Arena
In the 2000s, one of the most electrifying and exciting players to watch in football was Devin Hester. Every single time he went out on to the field to return a kickoff or return a punt, everyone knew there was a chance they were about to witness a Sportscaster Top 10 touchdown anytime he touched the ball. It was great for the game and it made every single play of a Bears game watchable (well, to an extent. We can discuss Rex Grossman at a later date.)
What if I told you that every kickoff and field goal attempt in Arena Football had a chance at a big play happening? Now, that’s not to say that every returner in Arena Football is on the same level as Devin Hester, but with the different aspects of the Arena game there are no shortage of opportunities for points to be scored on every single play.
Kickoffs
Kickoffs are from the goal line and kickers may use a one-inch tee.
The receiving team may field any kickoff, but they must make an attempt to advance the ball out of the end zone if it is caught there. Failure to do so may result in a penalty on the receiving team.
Any kickoff untouched which is out of bounds will be placed at the 20-yard line or the place where it went out of bounds, whichever is more advantageous to the receiving team.
New for the AFL in 2024 is the introduction of the “Deuce” on kickoffs. If a kick passes through the 9-foot wide uprights during a kickoff, the kicking team will be awarded two points.
This creates an interesting situation where a team can hypothetically be down 10 points, and then score a Touchdown, a 2 Point Conversion and then kick a Deuce on the ensuing kickoff, and it’s instantly a tie game.
Field Goals
Punting is illegal. (Not a thing here, baby! Sorry not sorry, Kirk Ferentz)
On fourth down, a team may go for a first down, touchdown or field goal.
Once a Field Goal is kicked, if it goes through the uprights it is worth 3 points — just like the outdoor game.
However, if it misses and bounces off of the nets, it is a live ball that can be recovered by either team. On farther kick attempts, you will see players on the kicking team sprinting down the field at the opportunity to make a play on the ball if it misses.
In the clip below, the kicking team (s/o Florida Bobcats) kicks a field goal and misses off the net, but then one of the blockers hustles down the field to recover the ball and punch it in for a TD! A big guy tuddy!
There weren't many highlights during the existence of the Florida Bobcats, but this is one of them.
In some situations, you may see teams intentionally try to kick it off of the net in hopes of falling on the live ball. Just because they are lining up for a field goal doesn't mean they are trying to kick a field goal (yeah, think about that for minute.)
Indoor
Kickoffs
Much like Arena, kickoffs in Indoor Football are from the goal line and kickers may use a one-inch tee.
The receiving team may field any kickoff, but if they fail to pass the goal line on the return, the kicking team will be awarded one point (known as a “Rouge”).
Talk about an incentive to return the kickoff.
Any kickoff untouched which is out of bounds will be placed at the 20-yard line or the place where it went out of bounds, whichever is more advantageous to the receiving team.
While the Deuce is new to the AFL in 2024, the rule has existed in some capacity in Indoor Football for a couple of years now.
If the kick passes through the uprights during a kickoff, the kicking team will be awarded two points.
One of the biggest differences in Arena Football & Indoor Football is the larger nets on the sides of the 9-foot goal posts — Arena Football has them while Indoor Football does not. The reason behind this is that the Arena Football League had a patent on the designs for the nets ever since they were founded in 1987, before those patents expired in the past couple of years. The Indoor Football League was founded in 2008, while the patents were in effect, so they adjusted their rules to play without the side nets and have done so ever since.
Not having the side nets in the Indoor game takes away some of the excitement and chaos that can happen on any given special teams play in Arena, but it does give the game a bit more of a ‘traditional’ feel.
I won't make a habit of recycling pics or gifs, I promise. But here's the Indoor Football goal posts.
Field Goals
Punting is illegal here too. Not a thing here either, baby!
On fourth down, a team may go for a first down, touchdown or field goal.
Once a Field Goal is kicked, if it goes through the uprights it is worth 3 points — just like the outdoor game.
If missed field goal hits the ground in the endzone, off the upright or anything beyond the outer portions of the wall, the ball is considered dead. Ball would then go to the opposing team at the 5 yard line. So kind of a punt.
The rules of Arena & Indoor Football are always growing and evolving, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see them continue to evolve from here. From the Rouge to the Deuce, points can literally be scored on any given play and is part of what makes this game so exciting to watch.
Special Teams can be a bore in the outdoor game at times but both Arena & Indoor Football have done a really great job of injecting new rules to make those things parts of the game exciting as well.
Comments