Sports

9 things to know about the Alliance of American Football and Orlando Apollos

By Christopher Boyce

(Orlando Apollos photo).

By Christopher Boyce

ORLANDO, Fl. — Football doesn't end in February.

The Alliance of American Football kicks off their inagural season this weekend and your Orlando Apollos will square off with the Atlanta Legends on February 9 at 8 p.m. You can purchase tickets here.

Here are 9 things to know about the AAF and the Apollos:

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1. Teams have assigned areas of the country:

This allows for fans who followed certain players in college to be closer to them and their roots where they may have had major prominence. The University of Central Florida, Florida State University and Florida International University are just some of the colleges that are assigned to the Apollos.

2. The league has secured major media partners:

If you aren't able to make it out to any of the games, you'll have plenty of opportunities to see the league in action. The team signed a deal with TNT, NFL Network and CBS. Click here for a schedule of all the televised games.

3. The Apollos are coached by College Football Hall of Famer Steve Spurrier:

Steve Spurrier is known for his tenures with the University of Florida and South Carolina, winning a national chmapionship with the former. Spurrier also had a stint in the National Football League with the Washington Redskins. Spurrier was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2017.

4. The Apollos will play their home games at Spectrum Stadium:

UCF's Spectrum Stadium, also coined "The Bounce House" by fans, will also play host to the Apollos. The stadium can hold north of 44,000 people and is known to shake when fans jump in support.

5.  There are currently eight teams in the league:

The AAF is divided into two conferences with four teams apiece. The western conference is composed of teams in Arizona, Salt Lake City. San Antonio and San Diego while the eastern conference has teams in Atlanta, Memphis, Birmingham and Orlando.

6.  Rules differ from the NFL:

The AAF will differ from the NFL in some pretty major ways. The first noticeable difference will be the removal of kickoffs as a focus on player safety. Each team will begin on the opposition's 25 yard line. A shorter play clock and a mandatory two-point conversion attempt after touchdowns are also major differences.

7. The league aims for shorter games:

In an effort to keep the viewer's attention, the league has made a focus to shorten games by limiting play clocks to 35 seconds and also using less full-screen commercials. This aims to be a win for advertisers as well, as their product will still be seen instead of the possibility of a viewer switching to another channel.

8. The season runs into the NFL's draft season:

Fans who can't get enough of football will certainly be able to get their fix with the AAF's ten week season. Four of the eight teams will advance to the playoffs, before the league holds its championship game in Las Vegas.

9. Many coaches and players around the league have former ties to the NFL:

If you tune in to an AAF game, you'll definitely recognize a few faces. Along with Spurrier, you may recognize coaches Mike Singletary, Mike Martz and Micheal Vick for their roles around the league. Troy Polamalu, Hines Ward and Jared Allen serve as executives for the league.

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