American Patriot League
Sport | American football |
---|---|
Founded | 2018 |
Inaugural season | (planned) |
No. of teams | 8 (planned) |
Country | United States |
TV partner(s) | TBD |
Official website | aplfootball |
The American Patriot League (APL) is a planned professional American football league. The World Professional Football Association was created as a single entity corporation that will manage the business of the APL.[1] The APL consists of eight franchises that are divided into two divisions: Freedom Division and Liberty Division.[2] Each team will play a 12 game schedule consisting of 6 home games and 6 away games. The 2019 inaugural season was supposed to last from April 6 through June 8, with the playoffs from June 15 through June 23. The original plan for the Championship Game was to have it played on the campus of the United States Naval Academy in Maryland during the 4th of July weekend. Instead, the Championship Game was moved to Canton, Ohio and was to be played on July 6.[3] In February 2019, the APL made an announcement that they were postponing the start of their inaugural 2019 season until 2021,[4] and later postponed again to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The APL management team consists of former football players , Marques Ogden, Bob Golic, and Director of Football Operations David Holloway.[5] Golic stated that none of the players who make an APL roster will be allowed to kneel during the national anthem, a marked contrast from current NFL policy. All team nicknames will be chosen by the fans as part of a naming contest.
To incentivize players from leaving the league for other leagues, the APL plans to offer lifetime health coverage for anyone who stays at least five seasons, along with a minimum salary of $50,000 a season to all players.
Part of the league’s strategy for financial survival includes establishing itself in markets where there is a passion for football and where there are not many (if any) other pro sports franchises in place. Those are the main reasons, according to Ogden, why the league preferred Daytona Beach to Orlando.[6] Broadcasts will be available with a paid subscription to the Awesome Cloud Network.
While the 2019 season had yet to begin, the WPFA was already making plans to add additional team cities to the APL in 2020 and 2021.[7]
Teams[]
Club | City | Stadium | Capacity | Head coach |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canton, Ohio | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | 23,000 | ||
[8] | Daytona Beach, Florida | Daytona Stadium | 9,601 | |
Houston, Texas | Rice Stadium | 47,000 | ||
[9] | Mobile, Alabama | Ladd–Peebles Stadium | 33,471 | Tim Beckman |
Sacramento, California | Hughes Stadium | 20,311 | Duncan Anderson | |
Shreveport, Louisiana | Independence Stadium | 49,565 | Erin Henderson | |
Ypsilanti, Michigan | Rynearson Stadium | 30,200 | TBA |
Young Superstars League[]
The league plans to operate their own minor developmental league called Young Superstars League (YSL). the league will allow players between the age 18-25 years old to play in an organized league of their own and developing the skills necessary to compete in the APL.[10]
YSL will be designed for players that cannot afford to pay for college or may not want to spend time there. The league will allocate funds for players that would like to pursue a college education or business trade after or during their playing days, and will have tutors and online college courses for players so they can continue their education and studies all year.
References[]
- ^ "World Professional Football Association". wpfa.us.
- ^ "Daytona Becomes 1st City In New Spring Football League". NewDaytonaBeach.com. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- ^ "About". American Patriot League.
- ^ "2020 Season". American Patriot League.
- ^ "Management". American Patriot League.
- ^ "Daytona Becomes 1st City In New Spring Football League". WNDB - News Daytona Beach.
- ^ "World Professional Football Association". wpfa.us.
- ^ "Daytona getting team in new pro football league". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- ^ "Mobile-based football team will play in American Patriot League". FOX10News. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- ^ "World Professional Football Association". wpfa.us.
External links[]
- 2018 establishments in the United States
- Sports leagues established in 2018
- American football leagues in the United States
- Professional sports leagues in the United States