Last night, in a since deleted tweet by ArenaFan on X, the 2024 AFL Rule Book was shared after being posted on the Nashville Kats website.
Now, before we dive into specifics, this was probably an accident by the staffer at the Nashville Kats. The document did not look anywhere near "publish ready" and truthfully looked messy with the formatting all over the place and several "typos" that were eyebrow raising.
Page 8 of 133:
Page 9 of 133:
Uhhhhhh whoops! Forgot to take out the filler words here, y'all -- specifically the ones that are quite literally competitor league entities.
Now I know it can come across as nitpicking, but the formatting throughout the rulebook was not good either:
The spacing, the different sizes, the different fonts themselves -- how you do anything is how you do everything. As individuals (and league entities in the case), how we work and do the little things in our lives speaks volumes to how the bigger things are probably being done.
If something as standard as the AFL Rule Book is this messy, and we can SEE this, then imagine how things might be behind the scenes that we don't see. Parts of the rollout for the league over the past 12 months have been rocky up to this point, and things like this make you start to think about why that's been the case.
But that's enough doom and gloom, let's get into the FUN STUFF!
Fun AFL Rules That Are Worth Noting
This is not going to be word for word the entire rulebook, but sections that I think are worth noting for casual fans and sickos alike. These are things that stood out to me as interesting rule clarifications, things to look out for during the season and truthfully things I thought were pretty funny to read.
Motion - Page 6
One offensive back, other than the fullback, may be in motion and may be moving forward as long as he is not past the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. However, the player must go in motion backwards before moving forward and may not start the motion from the offensive box. Any motion man may not go through A gap unless he is in possession of the ball. The fullback must be stationary at the snap.
This is what any newcomer to Arena football will notice first (aside from the giant rebounding nets). It is interesting to see the language "the player must go in motion backwards before moving forward", but I guess that naturally makes sense.
Out of Bounds - Page 7
The sideline and end zone wall will be live. All boundary lines from the end line to end line and along the end line will be disregarded unless there is no wall immediately adjacent to the line. Where there is no wall immediately adjacent to the boundary line, the boundary line will be used to rule in bounds and out of bounds, and the wall will be considered out of bounds.
A fumble into a boundary-adjacent wall will remain live until recovered and ruled dead, whether or not it at any time hit a boundary line. Exception: Any fumble, muffed ball or backward pass that hits a wall adjacent to the end line (back line of the end zone) will be a dead ball upon contact with the wall.
Any legal kick that hits a wall will be considered dead.
A player may give himself up by intentionally and obviously extending the ball over or into the sideline barrier, at which point he will immediately be ruled down and the play whistled dead.
A player who catches a pass while in the air and then hits the Sideline Barrier with his feet or foot will be considered to have caught a completed pass. If the player is untouched by a defender before he touches the Sideline Barrier, he may continue to advance the ball.
Okay, there is a lot to unpack here. If a player fumbles the ball and it bounces Off The Wall (hehe), the ball is live. If a kickoff or field goal attempt goes off the wall, the ball is dead. Ideally, you would think that these rules should be aligned, and any play off the wall would be a live ball. An onside kick off the wall would be ELECTRIFYING.
"A player who catches a pass while in the air and then hits the Sideline Barrier with his feet or foot will be considered to have caught a completed pass." This one is also going to people. Hypothetically, a player could leap up and catch the ball while making contact with the wall and be "inbounds" and not technically getting a foot on the ground -- even though the wall is out of bounds.
Same Rodney, same.
Punts - Page 8
There is no Punting of the ball in the Arena Football League (edited for the league, ur welcome). Penalty: Illegal kick resulting in a 5- yard penalty from the previous spot and loss of down.
LOVE this attitude. In the era of analytics, it's good to see a league going back to the era of MAN-alytics and not punting.
The AFL Arena - Page 11
The regulation field is fifty (50) yards long by twenty-eight (28) yards wide surrounding by the "Arena Wall" which are at least 48" high. The field is capped at the endzones with Goal Posts that are called "Rebound Nets". The Rebound Nets serve to create action packed plays that are unique to the Arena Football League. The field may be longer, shorter, or wider due to the nature of the facility only with Commissioner Lee Hutton's approval.
Hold up -- what? lol. "The field may be longer, shorter, or wider due to the nature of the facility" is a wild card amongst wild cards. Once the season kicks off, we are going to have to see if/how much these fields vary.
1.4 Goal Posts/Rebound Structures - Page 14
The rebound frames consist of 2 (two) 30’x30’ (up to 32’ x 32’) aluminum truss style structures per side/endzone (4 total) separated by a 9’ wide cross bar and hung to make the bottom rails 8’ from the playing surface.
This net is meant for the football to ricochet back into play on all free kicks. Teams may also use the rebound nets for passes.
Awwww yeah. Rebounding nets baby. The only way plays like this are made possible:
SUBSTITUTION RULES - Page 24
For the 2024 Season and beyond, the Arena Football League is re-introducing the Substitution Rules (a.k.a. Ironman Football) that were used in the Arena Football League from 1985 until 2006.
Ironman football refers to when the same players from opposing teams play offense, defense, and special teams. Each team may designate two offensive and defensive specialists and one for special teams, usually the kicker.
Specialists may be changed once per half or overtime. No player ineligible for that quarter may be designated as a specialist.
While a team may designate any position as a specialist, teams typically designate their QB and one WR as their offensive Specialists, and two DB’s as their defensive specialists.
Ironman football is back on the menu. I fully expect teams to designate a QB & WR as their Specialists on offense, but there are some interesting alternatives out there.
What if you designate your Center as the Specialist that plays only one side of the ball? You'd have a fresh body on the line whose sole focus is to read the defense and get the ball to the QB, then you could have a fresh Defensive Linemen as a Specialist on defense. When the 3rd quarter rolls around, a linemen with a little more gas in the tank vs a linemen who has been playing both sides could be a game changing difference at the line of scrimmage.
3.9 Team Colors - Page 27
Mandatory jersey number and colors for video and television include white or light-colored jerseys with dark numbers or dark jerseys with white or light colored numbers.
Oh no Albany! The home uniforms of the darlings of the league might be against the rules!
RULE 4 KICKS - Page 28
Kicks hitting rebound structure or walls in an out of play:
1. Legally kicked balls except for PATs rebounding from rebound structure into the field of play shall remain live
2. A legally kicked ball contacting any wall even walls defining the playing field in the end zone is dead
New for 2024: For all free kicks going out of bounds (outside the rebound structure), the receiving team will be awarded 1 point.
The 1 point rule, affectionately referred to as an "Uno" in the rule book, is going to make a lotttt of Arena old heads made. I love the ideology behind this: kickers, keep the ball in play. If you don't, your team suffers on the scoreboard.
More action on the field is what the fans want and what they deserve.
4.1d Fan Interference on a Kick - Page 30
It the ball is interfered within any area between and under or outside the Goal Post and inside the end zone area on the sides, the ball will be placed at the 5-yard line.
All areas down the sideline in the field of play will be as follows: If a fan interferes with a kick that leaves the field that is ruled playable, the ball will belong to the Receiving team at its 10-yard line, or at the spot of interference if occurs outside the 10-yard line and it will be 1st and 10.
If the kicked ball hits in the field of play, then the ball will be spotted where fan interference took place.
In a way, putting the ball at the 5-yard line is encouraging home fans to reach out for the ball and be as disruptive as possible -- which can make for a thrilling experience for those fans in the front row, but can be disruptive when it comes to pace of play. This is probably a rule that will get revisited in future years.
4.2a Kickoff - Page 31
If the Receiving team is unable to advance a kickoff they have possessed out of their own End Zone, the Kicking Team will be rewarded an “UNO” (1 point), and the ball will be placed on the 10-yard line.
Touchbacks are illegal?! I love this rule. This simple punishment being implemented makes it so that the receiving team HAS to make an effort to advance the ball -- and kickoffs in the AFL can be gamechanging, momentum shifting plays.
4.2c Free Kick Kicked Between Goal Posts - Page 32
If on a free kick, the kicked ball goes through the uprights, the kicking team will be rewarded a “Deuce” (2 points). The play is considered a Touchback and the ball is spotted on the ten-yard line. After a safety or in the event that the kicking team has a pending foul to be enforced against it (banked foul) then a deuce cannot occur by rule.
The DEUCE! This is another rule that will make the Arena old heads mad, but this makes a good kicker that much more of a weapon for teams. We touched on the Deuce in a previous blog a little more in depth.
5.3 Formations - Page 37
The Quarterback may be under Center or in shotgun or a single wing type formation. However, if the Quarterback shifts from one formation to another, all 8 players must come to a one-second set before an eligible player may go in motion.
I think this is going to be the biggest difference that we see in AFL 3.0 vs old iterations of the AFL. Shotgun formations in Arena Football were few and far between back in the day, with 99% of plays coming with the QB under center.
In this new age of football, more and more quarterbacks are coming through the ranks comfortable in shotgun and pistol sets, and I strongly believe you'll see more of that than ever before in the AFL.
ANY RUN FAKE allows the defenders to come across the line of scrimmage and contact the QB and/or drop into coverage. (This does not include a QB who just steps forward in the pocket to avoid a pass rush).
On a running play, there are no restrictions as to who can rush or blitz, including a Safety, Corner, or Jack. If an illegal blitz is called on a running play, the penalty will be waived off.
If you are wondering why they air it out in the AFL so much, this is one of the top reasons. In passing situations, only the MAC LB can blitz; but on rushing plays there are no restrictions.
5.6 Report Change of Position - Page 40
The Tight End must declare himself on every scrimmage play by raising his hand when he approaches the line of scrimmage, (not just when leaving the huddle). This gesture will indicate that he is an eligible receiver for that play. The Umpire is required to ask the Tight End for a declaration.
The best rule in all of professional football is BACK! An Offensive Guard can declare himself as an eligible receiver as a Tight End on any given play, and it enables the BIG BOYS to get in on the touchdown fun.
How can you not be romantic about #BigManTDs?
5.13 Motion Clarification - Page 43
Any freeze or stop motion is an illegal intent to draw the defense offside and will result in a false start (FST) penalty against the offense. Any motion man, either HMM or regular motion MAY NOT go through the A gap unless he is in possession of the football. Penalty five yards. Illegal Motion (ILM).
Man, stop motion was such a good part of the game back in the day. It kept the defense honest on the pass rush and would often draw defenders offsides.
Take a look at the clip below: Slot WR runs up to the line, freezes, and the defensive end nearly jumps!
What a wrinkle to the game this brings -- and they TOOK THIS FROM YOU! They even have this classified as an "Unfair Act" in section 9.16. Not my AFL! #BringBackStopMotion
6.5 Incomplete Pass - Page 46
Any forward pass (legal or illegal) will be ruled incomplete, and the ball will immediately be blown dead if the pass strikes the ground or goes out of bounds (a forward pass that bounces off the Sideline Barrier is still in play until it hits the ground)
We're gonna see a chaotic interception off the wall this year, aren't we?
6.16 Fourth Down Fumble & Legal Advance - Page 51
If a fumble occurs on fourth down during a scrimmage down (including any Try for Point), only the fumbling player may advance the ball or hand or pass the ball forward or backward (as prescribed by rule). If the ball is purposely laid on the turf, the ball is not a fumble and may be advanced by any player on either team.
I will buy a jersey of whatever player/team has the audacity to run The Annexation of Puerto Rico in a game:
8.2 Unfair Act - Page 55
a. The Referee will penalize a team when, in the Referees opinion, an unfair act deprives an offended team of scoring a Touchdown. Example: A defensive player leaves the bench area to make a tackle.
You're telling me this isn't legal?!
9.16a Disconcerting Acts - Page 63
No player shall conceal the ball in or beneath his clothing or equipment or substitute any other article for the ball.
I mean this is just a hilarious visual. Straight up schoolyard style play of hiding the ball under the fat kid's shirt. The fact that they have to say this is illegal is amazing.
9.22 Player’s Equipment - Page 64
Removal of a player’s helmet before he is in the team area (except for team, media or injury timeouts, equipment adjustment, between period or during a measurement) shall result in a 10-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
This is going to be one that happens often and probably won't get called unless the player is already on the naughty list with the officials. 10-yards and an automatic first down is steep, so the timing and consistency of this getting called will be worth monitoring.
9.23 Unsportsmanlike Umpire Pick - Page 64
If a Receiver intentionally runs the defender into the Umpire or hits the Umpire directly, the offensive team shall be warned that it has engaged in an illegal Umpire pick (announced warning).
On the second occurrence, a 10-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty shall be called on the offense.
On a third occurrence, a 10-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty shall be called on the offense and the offending player will be disqualified.
If the Umpire is at the LOS getting the TE to declare and the ball is snapped, it is a 10- yard UNS foul on the QB.
An ejection due to multiple Umpire Picks would be incredible television. Mix in the potential for a QB to get an Unsportsmanlike and things can get weird!
11.16 Excessive Defensive Fouls - Page 73
Any team that has committed OVER three defensives offside (DOF), encroachment or neutral zone infractions (ENC or NZI) or Illegal Formation (ILF) fouls in a game will be penalized 5 yards and an automatic first down on the 4th penalty and for the remainder of the game.
Now, THIS is interesting! Over three offsides fouls in a game by a team, then it starts to be 5 yards and an AUTOMATIC first down?! Stay on the line, defense!
12.1 Plays for review - Page 74
a. All Scoring plays shall be confirmed prior to the next snap.
b. All plays from scrimmage in which there is a turnover shall be confirmed prior to the next snap.
c. The replay official shall have authority to independently review the following plays or within normal timing rules, the head coach may initiate one of his challenges relative to the following plays:
1. Catch or no Catch
2. Fumble or no fumble
3. Forward pass or backward pass
4. Forward pass or fumble
5. False Start
6. Illegal Defense
7. Time Expired at end of quarter
8. Touching of a kick
9. Passer Beyond line of scrimmage
10. Ejection fouls
11. Line to gain achieved
12. Correct down
Challenging for uncalled penalties! False Start & Illegal Defense will probably be the most common challenges we see this season, and this will be gutting for teams because it'll likely only happen on scoring plays.
RULE 14 ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE - Page 78
No ties in overtime, there must be a winner. Overtime Periods are 5 minutes in length.
“Sudden Death”
Each OT series will start with the team winning the coin toss either elecSng to receive or kick. The defense will kick the ball to the receiving team to either get a deuce for the win or kick the ball in play. The Receiving team may return the ball for a score. First team to scores a deuce, field goal, or touchdown, the game will be over and the team that scores will take the win.
*cries in Josh Allen*
I want nothing more than for a team to have a Walk Off Deuce to end the game in Overtime. It would be one hell of a moment for the Kickers everywhere. (This will probably be a rule that gets changed in the future, tbh)
H. General Appearance - Page 126
Consistent with the equipment and uniform rules, players must otherwise present a professional and appropriate appearance while before the public on game day. Among the types of activity 127 that are prohibited include the use of tobacco products (smokeless included) while in the bench area and use of facial makeup.
I wish I was making this up, but that is verbatim what it says in the rulebook. Sorry kids, no vaping on the bench!
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