As a step-by-step routine, there appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary in the way quarterback Verlon Reed went about his play calls on Thursday night for the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles of the Indoor Football League.

With the play clock ticking down, Reed would turn to his coach, William McCarthy, who would then relay a call. After returning to the huddle, Reed would explain to his teammates which of the Screaming Eagles’ 40-plus plays they were going to run. Then it was go.

While that routine was commonplace, the way in which the plays had been decided upon was anything but. The decisions were not coming from McCarthy or an offensive coordinator but rather from the fingertips of fans — some in the crowd at Utah’s Maverik Center, some around the United States and others as far-flung as Australia.

The Screaming Eagles claim to be the first fan-run professional football team in the United States. Using a free mobile app, anyone can vote on nearly all aspects of the new team’s identity and function, including calling offensive and special-teams plays.