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The Stars Football League (SFL) is an American football league operating primarily in the Southern United States. The league is headquartered in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.[1] Its inaugural season began June 30, 2011 with two teams;[2] the league phased two more teams into the schedule over the course of the 2011 season to finish the season with four teams. Three of the four inaugural teams were located in metropolitan areas that have National Football League franchises.
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[edit] Rules
The league follows standard American football rules, with two exceptions. Field goals of over 50 yards are awarded four points instead of three, as in NFL Europe. The league also offers a three-point conversion from ten yards, just as the XFL did in its playoffs. These rule changes are intended to help teams that fall behind in a game to catch up more quickly.[3] The league will not use instant replay (the league has no television contract, making instant replay impossible).[4] The league also will use a slightly shorter play clock.[2]
Teams are restricted to 36 players on each roster,[2] with any person 18 years of age or older eligible to play.[5][6] Its level of play can be classified somewhere between minor league and semi-professional; players are compensated between $100 and $500 per game, on par with most indoor football leagues, but must pay their own travel expenses for away games.[7]
[edit] Broadcasting
Brokered station WWNN in the Fort Lauderdale area carried Barracudas games and a weekly talk show devoted to the league; WWNN also broadcast those events on the Internet. Mark Perl served as the play-by-play announcer.
[edit] Teams
| Team | City | Stadium | Head coach | Formerly known as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port St. Lucie Swampdogs | Port St. Lucie, Florida | South County Stadium | Antuwan Wyatt | Daytona Beach Racers |
| Ft. Lauderdale Barracudas | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Lockhart Stadium | Marty Culpepper | |
| Michigan Coyotes | Flint, Michigan | Atwood Stadium | Dan Pilgrim | |
| New Orleans Jazz | New Orleans, Louisiana | Tad Gormley Stadium | Blaine Bond and David McCormick | |
| Canton Bulldogs | Canton, Ohio | Fawcett Stadium | ||
| Cleveland Ironmen | Cleveland, Ohio | |||
| Fort Pierce Orange | Fort Pierce, Florida | Tony Smith |
The Racers starting quarterback, for the first few weeks of the season was PeeJay Jack, who later served as starting quarterback for the Rome Rampage of the Ultimate Indoor Football League. Lester Ricard served as starting quarterback for the Jazz. Indoor football veteran Torrey Grissett, who played for Fort Lauderdale in 2011, signed with the Cleveland Browns practice squad at the end of the 2011 season.
[edit] 2011 season
The league released its 2011 schedule on July 2, 2011; said schedule was abruptly cut short in early August after several on-the-fly schedule and venue changes. In the end, each of the four teams played two of the other three teams at least once, with Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale playing each other three times, due to their proximity to each other. Winners of each game are underlined.
- June 30, 2011
- Daytona Beach 26 @ Fort Lauderdale 13
- July 16, 2011
- Fort Lauderdale 22 @ Daytona Beach 4
- July 22, 2011
- Fort Lauderdale 9 @ New Orleans 15 (OT)
- July 23, 2011
- Michigan 18 @ Daytona Beach 38
- August 4, 2011
- Fort Lauderdale 29 @ Daytona Beach 31
- August 12, 2011
- Michigan 6 @ New Orleans 21
[edit] Final standings
TEAM W-L ( PCT ) -------------------------- --- ------- New Orleans Jazz 2-0 (1.000) Daytona Beach Racers 3-1 ( .750) Fort Lauderdale Barracudas 1-3 ( .250) Michigan Coyotes 0-2 ( .000)
[edit] 2012 season
The team added a northern division featuring two teams in Ohio for the 2012 season, also rearranging its southern teams. The 2012 season is scheduled to begin on Armed Forces Day (May 19, 2012) and continue through July.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Shea, Bill (2010-12-10). New pro football league plans franchise at Pontiac Silverdome. Crain Communications. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
- ^ a b c Shacklette, Buddy (2011-06-29). Ready or not, Racers to start season. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
- ^ Berardino, Mike (July 21, 2011). Tiger Woods, Steve Williams and the four-point field goal (Three Things). South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ^ Buda, Joe (2011-06-29). Stars Football League to Debut on June 30. The Las Vegas Informer. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
- ^ Menning, Rick (2011-03-21). Players sought for pro spring football league team... South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
- ^ Harris, Michael (July 22, 2011). New Orleans Jazz is back ... as part of new professional football league. NOLA.com. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- ^ Berardino, Mike (July 25, 2011). Money isn't the driving force in the fledgling, four-team Stars Football League. Sacramento Bee. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
