-- The Virginia Kings -- Minor League Football

Minor League or Semi-Pro?
The terms are often linked, and are interchangeable in many conversations, but what is the real difference? Confusion abounds and it is a tough nut to crack, but we are slowly changing the emphasis off of semi-pro and onto Minor League. The level of sport that is most often associated with the term “semi-pro” would be the teams that pay players to play for their team, but are not at the Professional level. Higher profile examples would be A, AA or AAA baseball, AFL or AF2 and the ABA. There are more examples at a lower level for all sports, but the common thread is that they pay their players to play on their teams. The term “Minor League” is most commonly associated with amateur athletics. Players on these teams are able to maintain their college eligibility or make the jump to a semi-pro team at the next level. In hockey, the Junior Leagues are considered Minor-League because the players maintain their college eligibility. Look at many college hockey teams and you will see Freshmen that are 21 and 22 years old. At the same time you see professional players that are 18 and 19 that have played Junior League for 2 years before being moved up. The benefit being that they can keep their options open by playing in the Juniors. The NAFL is one of the Minor League systems that maintains this status. Recognized by both the NCAA and the NFL as an Adult Amateur organization, players enjoy the unique situation of maintaining college eligibility while gaining experience that could get them noticed at the Professional and Semi-Professional levels. There are many examples of players from NAFL teams that have signed professional and semi-professional contracts. Hundreds each year play in the various arena leagues, while there are others who have played in Europe, Canada or even the NFL. On the flip side of that are the players who enroll in college and play for their respective institutions. Few players and even fewer College Coaches understand that the NAFL is an amateur organization. The Players do not get paid, and by design maintain their amateur status. The NAFL has been, from the beginning, organized as an Adult Amateur League, with the express purpose of promoting the game of football and helping players to reach the next level of competition, be it College, semi-pro or Professional; whichever level the players aspire to. As the NAFL moves forward, we will continue to maintain our status as a Minor League organization, and promote our players as the best Adult Amateur football players in the world. Our goal will be to raise the level of Minor League Football to become a viable option for non-traditional and “Special Situation” athletes, who desire nothing more than a chance to make their mark in the sport they love. Source www.nafl.org

Minor League or Semi-Pro?

The terms are often linked, and are interchangeable in many conversations, but what is the real difference? Confusion abounds and it is a tough nut to crack, but we are slowly changing the emphasis off of semi-pro and onto Minor League.

The level of sport that is most often associated with the term “semi-pro” would be the teams that pay players to play for their team, but are not at the Professional level. Higher profile examples would be A, AA or AAA baseball, AFL or AF2 and the ABA. There are more examples at a lower level for all sports, but the common thread is that they pay their players to play on their teams.

The term “Minor League” is most commonly associated with amateur athletics. Players on these teams are able to maintain their college eligibility or make the jump to a semi-pro team at the next level. In hockey, the Junior Leagues are considered Minor-League because the players maintain their college eligibility. Look at many college hockey teams and you will see Freshmen that are 21 and 22 years old. At the same time you see professional players that are 18 and 19 that have played Junior League for 2 years before being moved up. The benefit being that they can keep their options open by playing in the Juniors.

The NAFL is one of the Minor League systems that maintains this status. Recognized by both the NCAA and the NFL as an Adult Amateur organization, players enjoy the unique situation of maintaining college eligibility while gaining experience that could get them noticed at the Professional and Semi-Professional levels. There are many examples of players from NAFL teams that have signed professional and semi-professional contracts. Hundreds each year play in the various arena leagues, while there are others who have played in Europe, Canada or even the NFL.

On the flip side of that are the players who enroll in college and play for their respective institutions. Few players and even fewer College Coaches understand that the NAFL is an amateur organization. The Players do not get paid, and by design maintain their amateur status. The NAFL has been, from the beginning, organized as an Adult Amateur League, with the express purpose of promoting the game of football and helping players to reach the next level of competition, be it College, semi-pro or Professional; whichever level the players aspire to.

As the NAFL moves forward, we will continue to maintain our status as a Minor League organization, and promote our players as the best Adult Amateur football players in the world. Our goal will be to raise the level of Minor League Football to become a viable option for non-traditional and “Special Situation” athletes, who desire nothing more than a chance to make their mark in the sport they love.

Source www.nafl.org