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First staged test game
By 1985, the USFL had ceased football operations and he devoted all his time to arena football, and on April 27, 1986, his concept was realized when finally staged the test game. -
When AFL started
The sport was invented in the early 1980s and patented by Foster, a former executive of the United States Football League and the National Football League -
Seasons Played
The AFL played 22 seasons from 1987 to 2008 -
Granted application
On September 30, 1987, Foster filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to patent his invented sport. The patent application covered the rules of the game, specifically detailing the goalposts and rebound netting and their impact on gameplay. Foster's application was granted on March 27, 1990. -
AF2
From 2000 to 2009, the AFL had its own developmental league, the af2. -
Rule Change
In 2005, players were no longer allowed to run out of bounds -
Rule Change
In 2007, free substitution was allowed -
Teams
The league currently consists of fourteen teams from the United States -
Relaunch
On November 11, 2009, the new league announced its intention to purchase the entire assets of the former AFL; the assets included the team names and logos of all but one of the former AFL and af2 teams -
NET10 Wireless Arena Football League
It was announced on December 12, 2012, that the AFL reached a partnership agreement with NET10 to be the first professional sports league in the United States to have a title sponsor, calling it the NET10 Wireless Arena Football League -
3rd
It is currently the third longest running professional football league in North America, after the Canadian Football League and the National Football League.
