Why is AFL so quiet?

[off_the_nets]

We are almost 3 months from the start of the season and the AFL is very quiet. No free agency period, no schedule and no news on a new Commish. Although we have news of team tryouts, a $100 million management buy-in and the VooDoo folding...but nothing else! What gives? The af2 has posted a schedule and are assigning players while the other indoor leagues are doing whatever they do, but nothing from the AFL. Any ideas?

[NatePreds05]

We are almost 3 months from the start of the season and the AFL is very quiet. No free agency period, no schedule and no news on a new Commish. Although we have news of team tryouts, a $100 million management buy-in and the VooDoo folding...but nothing else! What gives? The af2 has posted a schedule and are assigning players while the other indoor leagues are doing whatever they do, but nothing from the AFL. Any ideas?

The Schedule will be coming out any day now, the individual teams have their schedules, the official release just has not been done. Dispersal Draft and Free Agency will commence soon after that, though no dates are down.

For the individual teams right now it is business as usual. And the deputy Commish is the acting Commish for now.

Usually the AFL releases a schedule before the beginning of December on a normal off-season, so the only delays are in Free Agency and Dispersal Draft.

[Caballo Diablo]

Platinum is supposed to submit their proposal in the next couple of weeks so the AFL owners can vote on it. One of the possibilities of that proposal is for Platinum to assign a CEO to oversee the league instead of a typical commissioner.

Most owners are on board with the transition to single entity but a couple are still on the fence and want specifics before making decisions regarding free agency and the dispersal draft. The league doesn't want to hold a dispersal draft for the VooDoo until they're sure no other teams will disperse players.

The new single entity structure might affect the salary cap structure which would also affect FA decisions. At the moment the cap includes more than actual players salaries. Once the owners vote on the Platinum deal they then need to decide how much of the organization they'll run and how much the league will run. Owners can decide to basically run most of the operations as they have in the past or now they can turn ticket sales, marketing, etc. over to the league to run and only deal with football operations.