Semi-Pro Football News Magazine Coming Soon!

May 19, 2004 -- The American Football Association, the national association for semi-pro football teams and leagues across the country, has recently contracted with InVision Publishing Company, Inc. to produce a monthly sports publication geared exclusively at the semi-pro level of the sport.

The American Football News (AFN) will be a tabloid-sized news/magazine fashioned after that of the Pro Football Weekly (PFW) newspaper. While PFW is considered by those in the know to be the informational `bible' of the NFL, the AFN is hoping to capture that same kind of fan and participant following from those who are dedicated to the American Football Association and their "Semi-Pro and Proud" movement.

The 32 page inaugural issue of AFN will roll off the presses during the second week in June `04 and will contain feature stories about semi-pro football news makers and record breakers from coast-to-coast. The June cover will have a full color photo of AFA Semi-Pro Football Hall of Famer, Eric Swann, and a story on how Swann became an NFL `first round' draft choice with the Arizona Cardinals . . . without ever playing a down of college football.

Another story, headlined `They Weren't Always in the NFL' - gives some accounting of the number of players, coaches and front office people who over the years were able to make that big jump from the `semi-pro's to the pros'. The sub head to that story reads: "Yes you can get `there' from here . . . but it isn't easy"! Something every semi-pro player in the world can attest to.

While AFN will help promote the many events sponsored or sanctioned by the AFA through the long semi-pro football season, its main function will be to bring `awareness' to those players, coaches, executives, trainers, equipment managers, officials, and team/league administrators - who toil in the obscurity of the semi-pro football venues both in the United States - and internationally as well.

Updated league standings, national `power ratings', AFA `Player of the Month' (offense and defense) awards, top performer stories, player transactions, even a monthly semi-pro football crossword puzzle and cartoon will all be regular items found on the pages of the American Football News.

Special columns reporting on the activities of the AFA National Semi-Pro Football Coaches Assn., AFA Players Assn., AFA Officials Assn., AFA Alumni Club and the annual AFA Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will also live on the printed pages of the American Football News.

Inasmuch as the American Football Association is in its 25th year of operation and is a 501(c)(3) public/tax exempt non-profit corporation - it is required to register its semi-pro teams and leagues as `senior amateur'. As such, the AFA qualifies for special tax-exempt benefits in order to service its members worldwide. Part of this year's awareness program will find the AFA explaining to the football world via AFN – that the semi-pro level of the sport is `more' than just a hundred year old lower level (of the great American game) - with no purpose or guidance.

AFN readers will be amazed to learn that there are more than 600 semi-pro teams playing in 60 different leagues coast-to-coast. And, that those teams and leagues provide playing venues for over 50,000 active players, coaches, executives, etc. on an annual basis.

The AFN publishers are also hoping to impress many of the half million or so former (and retired) semi-pro'ers who qualify to be listed in the American Football Association's history books as Semi-Pro Football Alumni. "Getting the Alumni Back in the Game" will be the name of a future feature story designed to attract retired players, coaches and administrators to help support our current crop of dedicated footballers in promoting their teams to their local communities. You'd be amazed at the number of local businessmen, entertainers, civic leaders, NFL and Arena Football League staffers, etc., who qualify for semi-pro football alumni status.

The national association will be encouraging their member teams to order extra copies of the AFN each month in order to circulate them to their local news media and community leaders - to show them the sport of semi-pro football is actually better organized on the national level then they may have previously thought. And, that their local teams are a part of the fastest growing sports industry in the country today, adult amateur (semi-pro) football. "Semi-Pro and Proud" is no longer just the AFA's slogan - "It's a sports movement"!

For Rate Card, Click http://www.kmfdesign.com/cbs/afn/ratecard.asp

Click http://www.eteamz.com/americanfootballassn/files/Comingyourwaysoon-team.pdf for our flyer

The AFA Media Guide order form can be downloaded by clicking
http://www.eteamz.com/americanfootballassn/files/MediaGuideOrderForm2.pdf

Media - contact Dave Burch at AFA National Office
(877) 624-4485 or (941) 388-3510
(e-mail) amerfoot@aol.com (or) usafoot@aol.com
(website) http://www.americanfootballassn.com/





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