Stars Football League
Encyclopedia
The Stars Football League (SFL) is a semi-pro American football
league operating primarily in the Southern United States
. The league is headquartered in Grosse Pointe, Michigan
. Its inaugural season began June 30, 2011 with two teams; the league phased two more teams into the schedule over the course of the 2011 season to finish the season with four teams. Three of the four inaugural teams were located in metropolitan areas that have National Football League
franchises.
, with two exceptions. Field goals of over 50 yards are awarded four points instead of three, as in NFL Europe
. The league also offers a three-point conversion from ten yards, just as the XFL
did in its playoffs. These rule changes are intended to help teams that fall behind in a game to catch up more quickly. The league will not use instant replay
(the league has no television contract, making instant replay impossible). The league also will use a slightly shorter play clock.
Teams are restricted to 36 players on each roster, with any person 18 years of older eligible to play. Players are compensated between $100 and $500 per game, on par with most indoor football
leagues, but must pay their own travel expenses for away games.
station WWNN in the Fort Lauderdale area carried Barracudas games and a weekly talk show devoted to the league; WWNN also broadcast those events on the Internet. Mark Perl served as the play-by-play announcer.
The Racers starting quarterback, for the first few weeks of the season was PeeJay Jack, who later served as starting quarterback for the Rome Rampage of the Ultimate Indoor Football League
. Lester Ricard
served as starting quarterback for the Jazz.
June 30, 2011: Daytona Beach 26 @ Fort Lauderdale 13
July 16, 2011: Fort Lauderdale 22 @ Daytona Beach 4
July 22, 2011: Fort Lauderdale 9 @ New Orleans 15 (OT)
July 23, 2011: Michigan 18 @ Daytona Beach 38
August 4, 2011: Fort Lauderdale 29 @ Daytona Beach 31
August 12, 2011: Michigan 6 @ New Orleans 21
-------------------------- --- -------
New Orleans Jazz 2-0 (1.000)
Daytona Beach Racers 3-1 ( .750)
Fort Lauderdale Barracudas 1-3 ( .250)
Michigan Coyotes 0-2 ( .000)
The league did not name a champion, due to the irregular schedules.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
league operating primarily in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. The league is headquartered in Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Grosse Pointe is a suburban city bordering Detroit in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city covers just over one square mile, and had a population of 5,421 at the 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by Grosse Pointe Park, on the north by Detroit, on the east by Grosse Pointe...
. Its inaugural season began June 30, 2011 with two teams; the league phased two more teams into the schedule over the course of the 2011 season to finish the season with four teams. Three of the four inaugural teams were located in metropolitan areas that have National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
franchises.
Rules
The league follows standard American football rulesAmerican football rules
Game play in American football consists of a series of downs, individual plays of short duration, outside of which the ball is dead or not in play. These can be plays from scrimmage—passes, runs, punts, or field goal attempts—or free kicks such as kickoffs...
, with two exceptions. Field goals of over 50 yards are awarded four points instead of three, as in NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
. The league also offers a three-point conversion from ten yards, just as the XFL
XFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
did in its playoffs. These rule changes are intended to help teams that fall behind in a game to catch up more quickly. The league will not use instant replay
Instant replay
Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
(the league has no television contract, making instant replay impossible). The league also will use a slightly shorter play clock.
Teams are restricted to 36 players on each roster, with any person 18 years of older eligible to play. Players are compensated between $100 and $500 per game, on par with most indoor football
Indoor football
Indoor football is a term used to describe several variations of American football which are played indoors. It is important to note that NFL or College games played in locations such as the Astrodome or the Superdome do not qualify as indoor football as they are using a standard size playing field...
leagues, but must pay their own travel expenses for away games.
Broadcasting
BrokeredBrokered programming
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials...
station WWNN in the Fort Lauderdale area carried Barracudas games and a weekly talk show devoted to the league; WWNN also broadcast those events on the Internet. Mark Perl served as the play-by-play announcer.
Teams
| Team | City | Stadium | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daytona Beach Racers | Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had... |
Municipal Stadium Municipal Stadium (Daytona Beach) Municipal Stadium, a 10,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida, is home to the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcat football team. The stadium is also known as Larry Kelly Field, a name honoring former Daytona Beach Mayor Lawrence J. Kelly... |
Dahryll Brown |
| Ft. Lauderdale Barracudas | Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010... |
Lockhart Stadium Lockhart Stadium Lockhart Stadium is a stadium located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It is currently used by Fort Lauderdale High School, Stranahan High School, Northeast High School and Dillard High School for home high school football games, and previously served as the home of the Florida Atlantic... |
Maxie Pete and Marty Culpepper |
| Michigan Coyotes | Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County... |
Traveling team Traveling team In professional team sports, a traveling team is a member of a professional league that never or rarely competes in its home arena or stadium. This differs from a barnstorming team in that the latter does not compete within a league or association framework... |
Al "Jitter" Fields and Ron Johnson Ron Johnson Ron Wayne Johnson is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 1999, representing the division of Brantford as a Progressive Conservative.-Early life and career:... |
| New Orleans Jazz | New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population... |
Tad Gormley Stadium Tad Gormley Stadium Tad Gormley Stadium is a multi-purpose outdoor stadium, located in City Park, in New Orleans, Louisiana, named for Frank "Tad" Gormley. It has been used for football, track & field, and soccer. It played host to the US Olympic Track & Field Trials for the 1992 Summer Olympics... |
Blaine Bond |
The Racers starting quarterback, for the first few weeks of the season was PeeJay Jack, who later served as starting quarterback for the Rome Rampage of the Ultimate Indoor Football League
Ultimate Indoor Football League
The Ultimate Indoor Football League is a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011.-History:...
. Lester Ricard
Lester Ricard
Lester Ray Ricard, Jr. is a professional American and Canadian football quarterback who currently plays for the New Orleans Jazz of the Stars Football League. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2007...
served as starting quarterback for the Jazz.
2011 season
The league released its 2011 schedule on July 2, 2011; said schedule was abruptly cut short in early August after several on-the-fly schedule and venue changes. In the end, each of the four teams played two of the other three teams at least once, with Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale playing each other three times, due to their proximity to each other. Winners of each game are underlined.June 30, 2011: Daytona Beach 26 @ Fort Lauderdale 13
July 16, 2011: Fort Lauderdale 22 @ Daytona Beach 4
July 22, 2011: Fort Lauderdale 9 @ New Orleans 15 (OT)
July 23, 2011: Michigan 18 @ Daytona Beach 38
August 4, 2011: Fort Lauderdale 29 @ Daytona Beach 31
August 12, 2011: Michigan 6 @ New Orleans 21
Final standings
TEAM W-L ( PCT )-------------------------- --- -------
New Orleans Jazz 2-0 (1.000)
Daytona Beach Racers 3-1 ( .750)
Fort Lauderdale Barracudas 1-3 ( .250)
Michigan Coyotes 0-2 ( .000)
The league did not name a champion, due to the irregular schedules.