The FXFL or Fall Experimental Football League is set to start play this October with 6 teams comprised of 40-man rosters. The creators or the league hope that it will eventually become a developmental option for players looking to gain experience and exposure with the goal of making it in the NFL.
“Given the current Division I landscape in football and the collective bargaining agreement the NFL has with the union, there is more than ever a need for another platform out there,” says Brian Woods, the FXFL commissioner. “A platform like for basketball and baseball players.
“Pro football has nothing. The NFL has the practice squad, but it does not develop players because they don’t get into games. You don’t develop if you aren’t getting on the field.”
“Our long-term goal is to establish a partnership with the NFL,” Woods says, “and we feel can do that on many platforms. It would give them a way to work with younger players that they don’t currently have. We can help them train prospective NFL officials — in the NBA, every referee entering the league (in recent years) comes from NBA Developmental League.
“We can be a testing ground for proposed rules, too.”
The FXFL will look to have players that are no more than two years removed from their college playing careers and haven’t ruled out allowing underclassmen and high school athletes to participate.
“We are not ruling out the possibility of working with players who have hardships,” he said. “We’ll look at it on case-by-case basis. There might even be a situation for a player right out of high school who might not want to go to college.”
Most FXFL games will be played on Wednesday, as not to interfere with the NFL or college football and league participants will make $1,000 a week.
I think this is a novel idea, but we will see how long it lasts. To me it’s longevity will be based solely on if the FXFL is able to form an official partnership with the NFL. Either way, for as long as it is around it will allow young men to continue to pursue their dreams while earning money.