2017 National Arena League season explained
| 2017 NAL season |
| League: | National Arena League |
| Sport: | Indoor American football |
| Duration: | March 17, 2017 – July 8, 2017 |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Season Champs: | Jacksonville Sharks |
| Mvp: | Warren Smith (Lehigh Valley Steelhawks) |
| Playoffs: | Playoffs |
| Conf1: | 1 vs. 4 |
| Conf1 Champ: | Jacksonville Sharks |
| Conf1 Runner-Up: | Monterrey Steel |
| Conf2: | 2 vs. 3 |
| Conf2 Champ: | Columbus Lions |
| Conf2 Runner-Up: | Lehigh Valley Steelhawks |
| Finals: | 2017 NAL Championship |
| Finals Champ: | Jacksonville Sharks |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Columbus Lions |
| Finals Mvp: | Jeremiah Price |
| Seasonslist: | List of National Arena League seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | NAL |
| Nextseason Link: | 2018 National Arena League season |
| Nextseason Year: | 2018 |
The 2017 National Arena League season was the inaugural season of the National Arena League (NAL). Playing with eight teams spread across the eastern and southern United States (with one team in Mexico), the league's regular season kicked off on March 17, 2017, when the Columbus Lions hosted the Jacksonville Sharks and lost 41–56. The regular season ended 14 weeks later on June 17, 2017, with the Sharks hosting the Monterrey Steel and the Lions visiting the Georgia Firebirds. The playoffs were held in two rounds, with the top seed hosting the fourth seed and the second seed hosting the third seed, with the winners of these games facing in the 2017 NAL Championship hosted by the highest remaining seed.[1]
Teams
For 2017, the NAL consisted of eight teams in a single-table format (no divisions or conferences). Four of the teams (Corpus Christi Rage, Dayton Wolfpack, High Country Grizzlies and Monterrey Steel) were playing their inaugural seasons, with three teams (Columbus Lions, Georgia Firebirds, Lehigh Valley Steelhawks) joining from the now-defunct American Indoor Football, and one team (Jacksonville Sharks) joining from the Arena Football League.
Each team was scheduled for 12 games (6 home and 6 away) with 2 bye weeks during the season. However, in order to satisfy their arena contract from their time in AFL, the Jacksonville Sharks were given eight home games, while the Corpus Christi Rage and Dayton Wolfpack were each only given five home games to balance the schedules. This was changed again when the Wolfpack were apparently unable to secure an arena lease, despite announcing they would play at the Nutter Center. Previously signed players reported on social media before the season that all players had been cut from the team, and as of February 20, all their home games were canceled.[2]
Other cancelled games
- The May 20 Firebirds vs. Rage matchup was cancelled by the league, which took ownership of both teams at the time, as they saw no reason to pay for the Firebirds' travel cost for a game between both of their teams.[3]
- The June 16 Grizzles vs. Rage matchup was cancelled by the Rage as a result of the team suspending operations during their scheduled bye week.[4]
Teams
Awards
Individual season awards
1st Team All-NAL
2nd Team All-NAL
[5] [6] See also
Notes and References
- Web site: NAL Announces Inaugural Season Schedule . 2016-12-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220141638/http://www.nationalarenaleague.com/news-m/81-nal-announces-inaugural-season-schedule.html . 2016-12-20 . dead .
- Web site: NAL's Dayton Wolpack set to become a travel only team . Arena Football Talk . February 20, 2017.
- Web site: WEEKLY SPORTS LEAGUE & FRANCHISE REPORT . OurSports Central . May 22, 2017.
- Web site: Harwell. Alan. Another indoor football team bites the dust, Rage calls it quits after going 0-9. KRIStv.com. June 16, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170722202528/http://www.kristv.com/story/35678060/another-indoor-football-team-bites-the-dust-rage-calls-it-quits-after-going-0-9. July 22, 2017. dead. mdy-all.
- Web site: NAL Announces All-NAL Defensive Honors- Sharks and Steel Lead the Way with 12 Selections . July 5, 2017 . National Arena League . www.nationalarenaleague.com . July 5, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170718104559/http://www.nationalarenaleague.com/news-m/301-nal-announces-all-nal-defensive-honors-sharks-and-steel-lead-the-way-with-12-selections.html . July 18, 2017 . dead .
- Web site: 4 COLUMBUS LIONS NAMED TO ALL-NAL OFFENSIVE SQUAD . July 8, 2017 . National Arena League . www.nationalarenaleague.com . July 8, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170708214713/http://www.nationalarenaleague.com/news-m/303-4-columbus-lions-named-to-all-nal-offensive-squad.html . July 8, 2017 . dead .
