Penalties, Game Length Decrease
Published on February 6, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
New York -- During the offseason, the Rules and Competition Committee set out to reduce the number of penalties and to decrease the length of games in order to improve the game for the AFL fans. Week 1 results prove the Committee did its job.
Week 1 games averaged 16.4 penalties per game, down from 24.3 for Week 1 in 2002. The length of Week 1 games was 2:29, down from 2:31 for Week 1 in 2002.
"We made a conscientious effort this offseason to improve the way our game is played," said Arizona Rattlers Vice President of Operations and AFL Rules and Competition Committee Chairman GENE NUDO. "We tried to make the game as penalty-free as possible and to decrease the length of our games. We realize it's early, but results have been favorable. We'll continue to monitor both factors as the season goes along.
Week 1 results are well below the 2002 season averages for penalties and length of game. The season average for 2002 penalties was 21.6 per game and the length of game for all 2002 contests was 2:34. Following is a comparison (*through Week 1):
PENALTIES
Week 1, Season, Average
2003, 16.4, 16.4*
2002, 24.3, 21.6
LENGTH OF GAME
Week 1, Season, Average
2003, 2:29, 2:29*
2002, 2:31, 2:34
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