Semi-Pro Football: Coming to a Town Near You

In all my years of writing about football, I have always wondered why there haven’t been more semi-professional football leagues created to help satisfy a fan’s need for football as well as a player’s need for football.  Some leagues have been started. Leagues like the XFL try to compete with the NFL and they get fizzled out long before they can get any kind of momentum going. The USFL is another league that has tried to compete but was eventually shut down and lost for good.

Now, slowly, we are starting to see new leagues and teams form across the United States.  These leagues are starting to pop up everywhere now and there are more and more semi- professional football teams everywhere you look.  Some of the leagues that have recently been started include the Cascade Football League and the New England Football League. 

Some of the teams that have been created as a result of the surge in semi-professional football include the Carolina Cougars, the Baltimore Mariners, the Chambersburg Cardinals, and much closer to my home, the Dubuque Bruisers.  These teams have regular schedules, places to play, and championship games just like the NFL, Arena and College Football do.  A majority of the games are well attended and they help satisfy a fan’s craving for football.

From the games that I have witnessed, these contests are just as hard fought as any other football contest in the NFL. These are players that still have an interest in playing football but didn’t have an outlet to do it in until these leagues and teams started popping up all over the country. Now, not only do these guys have a place to play and exhibit their talents, but we as fans have the ability to watch some hardcore down and dirty football. 

I am very excited that these leagues have developed because it gives us all the ability to watch football in a local setting without having to worry about paying a lot of money for a ticket or missing out on our favorite sport.  Don’t worry, these teams come to play as well and they hit hard, play hard and fight for every yard just like you would see in the professional leagues. They have their standouts, they have stars, and they have their personalities. They are just like any other football league.

So if you have a chance, look up local semi professional football teams in your area to see if you have a team close to you. It would definitely be worth the money to go out and see a game.  You never know, you just might want to go see more of these high energy games in the future.