Arena football is a fast and exciting form of American professional football played indoors. James Foster, a marketing official at the National Football League (NFL), invented arena football in 1981. The Arena Football League (AFL) played its first season in 1987. The game became popular for its high scoring, its relatively inexpensive tickets, and the nearness of the fans to the action.
Arena football is played on an area only 50 yards (45.7 meters) long and about 28 yards (25.6 meters) wide. The playing area is enclosed by walls 4 feet (1.2 meters) high covered with foam rubber to protect the players. End zones are 8 yards (7.3 meters) deep. Each end zone has two rebound nets 32 feet (9.8 meters) high by 30 feet (9.1 meters) wide and mounted 8 feet (2.4 meters) off the floor, with a goal area of 9 feet (2.7 meters) between the nets. The game is played with the same size oval ball used in outdoor football. A kickoff or pass bouncing off a net is a live ball.
A team consists of eight players on the playing area. The team roster consists of 24 players. Games are played in four 15-minute quarters. The offense has to get a play off within 25 seconds. The clock runs continuously until the final minute of each half, when it is stopped for out-of-bounds plays and incomplete passes. The offense has four plays to get 10 yards (9.1 meters) and a first down. There is no punting. Scoring is the same as in outdoor football, except that a team gets four points for a successful drop kick into the end-zone net. Arena football is a high-scoring game, with the two teams often scoring 100 points between them.
The AFL suspended operations after the 2008 season to reorganize because of economic problems. In 2009, the league announced it was suspending operations. In 2010, a new league formed, also called the Arena Football League.
See also Football.
