American Football Association Membership Q & A's

Media - contact Dave Burch at AFA National Office
(877) 624-4485 or (941) 388-3510
(e-mail) amerfoot@aol.com (or) usafoot@aol.com
(website)www.americanfootballassn.com/

While many of the fall league teams are already playing pre-season games and some have actually started their regular season competition, we thought we would take a minute to list a few Q & A’s that have come to the attention of the AFA national office in the past few weeks.

Q. When will the AFA begin publishing its ‘weekly power rating’ service for the fall leagues?
A. The team ‘power ratings’ kick in after a team from a registered AFA member league has completed its 3rd game of the year.

Q. Are controlled scrimmages counted as part of the ‘power ratings’?
A. Each league has its own definition of what a controlled scrimmage really is. If scrimmage scores are kept (and/or reported), and played under actual game conditions (clock, scoreboard, spectators, game officials) chances are it will be considered as an exhibition game rather than a controlled scrimmage and reported as such by your league.

Q. Why are some team’s game scores reported by the AFNews and others are not?
A. The only game scores that will be published by the AFNews this year are those involving one or more AFA member teams.

Q. Why doesn’t the AFNews just publish game scores and ‘power rate’ all semi-pro teams across the country like it has in the past?
A. During our first 25 years of trying to be everything to everyone on this level of the sport - we thought it was important to track all teams in every league. Feedback received over the past few seasons led us to re-evaluate our focus. By charging an annual membership fee to join the AFA, we are able to focus on valued services targeted to those teams and leagues that want the AFA to serve as their national association. Remember, membership has its benefits.

Q. What’s the difference between an ‘official’ member team and an ‘associate’ member team?
A. The American Football Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to the advancement/promotion/awareness of its dues paying member teams and leagues. As part of the AFA’s Game Plan 2005 we announced in January, the benefits attached to each of the two methods teams have of joining the AFA in 2005. ‘Official’ member teams are those belonging to leagues that have 100% team participation in the AFA membership program. ‘Associate’ member teams are those teams who want to be part of the AFA but whose entire league has not yet committed to joining the AFA national association.

Q. Can a league that has not yet reached its 100% membership qualification become an ‘official’ member league during the year if the other teams join the AFA during mid-season?
A. Yes, however in order for that league’s championship team to advance to the AFA’s postseason National Tournament of Champions, it must meet the approval of the AFA’s national tournament committee. That committee is made up of one representative from each ‘official’ member league and an AFA director representing that regional area.

Q. How does a semi-pro football team qualify to participate in the AFA general liability insurance program?
A. Both AFA official and associate member teams qualify to purchase the national associations liability insurance. Our insurance agency (Sadler & Company) will not be able to process your team’s request for insurance without first verifying a semi-pro teams membership status with the AFA.

Q. Is there a discount membership rate for complete leagues joining the AFA all at one time?
A. NO! The AFA membership fee is $100 per team. Leagues participating in the national association’s 100% participation membership program enjoy additional benefits not available to ‘associate’ members.

Q. Is AFA league membership open to all semi-pro football leagues?
A. Yes! Providing of course the league is considered an adult amateur (semi-pro) tackle non-profit football league and does not promote itself as a national association or have the word ‘professional’ in its league name.

Q. Is it true that North American Football Association (NAFL) member teams are excluded from joining the AFA?
A. Not true! 20% of the NAFL teams have already joined the AFA as ‘associate’ members for the 2005 season. All teams are welcome to join!

Q. How many semi-pro fall leagues qualify for AFA league membership in 2005? And, how many of those leagues already are represented by AFA member teams?
A. There are 29 different fall season leagues (providing playing venues for 338 teams) that the AFA has targeted for possible membership during the 2005 season. Since the AFA summer convention in Chicago (June 3-4-5) the AFA has signed teams playing in 22 of those 29 leagues.

Q. Why are the Spring/Summer leagues usually treated as outsiders by the AFA national association?
A. Not anymore! Representatives from several S/S leagues were in attendance at the Chicago convention in June and pledged their league’s membership support to the AFA for the 2006 season in order to bring attention to their football organizations. As a result of this, the AFA national office is investigating the possibility of conducting a separate annual National Championship Game for AFA member leagues playing spring/summer schedules. Currently there are 245 teams playing in 19 different S/S leagues.

Q. How do I get some of our former players, coaches, and/or team administrators nominated for induction into the AFA’s Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame?
A. As part of the AFA’s official league membership benefits package - each ‘member league’ will be given a 2006 AFA/HOF nominating ballot. Those member leagues will be asked to give the HOF nominating committee the name of one person (per member league) they feel should be considered as a candidate for enshrinement as a Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame. Additionally, the HOF nominating committee will continue to review HOF suggestions from previously inducted AFA/HOF alumni and organized semi-pro football Alumni organizations across the country.

Q. Why didn’t the AFA name its annual All-American teams in 2004 and will they resume the All-American selection process at the end of the 2005 season?
A. Lack of cooperation from most of the 65 different leagues that were in operation in 2004 caused the AFA to suspend its All-American selection program last year. Leagues were required to submit a copy of their first team all-league selections but very few did. The 2005 AFA All-American Teams will be selected from those leagues that commit to taking part in the AFA’s 100% team participation membership program for the 2005 season. The 2005 AFA All-American teams will be announced just before the start of the AFA’s postseason ‘National Tournament of Champions’.


Semi-pro Football Scoreboard (7/9/2005 thru 7/10/2005)

EMPIRE FOOTBALL LEAGUE GAMES:
Albany (NY) Metro Mallers 49, Scranton (PA) Eagles 0
Lake City (NY) Stars 22, Montreal (QUE) Titans 13
Orange County (NY) Bulldogs 21, Broome County (NY) Dragons 0
Watertown (NY) Red & Black 20, Ottawa (ONT) Deacon Demons 3

NON-LEAGUE GAMES:
Central Virginia Storm 14, Triangle (NC) Rattlers 7
Chicago (IL) Wolverines 25, Indiana Mustangs 22
Cleveland (OH) Lions 43, Cleveland (OH) Rebels 6
Fayetteville (NC) Ruff Riders 10, Iredell (NC) Warriors 10 (tie)
Flint (MI) Fury 12, London Silverbacks 3
Virginia Ravens 22, Catawba County (NC) Hornets 7
Washington (DC) Explosion 16, Cumberland (MD) Cougars 7

ASSOCIATE MEMBER GAMES:
Grand Rapids (MI) Thunder 63, Waterford (MI) Warthogs 12
Lima (OH) Warriors 24, Ft. Wayne (IN) Flyers 7
Massillon (OH) Bengals 16, Albion (MI) Chargers 6
Metro Detroit (MI) Saints 14, Southern Michigan Timberwolves 7
Inglewood (CA) Blackhawks 50, Los Angeles (CA) Scorpions 14
Northeast Missouri Cyclones 32, River City (MO) Saints 16
Racine (WI) Raiders 14, McHenry County (IL) Gladiators 8
Show Me (MO) Spirit 32, Kansas City (MO) Jazz 13
Detroit (MI) Black Ravens 26, Great Lakes (MI) Makos 13
Evansville (IN) Vipers 9, Circle City (IN) Soldiers 8
West Virginia Wham! 28, Pittsburgh (PA) Power 21
Columbus (OH) Cowboys 6, Ohio Red Bulls 4

This release is provided as general information for those teams who have become AFA member teams for the 2005 season. If your team is not yet a member of a registered AFA member league and you would like to join the AFA as an ‘associate’ member - you can download an AFA team application by visiting the national association’s website at www.AmericanFootballAssn.com. Semi-pro teams with membership questions can contact the AFA national office by phone at 941-388-3510, via fax at 941-388-2224 or e-mail at Amerfoot@aol.com.