Arena Football

About Arena Football

Arena Football is a sport similar to American football. It is played indoors on a smaller field than American Football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game. The sport was invented and patented by James F. Foster, a former executive of the United States Football League and the National Football League.

While attending his first indoor soccer game, (the 1981 MISL All Star Game) on February 11, 1981 at Madison Square Garden, Foster conceived the basic rules of the sport on the back of a 9"x12" manila envelope he pulled out of his briefcase. Over the next five years, he created a more comprehensive and definitive set of playing rules, playing field specifications and equipment, along with a business plan to launch a proposed small, initial league to test market the concept of Arena Football nationally. As a key part of that plan, while residing in the Chicago area, he tested the game concept through several closed door practice sessions in late 1985 and early 1986 in nearby Rockford. After fine tuning the rules, he then secured additional operating capital to play several test games in the MetroCentre in April of 1986 and the Rosemont Horizon Arena in February of 1987.

The next critical step for Foster was securing a network television contract with ESPN and an initial group of key national corporate sponsors including United Airlines, Holiday Inn, Wilson Sporting Goods, Budget Rental Car and Hardees Restaurants. As the league's founding commissoner, (1986-1992) Foster established a league office with a small staff in suburban Chicago,(DesPlaines, Il)and with addition of some much needed additional investor capital, was ready to launch the Arena Football League. On June 19, 1987 the Pittsburgh Gladiators hosted the Washington DC Commandos in the first league game after a two week pre-season training camp for all four charter teams in Wheaton. AFL football operations and training was overseen by veteran college and pro head coach, Mouse Davis, the father of the famed "run and shoot" offense,(which became the basis for the high scoring Arena Football offense still in use today). The other two 1987 teams were the Chicago Bruisers and the Denver Dynamite, (the 1987 ArenaBowl Champions). As the Arena Football League grew into an established league with close to 20 teams, it defined itself as a major market pro sports product under the leadership of long time AFL Commissioner C. David Baker,(1996-). A financially strong team ownership roster includes NFL owners, as well as major names in the entertainment world. The growth and establishment of the AFL as a major market league spawned a developmental league that Foster also helped co-found, a minor league called af2, in 2000. The league was set up to operate in medium size markets around the US where it has enjoyed continued growth under the guidance of af2 President, Jerry Kurz. Other people have started their own indoor football minor leagues. These leagues do not technically play arena football or use the name Arena Football which is a registered trademark, because of the patent on the rules (specifically for the rebound nets, and related rules ) that Foster obtained in 1990 (which is actually held by Gridiron Enterprises, Inc. of which Foster is one of three partners). The other two partners are successful, Chicago based lawyers, Bill Niro and Jerry Kurz, who in early 1989 joined with Foster to help secure the patents on the Arena Football game system and re establish the Arena Football League in early 1990 as a franchised league after successfully removing a small group of disruptive limited partners for multiple breeches of the limited partnership agreement that was the basis for operating the AFL during the 1988 season.