China Arena Football League Postpones Super Series II to Spring 2018

China Arena Football League founder Marty Judge announced Wednesday that the league’s second season, which was supposed to kick off in September, will now be played in Spring 2018, around the same time the Arena Football League will play its 31st season.

“Our first season, in the fall of 2016 was a huge success,” Judge said.  “We learned many things from our tour of six great cities.  Since then we have been working hard to put those lessons to work in order to ensure our long-term success. To that end, we have decided to shift our season to next spring, rather than the fall.

“By moving to a spring/summer season, our research shows us that we can better attract the Chinese fans to our arenas, and to our video platforms. This will make our CAFL business model even stronger.”

The main goal in playing the CAFL and AFL at the same time is to eventually lead to a world championship game between the two leagues. Judge is hopeful the game, whenever it takes place, will happen in Beijing, China.

“I have always dreamed of a true World Championship for professional arena football. By moving our CAFL season to the spring, we will mirror the season of the United States AFL, the 30-year established leaders in the sport, which could make that game possible,” Judge said.

In addition to postponing their second season, the league has announced they will also be expanding from six teams to eight. There are already two new teams in the Wuhan Gators and Shenyang Rhinos. Two teams from the first season, the Dalian Dragon Kings and Shenzhen Naja, are no more.

The CAFL’s first season, known as Super Series I, took place from Oct. 1 to Nov. 5, 2016. The Beijing Lions defeated the Qingdao Clipper in China Bowl on a field goal as time expired. Here’s to hoping there’s more of the same in Super Series II.

Second Annual CAFL Draft to be Held July 10

The China Arena Football League has announced that they will hold their second ever draft on Monday, July 10 at 8 p.m. ET. The league told Inside the Arena that they would be holding it this Saturday, June 17, but that is not the case.

“There have been some exciting developments as the CAFL continues to grow in popularity and demand in China since our first official season of play in the Fall of 2016,” Marty Judge, Founder and Chairman of the league and its worldwide operating company, AFL-Global said.  “We will soon be announcing some exciting news to the public, but right now I feel we need the extra time in order for our coaches and internal staff to prepare for the influx of players who continue to make themselves available in our systems from China and all around the world.”

“The CAFL open tryout combines in Beijing, Shanghai and Austin, TX attracted many new players  and we are processing their data into our scouting files to be shared with our coaches ” Darrack Branch, CAFL VP of Football Operations said. “We want to make sure that the best possible players line up with us next season and that our coaches have time to prepare and utilize the information.”

The CAFL played their first season in Oct. 2016. The six teams were the Beijing Lions, Shanghai Skywalkers, Guangzhou Power, Shenzhen Naja and Dalian Dragon Kings and Qingdao Clipper. The Lions defeated the Clipper in China Bowl I, the league championship game, with a field goal as time expired.

In their second season, Super Series II, the Naja and Dragon Kings are not part of it. There are two new teams in the Wuhan Gators and Shenyang Rhinos. Super Series II will kick off on Sept. 29 and China Bowl II will be held on Halloween, Oct. 31.

Top Five Games of Inaugural CAFL Season

5. Beijing Lions vs Shenzhen Naja, Super Series II: Beijing scored the go-ahead touchdown with just 23 seconds left. The Naja had plenty of time to score in arena football standards. However, the Beijing defense stepped up and didn’t allow Shenzhen to reach the end zone in the final seconds.

4. Qingdao Clipper vs Shenzhen Naja, Super Series V: the Clipper were already on their way to China Bowl I, so a win over the Naja, who had lost three in a row, should be easy. However, a Reggie Gray fumble outside the end zone recovered by the Naja with 1:31 left gave Shenzhen the upset win in the final regular season game.

3. Beijing Lions vs Shanghai Skywalkers, Super Series I: it was supposed to be a preview of China Bowl I. It didn’t turn out that way, but this was a great game. Shanghai went for the win trailing in the first ever overtime game in CAFL history. A short pass from Shane Austin to Shaun Kauleinamoku was defended well by James Romain and the potential game-winning two point conversion failed.

2. Shanghai Skywalkers vs Qingdao Clipper, Super Series IV: the Skywalkers were looking like the team to beat this season. Unfortunately, a game-winning field goal as time expired for Qingdao eliminated Shanghai from China Bowl contention. At least the Skywalkers and Clipper gave us a good game, though.

1. Beijing Lions vs Qingdao Clipper, China Bowl I: the China Bowl was no doubt the best game of the inaugural China Arena Football League season. The winning team, the Beijing Lions, kicked a field goal to win the title as time expired. It doesn’t get any better than that.

CAFL Awards Announced

The China Arena Football League has awarded four players different awards. The four awards include offensive MVP, defensive MVP, Steel-man, which is given to the player who’s excelled at different positions, and the Judge Spirit Award, which is given to the player that showed special contribution to the league.

Offensive MVP: Shanghai Skywalkers quarterback Shane Austin: despite struggling early in just about every game, he did bounce back in each game. Austin deserves more credit than he’s been getting. He finished by leading the CAFL in passing yards.

Defensive MVP: Beijing Lions defensive back Torez Jones: Jones was the last player selected to a CAFL roster. He made the most of it, stealing the show with a one-handed interception in the regular season finale against the Guangzhou Power. Now, he is a Defensive MVP and a CAFL All-Star.

Steel-man: Beijing Lions defensive back James Romain: Romain has been the most versatile player in the league. He has recorded four interceptions on defense, he caught nine touchdown passes on offense and returned a couple of kickoffs for touchdowns on special teams. There is nothing Romain can’t do.

Judge Spirit Award: Shanghai Skywalkers wide receiver Mike Washington: Washington is a special wide receiver. He is the best at getting wide open for passes from Austin. He caught 12 touchdowns, most of which were of 25 yards or more, which is big in the CAFL.