American Football began in the early 1900’s. There were many leagues scattered around the Eastern seaboard and the central states around the hard-working great lakes. Leagues such as the initial National Football league, (1902-1903, 1917), Ohio Independent Championship (1903-1916), and the New York Pro Football League (1903-1919) were some of the pioneering leagues to blaze the trails leading to what we know as professional American Football today.Today there are really only two, maybe three real professional outdoor football leagues, the National Football League (NFL), The Canadian Football league (CFL), and the Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional (LFAP). The NFL is arguably the powerhouse of the three leagues. But in the past there have been Davids to challenge the supremacy of the NFL Goliath. Most notably the American Football League of the 1960s.The AFL was started as many of us know to challenge the NFL for viewership and of course monetary reward. The founder of the initial 8 teams felt they could put a product on the field that would be innovative, creative and fun to watch. Given that they were the most successful rival for the NFL, and eventually merged with the NFL, once could argue they were correct.Today, we have the possibility of watching a new league rise. One that says it is not looking to directly challenge the NFL, but to compliment it. The Alliance of American Football ( AAF ) will blow it’s first whistle in February of 2019. I almost said have it’s initial kick off, but that wont happen, but I get ahead of myself, so more on that later.The AAF has two conferences, Eastern and of course Northern… I was just seeing if you are paying attention… Western, the other conference is the Wester Conference. Each will have four teams. They are:No one knows what exactly to expect from the AAF. New leagues have cropped up from time to time. Most such as the recent XFL, the league started by WWE head man Vince McMahon. It started and just as quickly shut down again. Now it is expected to start up again in 2020. The AAF though seems to be doing things in a logical method. They seem to have solid backing and a good business plan. One thing that I personally like, is they are letting football people run the football side of the operation. I don’t know about you, and this article is not about them, but I get sick of seeing non-football people ruin good football organizations in the NFL.The AAF is not afraid of trying to do things in their own way either. Much like the AFL did back in the day. They have new rule that could really change the look of the game. Notably:a) The kicker is an endangered species in the AAF. There will be no point after kicks, no kick offs. Teams will have to go for 2 point conversions after scoring a touchdown.b) As mentioned above, NO KICK OFFS. Each team will start at their 25 yard line.c) Teams can try to maintain possession of the ball by attempting a scrimmage play from their own 35-yard line. If they make 10 yards they can maintain possession. (Not sure how this will play out, will have to see it, it sounds confusing to me as it is written at this time.)d) There will be fewer television commercials. The league will have no television timeouts like the NFL has. The AAF’s goal is to have a game that goes about 150 minutes.e) The play clock will run only 30 seconds.f) Each coach will have 2 challenges. That is it. No more, no less. No challenges in the last two minutes of any half, none in overtime.g) Safety protocols will be handled by outside (non-AAF) organizations.h) No games can end in a tie.i) Playoff will consist of the two best teams from each conference.j) Passing rules will be the same as NCAA and the CFL. One foot in bounds constitutes a catch.Those rules could lead to a score happy league, and whether you ling the bind and grind of a good defensive battle or the soar and score of a pass happy contest, we all know that flashy offense gets more people to sit up and cheer.Another change will be how the AAF picks it’s talent. One interesting innovation will be that each team can choose to pick a Quarterback (QB) or protect one.“From combines held over the summer, to our upcoming quarterback camp in San Antonio, our experienced group of GM’s and scouts from each team continue to be impressed with the level of talent on display and available to them,” said Bill Polian, co-founder and head of football, The Alliance. “Our regional allocation system and the ‘Protect or Pick’ draft format were designed to strike a competitive balance across the league and fuel local market interest. The quarterback position is critical to a team’s success, so we knew the importance of making sure each Alliance team had a top-tier quarterback at the helm. We’re confident this group represents the best available players in the market. They are looking forward to the opportunity to begin, extend or revitalize their professional careers, and we’re going to do everything in our power to help them succeed on and off the field.”The AAF teams will have local areas allocated to them that they can draft from. A team can decide to protect a QB in that area, basically making them their number one pick. If a team decides to pick, all other teams will get a chance to protect their QB. Teams that choose not to protect a QB can then pick players from the remaining player pool, in any region.The AAF draft will be four rounds. Teams will consist of 50 players. I don’t know about you but I for one hope this new league is successful and stays around for a while. Having more football is always a good thing says the football junkie in me. Having a league that could lead to changes in the game at large (read NFL) would be something else I would root for.Now I am just a bit torn. My nephew was a firefighter, who gave his life fighting the Thomas fire. So, the Arizona hot Shots have a real attraction for me. The crossed fire axes speak to me on an emotional level. Both of my sons serve in the United States Navy, so the Fleet seems like a natural fit. Maybe a 1st and 2nd team sort of thing… Fleet, and Hot shots.From the perspective of an non-native person who has lived near San Diego for most of his adult life, I am happy that the people of San Diego will have a team to root for, after the family which will not be named, fled the Sandy Beaches of San Diego for the paved canyons of Costa Mesa. The people of San Diego deserve a team, and it will be nice to see the Murph rocking and rolling while football bombs fly.Here’s to hoping that the new league is not only entertaining, but successful. Something we can watch grow and evolve into something we can share with our children and grandchildren.Welcome AAF, make yourself at home.