Arena Football League (or AFL, the professional indoor football league in the USA) has declared a host of partnerships, which are intended to enhance the fan engagement over the next couple of seasons. The prime among the partnerships are the deals with DraftKings, a Boston-based daily fantasy sports contest supplier and the Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN), a premium provider of sports gambling news.
The aim of these deals is to offer an improved interactive experience for the fans. When the output of these deals will realise, the fans will be able to play fantasy sports games based on the league daily and watch live online streaming of the matches and enjoy other types of broadcast.
The most prominent partnership is the one with DraftKings. According to the AFL announcement, DraftKings will be the league’s exclusive daily fantasy partner. The change will be more visible to the fans and players only from the 2019 season. It is expected that DraftKings will introduce an AFL fantasy game and start live streaming of AFL games in their app in 2019.
The partnership with VSiN will be of great interest to betting enthusiasts. AFL does not have huge following at online betting platforms; that could change with the VSiN partnership. The company will be able to provide fans, bettors, and operators with more information and statistics about players, teams, and matches of each week. VSiN will also produce shows ahead of each game and create content focusing on the betting odds of AFL games. The partnerships will be a game-changer for the AFL, particularly if or when the Supreme Court issues a decision that allows states to regulate sports betting.
An article on onlinegambling.com states that: “An agreement with Facebook will see 12 games broadcast live in the United States through Facebook Watch. Those games will also be offered internationally through the AFL page.
The AFL has been in operation for 31 seasons, with as many as 19 teams competing in the league as recently as 2007. Currently, only four teams are participating in the league: The Philadelphia Soul, which has been an AFL staple since 2004, the Baltimore Brigade and Washington Valor, which each joined last season, and the Albany Empire, which is new to the league this year. The four team format is the smallest since the original ‘demonstration season’ for the league in 1987.”
By Niji Narayan
Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.