Vortex Football League

Infobox sports league
title = Vortex Football League
current_season =

pixels = 230 px
sport = Vortex Football
founded = 2008
ceo = Willow Barker
fame =
motto =
teams = 6
country = CAN
champion = N/A
most_champs =
website = [http://www.geocities.com/vflkitchener/VFL.html VFL.com]
TV = Rogers TV (tentative)
The Vortex Football League is a relatively new sport becoming a staple in many communities across Canada. The official league began play in 2008 and has plans to continue into at least 2010.

History

The Evolution of Football into the 21st Century

The 2000 millennium brought changes to our society in the sports universe. New leagues were created and disbanded (XFL) and previously successful leagues added and subtracted teams. The sport of football has also undergone an evolution into the twenty-first century. New types of football like Arena Football and the XFL style of play have become new ways for North Americans to enjoy a sport that they have loved for over 100 years.

With the NFL and CFL being regarded as the two most popular football leagues in Canada, a third league would bring hope to underrated players trying to make themselves known in a big market. This is where Willow Barker came into the picture.

Willow Barker's Vision

The truth is, Barker liked both styles of football; American and Canadian. He enjoyed the high-impact plays and structure of the NFL but also enjoyed the excitement which the CFL was able to create by limiting the amount of downs and play clock a team had. To create his new sport, he would not only combine but also create rules that would create a better on-field experience for athletes and fans alike.

His vision of a sports league to use a shorter field, a Vortex, and a small number of players and teams finally came true in the summer of 2008 as the inaugural season of the VFL is underway. The VFL shares most of it's similarities with the AFL which also features a smaller field and limited players per team.

Rules

Field

The field is set up similarly to any football field. It measures approximately 50 yards long by 15 yards wide, with 7 yard end zones at each end. The VFL currently uses a single permanent field located at Glencairn Park in Kitchener, Ontario. This particular field is unique because of its uneven grass and hazards.

The boundaries are marked by orange pylons which border the field at each of the four corners. Yardage markers are located at each goal line, as well as at each side's 20 yard line. This unorthodox marking system has led to some confusion on the field but teams are in agreement with it. [cite web |url=http://www.Geocities.com/VFLKitchener/VFL.html|title=Flash Gordon makes his return to League play.]

The natural grass playing surface creates intriguing play-calling structures and line up procedures. The VFL has made a point of resuming game action even in wet and cold weather situations. The wet turf can provide exciting plays, but also make the teams suspect to injuries. [cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/VFLkitchener/VFL.html|title=Rusty Sinclair is named Warrior of the Week.]

Game Ball

Unlike the other major football leagues, CFL,AFL,NFL which use a more standard football, the VFL has attempted to remain unique with its integration of the Vortex football. The Vortex football was originally developed in 1993 under the popular children's toy company, Nerf. The ball became increasingly popular in the mid 1990's and has been advertised by the likes of John Elway and Peyton Manning. The basic designg of the Vortex allows for longer Distance throws typically not possible with a normal Football. There are many different versions that have spawned from the original Nerf Vortex. The Vortex Football League currently uses a yellow "Nerf Vortex Mega Howler".

Game play

All VFL games are played using a point system. A team is declared victorious once they have amassed at least 35 points. There is no time limit for a game, but an average gametime is 40 minutes. The point break down is as follows:

- A touchdown is worth five points.
- A successful conversion after a touchdown is worth two points.
- A safety is worth two points as well.

While the "V" in "VFL" technically stands for "Vortex", developer: Willow Barker, had an alternate purpose for it's meaning. In Roman Numeral, a "V" is the symbol used to represent the number 5. Willow decided to use the 5 wherever he could (An example of this is the touchdown; typically worth 6 points in Professional football, is worth 5 in the VFL).

Because of the Vortex's design to make it more aerodynamic, it is incredibly difficult to kick. Thus the kicking game was completely removed from the Vortex Football rule book. The game begins with the winner of a coin toss assuming the offensive role from their own goal line. The team then has 5 downs to move the ball as far as they can; with a trip across the opponants endzone resulting in touchdown. There are no first downs in the VFL except for a team's first possession of a drive. In other words, the VFL style is 5 downs per field.

On Defense, all players are required to line-up at least 5 yards off the Line of scrimmage. Upon the snap of the ball, any defensive player is then allowed to rush in to put pressure on the Quarterback. The VFL has decided to remain consistant with other professional Football leagues and institute a tackle rule after experimenting with a flag system that ultimately failed.

On Offense, the Vortex Football League has instituted a "No-Run" rule meaning that all offensive plays in the VFL must be passing plays. All offensive players are eligible passers so long as they don't break the Line of scrimmage. The VFL requires the Ball to cross the line of scrimmage in the form of a pass; the pass must also be caught at least 5 yards off this same line.

Such actions of an Offside, Pass Interference, Unsportsmanlike conduct and Roughing the Passer all result in a 5 yard Penalty. A pass within 5 yards of the line on offense simply results in a loss of down.

Teams & Players

The VFL works on an individual basis, rather than a team basis.

The league is currently made up of five players, who play together on two separate teams, with one player keeping stats. Each team consists of two players for which indivdual statistics are kept.

Current VFL Players

Each VFL player has stats that are recorded in 3 catgories:- Wins + Losses- Points For- Points Against

The points for and points against represent Team amounts. For Example, if Rusty himself scored 3 touchdowns in a game (15 points) and his team won 17-10, Rusty would receive 17 points for. Rusty's teammate would also receive 17 points even though he scored only 2 points.

Since there are 5 players to choose from with two teams of two being formed for each game, there are many different team combinations. These team combinations make for exciting games as two players will have to develop a chemistry with each other in order to perform well in the games.

The league is very strict in the sense that all players must show up to games and practices on time. The most recent case of this hard-nosed approach was prior to the beginning of the 2008 season. Mega Tatum was suspended for not attending pre-season practices and there is no date currently set for his return.

tandings

2008 VFL Standings

NOTE: Mega Tatum is currently suspended and has not played any games to date [cite web|url=http://geocities.com/vflkitchener/VFL.html|title=Mega Tatum is suspended from league play.]

Notes