af2 Quick Facts

Schedule

Each team plays 16 Regular Season Games

Playoffs

Sixteen teams qualify for the playoffs, eight from each conference (American and National). The eight qualifying teams in each conference consist of the three division champions and five Wild Cards, determined by best overall record. Seeding in each conference is based on overall record, with the top three seeds in each conference reserved for the division champions, regardless of record. In the First Round, the first three seeds in each conference are the three division winners.

The next five teams are seeded by next best five overall records. Teams ranked 1-4 earn home playoff games with 1 hosting 8, 2 hosting 7, 3 hosting 6 and 4 hosting 5. In the Second Round, the winner of the 1-8 game plays the winner of the 4-5 game. The winner of the 2-7 game plays the winner of the 3-6 game. The home team is decided by the team with the higher seed. The winners of the Second Round will meet for the Conference Championships on the weekend of August 15-17. The team with the better overall record hosts the Conference Championship game. The winners of the Conference Championships face off in the ArenaCup on at a site to be determined.

Tiebreaking Procedures

If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the same conference are tied with identical won-lost percentages, the following steps will be taken to determine rank.

Two Clubs

Head-to-head (best won-lost percentage in games among clubs).
If teams split head-to-head games, the next tiebreaker will be the point differential in those two games.
Best won-lost percentage in common games, if applicable
Strength of schedule (strength up).
Best net touchdowns in all games (individual team touchdown differential = TD's for - TD's against).
Coin toss.

Three or More Clubs

If two clubs remain tied after a third club is eliminated during any step, tiebreaker reverts to step 1 of the two-club format.
If one team wins multiple-team tiebreaker to advance to playoff round, remaining teams revert to step 1 of the two-club format.
All teams must have played head-to-head for step 1 to be utilized in a multiple-team tie.

Head-to-head (best won-lost percentage in games among clubs).
Best won-lost percentage in common games, if applicable.
Strength of schedule (strength up).
Best net (total) touchdowns in all games.
Coin toss.

Roster Limits

Teams are prohibited, from the first day the league allows the assignment of a player until the first league-sanctioned cut down date, from having more than 35 players on their rosters. Players on the following lists will be considered eligible to be counted for the 35-man roster: active list, injured reserve, suspended list, left squad and refused to report. Teams will be required to reduce their active lists to 19-players by 2:00 p.m. (CST) on the Monday preceding the first weekend of the regular season. The 19-player active list will remain in effect for the remainder of the regular season. In the playoffs and ArenaCup, teams may have a 20-man active roster. Each team will maintain a 19-man active and a three-man taxi-squad roster during the regular season. Every club must dress 19 players for each game.

International Players

Teams are allowed an additional two international players on the inactive roster, and may have 20 players on the active roster if one player is of international status.

Waivers

Teams may not re-assign a player during the period beginning at 12:01 a.m. (CST) following that team's final game and ending at 12:01 a.m. (CST) on the first day of the assigning period.

Trades

A trade is a transaction involving two or more teams resulting in the exchange of rights of a player(s). At no time may cash be involved in any trade. The "Trade Period" will begin on the Monday following the ArenaCup -- and will end at 4:00 PM (CT) on the Wednesday at the mid-point in the season. Future considerations must be completed by 4:00 pm (CT) on July 1. Upon reporting to his new team, each traded player must pass the physical given by his new team. Failure to pass the physical and/or failure to report will nullify the trade.

Reserve Lists

The reserve list of each team consists of the following categories: retired, refused to report, left squad, injured reserve, injured exemption, League suspended, team suspended, exemptions and international.

Injured Reserve

A player who is placed on the injured reserve list must be deactivated for a minimum of four (4) weeks. Preseason weeks will not count against that total. Teams activating players from their injured reserve list must do so no less than 24 hours prior to that team's game.

RULES OF THE GAME

FIELD

An indoor padded surface 85 feet wide and 50 yards long with eight-yard end zones.
Goal posts are nine feet wide with a crossbar height of 15 feet (NFL goal posts are 18-1/2 feet wide with the crossbar at 10 feet).
The goal-side rebound nets are 30 feet wide by 32 feet high. The bottoms of the nets are eight feet above the ground.
Sideline barriers are 48 inches high and made of high-density foam rubber.

EQUIPMENT

The official football is the same size and weight as the National Football League ball. Each ball is manufactured by Spalding, a division of Russell Corporation.

PLAYERS AND FORMATIONS

Eight players on the field; 19-man active roster; three-man inactive roster.
Players may play both offense and defense.
Substitution: Coaches are permitted to substitute players at will.
Four (4) offensive players must line up on the line of scrimmage.
Three (3) defensive players must be down linemen (in a three- or four-point stance). One linebacker may blitz on either side of the center. Alignment is two-or-more yards off the line of scrimmage. No stunting or twisting.
Offensive motion: One receiver may go in forward motion before the snap.

TIMING

Four 15-minute quarters with a 15-minute halftime.
The 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 penalties, injuries or timeouts.
Each team is allowed three (3) timeouts per half.

MOVEMENT OF THE BALL AND SCORING

Four (4) downs are allowed to advance the ball 10 yards for a first down, or to score.
Six (6) points for a touchdown.
One (1) point for a conversion by place kick after a touchdown, two (2) points for a conversion by drop kick and two (2) points for a successful run or pass after a touchdown.
Three (3) points for a field goal by placement or four (4) points for a field goal by drop kick.
Two (2) points for a safety.

KICKING

Kickoffs are from the goal line. Kickers may use a one-inch tee.
Punting is illegal. On fourth down, a team may go for a first down, touchdown or field goal.
The receiving team may field any kickoff or missed field goal that rebounds off the net.
Any untouched kickoff, which is out of bounds, will be placed at the 20-yard line or the place where it went out-of-bounds, whichever is more advantageous to the receiving team.

PASSING

Receivers must have one foot inbounds for a catch. A forward pass that rebounds off the rebound net or sideline barrier is a live ball and is in play until it touches the playing surface.

OVERTIME RULES

Overtime periods are 15 minutes for both the regular season and the playoffs.
Each team gets one possession to score. If, after each team has had one possession, one team is ahead, that team wins. If the teams are tied after each has had a possession, the next team to score wins.

GLOSSARY OF ARENA FOOTBALL TERMS

BALL IN THE STANDS - When a ball is thrown or bounces into the seats surrounding the playing field, the "lucky" fan that catches the ball keeps it.

DROP KICK - A drop-kicked field goal is worth 4 points. A drop-kicked extra point is worth 2 points.

FANS - More than eight million fans have been to an af2 game in the League's eight-season history. Last year, in 2007, the af2 drew over 1.2 million fans.

IRONMAN - Signifies participants playing both offense and defense.

"MAC" AND "JACK" LINEBACKERS - "Mac" may rush the QB straight on without stunting, twisting or drop-back coverage. "Jack," once the ball is snapped, may roam sideboard to sideboard, but may not retreat deeper than five yards from the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball. Either LB may cover the fullback or tight end, but double-teaming is illegal.

OFFENSIVE MOTION - Unlike stadium-played football, one offensive back may go into forward motion prior to the snap of the ball.

OVERTIME - Arena Football has a unique overtime rule. If a contest is tied after regulation, teams will play a 15-minute overtime. Each team will have one opportunity to score. If, after each team has had one chance to score, the game is tied, the first team to score is crowned the winner.

REBOUND NETS - Goal-side rebound nets extend outward from each upright. The nets are 30-feet wide, 32-feet high and extend to 40 feet above the playing surface. The bottom bars of the frames are positioned eight feet above the surface. The "scoring area" is nine-feet wide and 15-feet high. Nets are stretched taut so that a missed kick attempt will rebound off the net and back into the field of play. Once the ball caroms off the net, it's live.

SIDELINE BARRIERS - Similar to the sideboards that surround a hockey rink, the sideline barrier encircles the playing surface. The barrier is made of a high-density foam pad, measuring four inches thick.

STUNTING OR TWISTING - When a defensive lineman is rushing the passer, there's no "stunting" or "twisting". In other words, linemen are required to power past offensive linemen.

TIGHT END - One offensive lineman must declare himself a tight end prior to the snap by simply raising his arm and "declaring" himself a tight end. The Mac (rush-eligible) linebacker must line-up on the opposite side of the center from the tight end.

TWO-WAY PLAYERS - One of the most "throwback" features of the game of Arena Football is the fact that the game features eight-on-eight football, where at times, some players will play both offense and defense.