All American Football League to Partner with NFL Officiating Department

The All American Football League (AAFL) forum
Fran
Site Admin
Posts: 1204
Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2003 2:49 am
Location: Southampton, PA
Contact:

All American Football League to Partner with NFL Officiating Department

Post by Fran » Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:25 pm

Atlanta, GA - The All-American Football League (AAFL) announced today that they will partner with the National Football League (NFL) Officiating Department.

NFL Vice President of Officiating, Mike Pereira, will oversee the partnership with the AAFL, which will include enforcement of the AAFL's rules and regulations during games and training sessions with all coaches during the league's first training camp in February 2008. The NFL will also provide officiating crews for all thirty AAFL regular season games, two playoff games and one championship game.

"We are very pleased to work with the AAFL in the development of a top-notch officiating staff," said Pereira. "The crews will be comprised of our top candidates with a mixture of current NFL officials at the key positions. Our intent is to train and evaluate just as we do in our current NFL officiating program."

Keenan Davis, AAFL Vice President of League Operations & Chief Operating Officer, previously worked at NFL League Headquarters, and played a vital role in the establishment of the NFL Officiating partnership.

"This partnership is a definite coup for our League," said Davis. "Working with the NFL Officials gives us undeniable integrity as it relates to our on-field competition standards. It also indicates that there is a level of confidence in our operation from the NFL, which we are working relentlessly to both gain and maintain."

The AAFL's six teams will begin play April 12, 2008, and will hold its first Championship Game on July 3, 2008.

rams80
Site Admin
Posts: 1673
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 3:28 am
Location: Greencastle, IN

Post by rams80 » Mon Nov 26, 2007 2:00 am

Didn't the NIFL also do this?
Mean Spirited Blogger #24601

Accused of being a Cyber Terrorist by Joe Newman.

This league (NIFL) is like a frickin' cockroach. You could throw a nuclear bomb at it and it would still survive
-tony-o

So I'd rather spend a quarter of an ABA franchise to repair my car, as opposed to spending a franchise and a half to get a new car that might have some planned obsolescence that causes it to break down 5 days after the end of the warranty period.
-Chuck the Writer

uflorlandofan
Site Admin
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:02 pm

NFL AAFL connection

Post by uflorlandofan » Mon Nov 26, 2007 2:29 am

With everyone starting to wonder aloud weather the AAFL spawned because of the demise of NFL Europe I guess this answers the question. I wonder how involved the NFL is with the AAFL besides just supplying referee's in a kind of working relationship. Is the NFL siding with the AAFL because it is the lesser of the two evils as far as the UFL and AAFL are concerned? This can be looked at as either good or bad I suppose. I like what the AAFL is trying to do, but will the NFL connection corporate them down? Only time will tell!

Shootmaster_44
Site Admin
Posts: 799
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2003 7:45 am
Location: Saskatoon, SK

Post by Shootmaster_44 » Mon Nov 26, 2007 10:16 am

[quote=""uflorlandofan""]With everyone starting to wonder aloud weather the AAFL spawned because of the demise of NFL Europe I guess this answers the question. I wonder how involved the NFL is with the AAFL besides just supplying referee's in a kind of working relationship. Is the NFL siding with the AAFL because it is the lesser of the two evils as far as the UFL and AAFL are concerned? This can be looked at as either good or bad I suppose. I like what the AAFL is trying to do, but will the NFL connection corporate them down? Only time will tell![/quote]

I doubt it. I have a feeling the NFL thinks of them as an extension of the NCAA. It would surprise me to see the AAFL used as a sort of scouting combine for the players who go undrafted by NFL teams. The UFL on the other hand will be more like the CFL or Arena League, where players who have more experience go and play or where players who are not NFL sized go and play.

I think the reason this agreement was reached is simply because the AAFL was first to step up and volunteer. There was no real rhyme or reason to it other than they were first to say yes they can ref here. What I wonder if whether this means that the AAFL will play by NFL rules or if they will stick to NCAA rules?

I also wonder whether you will see the AAFL teams become an extension of the NCAA teams, whereby players who are pursuing professional degrees (like law or architecture) or graduate degrees play in the league during the spring. In Canada there are several players who play CIS ball while completing Masters degrees or professional degrees. It would make sense for this to occur, but I guess time will tell.

When is their inaugural draft supposed to be held? Its in December I'm pretty sure though, right?

Post Reply

Return to “AAFL”