A pro football league slated to start play this fall reportedly aims to eventually become a feeder system for the NFL.
The Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) will have six teams, including clubs in the Boston and New York metropolitan areas, when its six-game season kicks off in October, according to The Associated Press. Players will be paid $1,000 per week, per the AP.
FXFL commissioner Brian Woods told the AP that the league’s “long-term goal is to establish a partnership with the NFL, and we feel can do that on many platforms.” Woods told the AP that the FXFL can fill a void by grooming young talent that isn’t quite ready for the NFL or is completely off the NFL’s radar.
According to the AP, the league is slated to play a good number of Wednesday night games. This seems a logical part of the calendar for FXFL to try, with Sunday and Monday belonging to the NFL, Saturday the property of college football and Thursday having NFL and college football action.
The question then turns to the type of talent the FXFL can attract as it starts play. The Canadian Football League and Arena Football League both have footholds as NFL alternatives. Moreover, though the NFL only has a seven-round draft, hundreds of undrafted free agents are signed by clubs in the spring. Also, with practice squads, the NFL already has an in-house developmental system.