it to be a true minor-league system that is there to make players better. They have to play, rest, recoup, have off-season workouts all in the same time frames throughout the year as real NFL players.

You can't compete against a 90-man NFL roster and get talent. You have to compete against 53-man rosters (and 8-man practice squads) when there are a LOT more legit NFL talent out there to use.
 
That is a good point. Generally speaking, if you are not on a NFL or at least a CFL roster at this time of the year, you are not NFL caliber. Cause there are a lot of guys on the Steelers roster who won't get a sniff of Sundays.
 
You have to decide if your league is going to be minors or compete with the NFL on a different platform.

The Arena Football League competes because it has nothing to do with the NFL. It isn't NFL talent and never proclaims itself as such. It sells based on different rules and run-and-gun indoor offense.

If you want to compete with the NFL, you need ghastly amounts of money (billionaires) that basically outbid on college talent vs. the current rookie contracts. They have their own draft and throw tons of money at the Marcus Mariota's and Jameis Winston's of the world to jump ship. Guarantee them $50 million each to play in your league. The minimum salary is the same (so you compete for all the #40-#90 players on spring rosters). You start your season a month before the NFL. This is the method of the AFL and the USFL. The only way this works is with a TON of cash. The Donald Trumps and Bill Gates of the world have to decide they want a piece of the NFL pie and are willing to losing billions while they try to carve out their share.

If you want to be a minor league you have to play in the same "season" as the NFL. Your money is not made from gate fees or popularity, it's made in transfer fees. You develop talent and then sell it to the NFL highest bidder. You sign 50 players to a little bit more money than practice squad wage and you hope you turn one of them into a player good enough for an NFL team to pay you $250,000.00 to buy out their contract. Everything you do (play by the same rules, use NFL systems) is to highlight talent to try and "sell off".

The last method is an NFL backed minor league system that is somewhat "run" by the NFL itself with very strict rules of cooperation with the NFL clubs. World Football League was like this but it still didn't have the talent it should have because it competed with the NFL's 90-man roster during the off-season. That really restricts the available talent.

An NFL run minor league system has to run in fall. I just can't think of how it would work with teams designating players AFTER their top-90 as legit NFL level talent and player would much rather be one of those 90 hoping to be a final-53 and getting a $400k+ payday ($25,000 per game).

You get the talent after these kids fail to make the final 53 man roster. You get them because there is nothing else and earning $15,000 a game is actually pretty good scratch to keep your dream alive for another season. I think there is money in it for a minor league if they make tickets dirt cheap, if players are "owned" by certain franchises (thus there is rooting interest from die-hard NFL fans) and games are broadcast in a variety of formats with a lot of behind the scenes access.

I think NFL fans would follow their "minor league" prospects on a Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday schedule during the NFL season. I think NFL fans would watch a game they could get the free all-22 film coverage, watch on-line (whenever they wanted) and professional level breakdown of the film and prospects grades. I think they would watch if they could hear the play call and see the playbooks. You give them sideline access.

I know I would watch that on Wednesdays. I would be interested in how the Steelers prospects were doing week-to-week against similar talent.
 
I watched the USFL and the XFL. wish one of them would have come along now. tire of the BS and pussification of the nfl
 
south dakota STEEL said:
I watched the USFL and the XFL. wish one of them would have come along now. tire of the BS and pussification of the nfl
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Me too. I really enjoyed the USFL. I hated the fact that they tried to go into the fall and winter.

Maybe a competitor would make the NFL return to a quality product.
 
I will admit to watching NFL Europe (liked), CFL (loved), USFL (loved), and I go to about Soul games a year. I may even admit to having Maulers season tickets.........

I never watched the XFL though except the highlights to see the pole dancers.

Regardless, I think the most important parts of any new league are 1) draft players at 17 yo to 4 year contracts and 2) get some kind of TV deal.
 
I would love an NFL minor league system and I see what deljzc is saying. Give these guys time to recover. But in the same sense unless the NFL went in knowing they are going to lose money and not care I don't see it being fiscally responsible. I would love a season that starts in December/January when either your team is out of it or will likely be out of it in a few weeks. Play until early march and then they get off until May/June. Gives them time to recover, gives them their own season so to speak, and should get people interested to at least give it a shot to make money or at least not lose it.
 
fogdoctor said:
I will admit to watching NFL Europe (liked), CFL (loved), USFL (loved), and I go to about Soul games a year. I may even admit to having Maulers season tickets.........

I never watched the XFL though except the highlights to see the pole dancers.

Regardless, I think the most important parts of any new league are 1) draft players at 17 yo to 4 year contracts and 2) get some kind of TV deal.
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Fog I suspect you would need to raise the age to 18 yoa to avoid some legal issues with signing contracts, child endangerment, and an adult when the player reaches 18 being bound by a contract that was signed by a guardian for him while a juvenile. I can see some really messy legal issues popping up there and that would be a killer to a new organization.
 
Wingman said:
Fog I suspect you would need to raise the age to 18 yoa to avoid some legal issues with signing contracts, child endangerment, and an adult when the player reaches 18 being bound by a contract that was signed by a guardian for him while a juvenile. I can see some really messy legal issues popping up there and that would be a killer to a new organization.
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Good point. If they signed at 17 the would have to resign at 18. Or you could draft them at 17 and sign them at 18. I forgot the age of majority in PA is 18.
 
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