Christmas Day Comes For AF2, As Teams Can Now Begin Signing Free Agents

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com – November 1st is the day that all teams in the af2 have been waiting for: the beginning of the free agent signing period. To this point, teams have only been able to offer contracts to players from their team the previous year; they have not been allowed to contact players from other teams. With the addition of several expansion teams and the exit of several others, the demand for talented players with Arena Football experience will be high, and the “race for the ring” begins today.

From its inception, arenafootball2 was designed to introduce players to Arena Football and help them as they make the transition from the outdoor game to the AFL. As a means of insuring that there would be a uniform evolution, it was decided that the af2 would be governed by the same rules as the AFL.

They did not, however, adopt the same salary structure of the parent league. In order to keep the competitive balance and give all teams the same chance of developing players and winning a championship, the af2 instituted a standard player contract. That contract calls for all players to be paid the same amount – regardless of position or pedigree – and put the impetus for building a championship program on individual teams’ coaching staffs ability to evaluate and develop talent.

In coaches Troy Biladeau and Shon King, the Steamwheelers believe they have the right men and the right tools for the job: the two men have a total of 4 af2 championship rings between them. Biladeau won 2 as a coach (Quad City in ’01, Spokane in ’06) and King won 2 as a player (Quad City in ’00, Tulsa in ’03). Coach Biladeau believes that gives him an edge when recruiting players.

“Guys want to play for a winner,” says Biladeau. “In the af2 when a player is considering teams to play for, they look for a program that will help them develop into an AFL player so they can move up to the next level. The best way of getting a good look and a chance to advance is by playing for a winner. Players can look at my rings and see that I’ve been a successful coach, more than once. Guys respond to that, and I think we’ll be able to put together a great team this season.”

Coach Biladeau has a list of the players he would like to pursue, but for now he’s keeping it under wraps. “Well, we all have our ‘wish lists,’ guys that are potential game-breakers that you can build a team around,” he says. “There’s going to be a lot of competition for some of these guys. I don’t want to give away any secrets, so I’ll just say keep an eye on the transaction wire.”