WideRight Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 Rather than continue with my AAFL project, which takes place in the late 80's and early 90's (a project I may add to a little over the next few weeks) I really wanted to focus on more contemporary designs. So, to that end I am starting a dual-location project, with art posted on this site and storyline on Alternate History Sports (https://ahsports.boardhost.com/index.php). The idea is a league that will only sign players who have fewer than 5 years of NFL experience or have left college within the past 5 years. They can remain with the new league for a maximum of 5 seasons as well, sort of like grad school for college football players. They may raid NFL rosters, but they will also hold an annual rookie draft to try to draw in talent that might not be appreciated by the NFL. The league is the Futures Football League, or FFL, for short. They will begin with 12 franchises in Spring of 2021, with an expected mix of NFL cities, large non-NFL cities and strong college football cities. The league will play a spring-summer 14-week season with a late March or early April kickoff and July playoffs. The first 4 franchises announced are: New Jersey (Playing at Red Bull Arena) San Diego (Playing at the new SDSU stadium in 2023, after 2 years playing at Petco Park in downtown SD) Orlando (Playing at Exploria Stadium) Birmingham (Playing at Protective Stadium) Here, with no more ado, are the two logos for the FFL, a full name logo and an acronym logo. Both logos borrow heavily from the logo for Super Bowl XLIII. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLogoFather72 Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 Will you still do aafl? https://nblbaseball.boardhost.com/index.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT Designs Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 Great start! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideRight Posted March 26, 2020 Author Share Posted March 26, 2020 Hey folks, NJ, SD and B'Ham are almost ready to be revealed but I have a question for you about Orlando. Which theme should Orlando use for its identity? 1. Tropical -- sharks, lizards, palm trees, etc. 2. Space Program/NASA 3. Magic/DIsney 4. Something totally different Let me know what you think. I have concepts I could develop for the first 3, but not sure which one to lean towards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJWalker45 Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 16 minutes ago, WideRight said: Hey folks, NJ, SD and B'Ham are almost ready to be revealed but I have a question for you about Orlando. Which theme should Orlando use for its identity? 1. Tropical -- sharks, lizards, palm trees, etc. 2. Space Program/NASA 3. Magic/DIsney 4. Something totally different Let me know what you think. I have concepts I could develop for the first 3, but not sure which one to lean towards. If you have only one team in Florida go tropical. If you have more I'd go with Disney first, then Space Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT Designs Posted March 26, 2020 Share Posted March 26, 2020 I like the sound of Orlando Lizards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMtexan09 Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 Orlando Reptiles FEAR THE FROG! LET'S GO TCU!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian in Boston Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 TERRIFIC league logos! I particularly like the full name logo and its clever use of the goalposts. As for the identity of an Orlando-based team...Orlando Rampage or Orlando Thunder (Something totally different... I'm picturing imagery revolving around a charging rhino.) Orlando Dragons (Magic) Orlando Juice (Tropical) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BengalErnst Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Look forward to this. Been wanting to do an alternate reality XFL where Vince bought out the AAF and merged them. This should further inspire me THE Xtreme Fantasy Football League Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideRight Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 Now announcing the first franchise in the Futures Football League (2021). This is not a new concept from me, but a reworking of a design I created for the AAF last winter. Most of the teams will be new, but there are a few that I created for past projects which are good fits for the new league. In this alternate history league, the XFL and AAF do not exist, but in its stead a group of well-financed owners, led by Mark Cuban, start a league dedicated to young talent, players no more than 5 years out of college (and possibly in year 2 some college juniors). All teams are league-owned, and are led by 2 key figures, a Head Coach and a former player who serves as a professional mentor, helping the young players grow as professionals and as people. The league will play in smaller stadiums (20k-50k max) and will play a March-July 14 week schedule. More info to come on the Alt History page I cited in the first post. As announced earlier, the first 4 franchises of the 12 to play in 2021 are New Jersey, Orlando, Birmingham and San Diego. And here is the first of the 4, logo first, then a full logo and uniform sheet. Here is your San Diego franchise: SAN DIEGO SURF Head Coach: Eric Bieniemy Mentor: Antonio Gates Stadium: SDCCU Stadium (2021 only), Aztec Stadium (35,000, opening in 2022) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideRight Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 And here are the full logo & uniform sheets for the Surf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blindsay Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 This reminds me of the Golden Bay Sharks..... they affiliated? Im an isles,rangers,devils,Sabres,Yankees,Mets,Braves,hawks,knicks,nets,bills,giants,falcons,and jets fan. So? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideRight Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Blindsay said: This reminds me of the Golden Bay Sharks..... they affiliated? Not really. This is an idea I have had for a long time and keep modifying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideRight Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 The second FFL franchise will call Birmingham, Alabama home. They will play one season in Legion Field before moving into the brand new Protective Stadium, which will still be the largest stadium in the league, a tribute to the diehard football culture of the Deep South. Birmingham wanted to go with a blue collar ethos, and wanted a brand that would depict hard work, old school, in the mud, smashmouth football. Did they succeed? BIRMINGHAM BULLDOZERS Head Coach: Leslie Frazer Mentor: Karlos Dansby Stadium: (Legion Field (2021 only), Protective Stadium (45,000) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideRight Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 And here are the Logo and Uniform guides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 3 hours ago, WideRight said: Not really. This is an idea I have had for a long time and keep modifying. I remember the LA LandSharks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideRight Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 11 hours ago, rjrrzube said: I remember the LA LandSharks! They are still a franchise in my 34 year old fantasy league. There were 7 teams that relocated this year (after nearly a decade with no change) but the LandSharks remain in LA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideRight Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 The FFL's 3rd announced franchise is in Orlando, Florida. Welcome the Orlando Explorers. Rather than a Spanish conquistador image, Orlando will link in with NASA and the Space Coast, with their space shuttle imagery, use of NASA flightsuit orange and several partnership tie ins with the space industry of central Florida. The team, in a league focused on the future, is clearly hoping that a focus on space and exploration will fire the imagination of its fanbase. Playing in Exploria Stadium only adds to the choice of identity. ORLANDO EXPLORERS Head Coach: Former Illinois, Chicago and Tampa coach Lovie Smith Pro Mentor: Former U. of Miami, Niner, Dolphin and Bills RB Frank Gore Stadium: Exploria Stadium (25,500) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WideRight Posted March 29, 2020 Author Share Posted March 29, 2020 4th Franchise of FFL Revealed: New Jersey goes Old School (and may face litigation) with the New Jersey G-Men Sporting black, silver and royal uniforms, and a logo which feels more "Untouchables" than modern law enforcement, the G-Men are taking a chance. Well, two chances really. They are counting on the fact that the New York Giants have never officially trademarked "G-Men" as a nickname for their team, and they are counting on the mystique and allure of everything from 1920's prohibition era lawmen to Men in Black. The logo features an agent prominently displaying a NJ badge, while the uniforms use a subtle blue pinstripe motif (in the numbers, side panels, pant striping, etc.) to enhance a largely black and silver look. Whether this gambit will pay off for the FFL is up in the air, but as looks go, it may just work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCarp1231 Posted March 29, 2020 Share Posted March 29, 2020 Helmet logo should be the secondary. Otherwise a good look and different take on the Explorers name! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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