The National Football League (NFL) isn’t the only professional American football league. Diehard American football fans can watch games in the summer months, football’s traditional offseason, and watch games in countries other than the United States. Here’s a rundown of the NFL’s sister leagues:
Arena Football: Arena football is a fast-paced, offense-oriented, indoor sport played with only eight players per team on the field at a time. Six of those eight players must play both offense and defense. The field is 85 feet wide and 66 yards long.
Kurt Warner, the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV, began his professional career with an Arena Football team (the Iowa Barnstormers, to be exact). To find out more about arena football, visit the Arena Football League website.
Canadian Football League: CFL play begins in June and ends in late November with the Grey Cup, its version of the Super Bowl. The field is 110 yards by 65 yards, bigger than the 100 yards by 53 yards of an American football field, which gives offenses more room to maneuver and score points. Several former NFL stars, notably Warren Moon and Doug Flutie, got their start in the CFL. You can find out more about the CFL by visiting the league website.
United Football League: UFL teams play on the traditional 100-yard field. The league has five teams, which have pretty cool names:
Hartford Colonials
Las Vegas Locomotives
Omaha Nighthawks
Sacramento Mountain Lions
Virginia Beach Destroyers.
For more information about the UFL, visit its website.