THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 10, 1994 TAG: 9409100399
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 133 lines
It looks like the Norfolk Neptunes may be back in business.
The United Football Association, a new summer league featuring 8-on-8 professional football, announced Friday that Norfolk has been awarded one of 19 maiden franchises. The Neptunes, named after the popular minor league football team that played here during the mid-1960s and early '70s, begin play this May in the Northern Division of the American Conference.
Other cities in Norfolk's division are Harrisburg, Pa., Akron, Indianapolis and Madison, Wis.
``We picked Norfolk because of its population and because I have some history with the city,'' United Football Association president Robert Darling said. ``I was stationed at the Pentagon in the late '60s and I used to drive down to see the Neptunes play. I told myself, `This is a pretty good football town,' and I promised myself that if I ever became involved in a football venture, I'd put a team in Norfolk and call it the Neptunes.''
Darling, presently general manager of the Tampa Bay team, said he contacted the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce by letter, received a positive response, then contacted Old Dominion University about the availability of Foreman Field. When the university responded affirmatively, he awarded Norfolk a franchise.
ODU athletic director Jim Jarrett couldn't be reached to confirm whether the university and the UFA have an agreement.
Each league member will be owned by the league, which is being subsidized by a St. Petersburg, Fla., businessman. All personnel, players included, and expenses will be paid by the league.
When, say, the Akron Bulldogs play at Norfolk in the regular season opener on May 27, the Neptunes general manager, Bulldogs general manager and a UFA representative will jointly review and agree on the amount of that night's revenue.
The money will be deposited in a Norfolk bank after the game. The next day, the money will be transferred into the league's bank in St. Petersburg, from which payroll and expense payments will be made for all 19 teams.
``I've seen football leagues come and go, and I know what kind of talent is out there,'' said Darling, whose 5-year study of the United States Football Lague and World League of American Football was the basis for UFA policies. ``There were so many mistakes these leagues made that could have been prevented.''
The team will have a 32-player roster of players earning $2,500 per game, and an 8-man taxi squad earning $1,000 per game.
Darling said that the league and ODU ``have a verbal agreement'' on Foreman Field. He said he will visit Norfolk next month to sign a contract.
At that time, Darling will likewise interview candidates for the job of general manager, which pays $500 per game, plus 2 percent of ticket revenue from home games. He'll also be evaluating players to determine which will be allowed to take part in the two talent combines from which the league will be stocked.
The first combine will be held in November; the next in either January or February, with the draft to follow soon thereafter. Training camp will start in April.
The general manager will be allowed to hire his own coach, though only with league approval. He'll also be allowed to ``protect'' 12 Virginia-area players from the rest of the league on draft day. Those 12 can play only for Norfolk.
Darling said the league has taken out a $1 million liability policy on each of its teams.
The UFA has begun preliminary inquiries into television coverage. MEMO: About the Neptunes The United Football Association is a new summer
league featuring 8-on-8 professional football played outdoors on a
100-yard field.
UFA president Robert Darling says he's had a lifetime dream of
putting a football franchise back in Norfolk and calling it the
Neptunes.
The team will have a 32-player roster of players earning $2,500 per
game, and an 8-man taxi squad earning $1,000 per game.
The league and Old Dominion University have a verbal agreement on the
Neptunes playing their home games at Foreman Field.
UNITED FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION RULES\ Rules for play in the United
Football Association
SCORING
Three downs to make a first down
Seven points for a touchdown
Two points for successful run or pass after touchdown
Three points for a field goal 25 yards or shorter
Four points for a field goal longer than 25 yards
Three points for a safety
PLAYERS & FORMATIONS:
The game is played on a regulation 100-yard field
Eight players are on offense and eight players are on defense
Total roster of 32 active players and eight-man reserve and
injured-reserve roster, activated on a game-by-game basis
Offensive positions - center, right and left guard, right and left
ends, quarterback, two running backs
Five offensive players must be lined up on the line of scrimmage. The
UFA has no offensive tackles
Three defensive players must be down linemen. No penalty for
stunting, blitz twisting, or faking a blitz
Both running backs may go in motion at the same time, and before the
snap of the ball
TIME OF PLAY
Four 20-minute quarters with a 20-minute halftime. Halftimes can be
extended to 30 minutes
The clock will not stop for out-of-bounds plays, except in the last
two minutes of each half. Each time will be allowed three timeouts per
half. There is a 30-second clock between plays.
PASSING
The receiver must have one foot within bounds on the sideline or end
zone while having possession of the ball
KICKING
Kickoffs are used to begin the game and the second half, plus
following touchdowns, field goals and safeties
No kicking of extra points. All must be plays from scrimmage
The kicking team must be at least 5 yards from the receiver fielding
the kick when he touches the ball. If the ball hits the ground, it is a
free ball and can be advanced by either team
No defender may line up and/or rush wider than the offensive end man
on the line of scrimmage when attempting to block a field goal attempt.
Penalty: kicking team regains possession and a first down
Unsuccessful field goals return to the spot of the ball, not the line
of scrimmage
A player receiving a kick in the end zone must attempt to advance the
ball out of the end zone. If the returner is tackled behind the goal
line, the ball is spotted at the 10-yard line. No fair catch or downing
of the ball on any kick
OVERTIME
Overtime will run 10 minutes, with each team getting one possession.
After these possessions, the team ahead wins. If still tied, the next
team to score wins
In the last two minutes of a half, the offensive team cannot ``down''
the ball or it will lose possession by CNB