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2024 The Arena League season

The 2024 Arena League season was the inaugural season of The Arena League (The AL or TAL). The regular season began on June 1, 2024 and ended on July 27, 2024.

Background

The Arena League was announced as a six-on-six indoor American football league with the intentions to launch in 2024 with four teams and with Pro Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown as the Commissioner. The league kicked off the regular season on June 1, 2024.

The AL's aim is to highlight the player's athleticism and increase the pace of play.

Teams

The first city announced was Springfield with Duluth being the second city. Waterloo was announced as the third team on May 4, 2023. Kansas City was the fourth and final team announced for the inaugural 2024 season.

On October 19, 2023 the Waterloo Woo announced their owners and changed their team name to the Iowa Woo along with a logo redesign.

League finances

Former IFL Commissioner, Tommy Benizio, an advisor for the league and his corporation operated and ran the teams, while J.R. Bond leads a small group financing the league; Bond is a political advisor in Kansas City and has served as owner of several professional sports teams including the Sioux City Bandits, Topeka Tropics, and Topeka Golden Giants. The league would later announce owners for all four locations.

Players

Teams have a 15-player roster with the game being played with six offensive players against six defensive players. The league will follow a one-platoon system with offensive and defensive players playing both sides of the ball. There are no restrictions on defense.

On December 5, 2023, the Lunkers signed Matt Rush, the first player to sign with an AL team.

Season format

The inaugural season of The Arena League had a nine-week regular season schedule with each team receiving one bye week with playoffs to follow. The season ran from June to August 2024. In September, the AL released the 2024 schedule.

Rules

  • The field is traditional arena football size, measuring 50 yards long and 85 feet wide enclosed by padded walls.
  • Teams had 15-player rosters with the game being played with six offensive players against six defensive players. The league followed a one-platoon system with offensive and defensive players playing both sides of the ball. There are no restrictions on defense.
  • Play clock is reduced to 20 seconds from the spotting of the ball, as in the Canadian Football League.
  • No offensive huddles are allowed unless a timeout is called.
  • All offensive players are eligible receivers with three players initially lined up in an offensive line position. The quarterback cannot run the ball past the line of scrimmage.
  • All players and coaches communicated with helmet communication systems that fans will be able to listen to in real time.
  • Kickoffs were replaced with a quarterback throwoff, with an onside conversion option.
  • All forms of kicking the ball are prohibited, including punts and field goals.
  • There was only one on-field official to mark and set the ball and make penalty announcements. There were sky judges watching live video feeds to decide penalties in real time. Coaches and fans will have access to the referee interactions. After each game, fans can give feedback on the referees performance.

Final standings

Season schedule

The regular season schedule was released on September 6, 2023.

Regular season

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Postseason

Semi-finals

ArenaMania I

Media

See also

References