Fan Controlled Football

The idea, then known as Project Fanchise, was covered by The New York Times with the business concept of a fan-controlled baseball team in 2008, but was written as satirical piece by comedian Steve Hofstetter.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/sports/16cheer.html?_r=5&st=cse&sq=%2522Project%2bFranchise%2522&scp=1&oref=slogin&oref=slog | work=The New York Times | title=The Ultimate Fan Fantasy: Owning a Piece of the Rock | first=Steve | last=Hofstetter | date=March 16, 2008}} At the time, the project was just a website created by Grant Cohen with investors consisting of lawyers such as Joe Scura. In 2010, a GOOD Magazine article described the group's business plan, including asking fans to invest in creating or purchasing a minor league baseball team to become publicly owned and operated.{{Cite web|last=Swaminathan |first=Nikhil |url=http://www.good.is/post/go_team |title=Go Team - Issue 012 - GOOD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126134444/http://www.good.is/post/go_team |publisher=Good.is |date=2008-08-07 |access-date=2010-09-02 |archive-date=November 26, 2010}} The project ultimately failed when purchasing an existing team proved to carry too much debt.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/a-tech-startup-plans-a-revolution-with-the-first-fan-run-sports-franchise/|title=A tech startup plans a revolution with the first fan-run sports franchise|newspaper=CBSSports.com|access-date=2017-01-02}} In June 2015, an Arena Football League team minority owner, Sohrob Farudi, read about the dead project and contacted Cohen about restarting the concept as Project Fanchise.

In April 2016, Project Fanchise purchased an expansion team in the Indoor Football League for the 2017 season. The group created a mobile app for subscribed fans to vote on naming the team, chose its colors, and hire a coach before the season started. The team became the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles, and when the team began to play, the fans chose plays for the team to run.{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/06/06/project-fanchise-indoor-football-league-fans |title=Project FANchise: Behind the fan-run football team |last=Flynn |first=Erin |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=June 6, 2016 |access-date=January 2, 2017}} The experience successfully proved the concept of fans controlling the team, but it did not equate to success on the field finishing with a 5–11 record. Fanchise had also acquired the Colorado Crush just prior to the start of the season but did not implement the system at that time. On April 20, 2017, The Wall Street Journal reported that Project Fanchise was planning on launching a new league called the "Interactive Football League".{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-football-video-games-can-get-more-realistic-real-humans-1492713713 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421071903/https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-football-video-games-can-get-more-realistic-real-humans-1492713713 |title=How Can Football Video Games Get More Realistic? Real Humans |website=The Wall Street Journal |date=April 17, 2017 |archive-date=April 21, 2017}} Project Fanchise CEO Sohrob Farudi confirmed that the Screaming Eagles and Crush would finish the 2017 season.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2019/10/16/feature/are-you-ready-for-some-fan-controlled-football/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016232712/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2019/10/16/feature/are-you-ready-for-some-fan-controlled-football/ |title=Are You Ready for Some (Fan-Controlled) Football? |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 16, 2019 |archive-date=October 16, 2019}} Project Fanchise folded both teams after the season and began the process to create the new league.

After a few months of being known as the Interactive Football League, it rebranded as the Electronic Football League (eFL),{{cite web |url=https://medium.com/@ElectronicFootballLeague/hello-world-introducing-the-efl-and-the-fan-token-7ec6305f7c8b |title=Hello World – Introducing the eFL and the FAN Token |publisher=Electronic Football League |date=October 11, 2017}} before settling on Fan Controlled Football in November 2017. The league planned to play all of its games in only one city with eight new teams. All games would be played in one location, Las Vegas, with fans calling plays while watching on-line via Twitch. The initial start date was for the 2018 season but was postponed. It has since garnered the backing of professional athletes including former and current NFL players Chad Johnson, Marshawn Lynch, and Richard Sherman.{{cite web |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2823696-chad-johnson-joins-marshawn-lynch-richard-sherman-in-fcfl-as-a-team-owner |title=Chad Johnson Joins Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman in FCFL as a Team Owner |author=Rob Goldberg |website=Bleacher Report |date=March 6, 2019}} The league then gained backing by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Verizon Ventures, Correlation Ventures, Basecamp 2, Next10 Ventures, Bleacher Report co-founder Dave Finnocchio and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian{{Cite web|url=https://frontofficesports.com/fcf-austin-ekeler-ownership/|title=Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler is now a team owner in the Fan Controlled Football League|date=19 November 2020}} and additional team owners including Mike Tyson, Miro, Trevor May, Quavo,{{Cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/quavo-announced-newest-investor-fan-220541013.html|title=Quavo Announced as Newest Investor of Fan Controlled Football|date=September 22, 2020|website=Yahoo Sports}} Greg Miller, Deestroying, and Bob Menery.{{Cite web|url=https://www.prosportsextra.com/i-blinked-and-now-bob-menery-owns-a-football-team-bobmenery/|title=I Blinked And Now Bob Menery Owns A Football Team |date=December 18, 2020|website=Pro Sports Extra}} In 2020, the league had re-branded once again as Fan Controlled Football (FCF).

{{Main|2021 Fan Controlled Football season}}

The league began its inaugural season in February 2021. The FCF began play on February 13, 2021, with four teams competing in a 12-game-format over six weeks. The league uses Internet streaming as its main television platform and is streamed on Twitch and VENN on Saturdays, with reruns on FTF; the league championship is carried on the digital subchannel network LX. The FCF saw a steady increase in its viewership through its first five weeks, from 735,000 in the first week to 2.1 million in the playoffs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportico.com/leagues/other-sports/2021/fan-controlled-football-league-1234625240/|title=Fan Controlled Football League Sees Growth, Eyes Expansion in Year Two|first=Randall|last=Williams|date=March 19, 2021}} John Jenkins and Shawn Liotta served as coaching consultants for the league, with Jenkins having a prominent on-air role during FCF telecasts.{{Cite web|url=https://www.yourerie.com/digital-first/digital-exclusive/digital-exclusive-fan-controlled-football/|title=Digital Exclusive- Local coach helps bring interactive football to fans|date=31 January 2021}}

The Wild Aces beat the Glacier Boyz 46–40 in the final, named the People's Championship as voted by the fans, on March 20, 2021. At the end of the 2021 season, Farudi stated that the league planned to play two seasons a year, one in the spring and one in the fall,{{Cite web|title=Details on FCF Season v2.0!|url=https://fcfownersbox.com/posts/details-on-fcf-season-v20|access-date=2021-03-22|website=FCF Owners Box|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322131921/https://fcfownersbox.com/posts/details-on-fcf-season-v20|url-status=dead}} and was planning to expand to 20 teams by year five.{{Cite web|title=Fan Controlled Football League Sees Growth, Eyes Expansion in Year Two|date=19 March 2021|url=https://www.sportico.com/leagues/other-sports/2021/fan-controlled-football-league-1234625240/}}

{{Main|2022 Fan Controlled Football season}}

The FCF's second season, nicknamed "Season v.2.0" by the league, was scheduled to begin in fall 2021{{Cite web|title=Details on FCF Season v2.0!|url=https://fcfownersbox.com/posts/details-on-fcf-season-v20|access-date=2021-10-21|website=FCF Owners Box|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322131921/https://fcfownersbox.com/posts/details-on-fcf-season-v20|url-status=dead}} but was postponed to Spring 2022 to follow after the NFL's Super Bowl.{{Cite web|date=2021-10-07|title=Fan Controlled Football returning for 2nd season, has deal with NBCLX|url=https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/2021/10/07/fan-controlled-football-returning-for-2nd-season-has-deal-with-nbclx-hold/|access-date=2021-10-21|website=Touchdown Wire|language=en-US|author=Werner, Barry}} The league announced they were expanding to eight teams for the 2022 season and announced a new broadcast deal with NBCUniversal subsidiary NBCLX and Peacock to broadcast every game of the 2022 season.{{Cite web|title=Fan Controlled Football Prepares for Second Season With More Teams, Linear Distribution|date=7 October 2021|url=https://www.sportico.com/business/media/2021/fan-controlled-football-nbclx-tv-streaming-1234643417/|access-date=2021-10-07|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=FCF is Back for Season v2.0 – FCF NEWS|url=https://news.fcf.io/2021/fcf-is-back-for-season-v2-0/|access-date=2021-10-21|language=en-US}} In October 2021, the FCF announced the Ballerz Collective and two of the four expansion teams, Team KoD and Team 8oki, later to be given names.{{Cite web|title=FCF Unveils the Ballerz Collective – FCF NEWS|url=https://news.fcf.io/2021/fcf-unveils-the-ballerz-collective/|access-date=2021-10-21|language=en-US}} The final two expansion teams were announced on January 12, 2022, Team Gutter Cats, and Team Bored Apes, also later to be given names. The defending champion Wild Aces reorganized and rebranded as the Shoulda Been Stars following the departure of one of its co-owners.

On January 12, 2022, the FCF announced a $40 million investment, led by Animoca Brands and Delphi Digital, for spectator-controlled football games.{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2022/01/12/fan-controlled-football-raises-40m-for-specator-controlled-football-games/|title = Fan Controlled Football raises $40M for spectator-controlled football games|date = 12 January 2022}} Ahead of the 2022 season, the league began construction on a 1,500-seat arena at Pullman Yard in Atlanta, Georgia.{{cite news|last=Rachuk|first=Stephan|url=https://xflnewsroom.com/press-release/fcf-announces-historic-pullman-yards-as-new-official-venue-for-season-v2-0/|title=PR: Fan Controlled Football Announces Historic Pullman Yards as New Official Venue for Season v2.0|publisher=XFL Newsroom|date=February 2, 2022|access-date=April 26, 2022}} The second season, dubbed "Season v2.0", began on April 16, thus putting FCF in direct competition with the 2022 USFL season that launched on the same night.{{Cite tweet|user=fcflio|number=1479228758230208515|title=ONE HUNDRED DAYS}}{{Cite web|url=https://xflnewsroom.com/usfl/usfl-officially-selling-tickets-for-inaugural-game-starting-at-10/|title = USFL Officially Selling Tickets for Inaugural Game, Starting at $10|date = 25 January 2022}} Before the start of the season, it was announced that Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, age 48, will come out of retirement to play for the Zappers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.tmz.com/2022/04/06/terrell-owens-to-joing-fcf-fan-controlled-football-league-nfl/|title = Terrell Owens Officially Returning To Football Field, Joins FCF|date = 6 April 2022}} He would later be traded to the Knights of Degen.{{Cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/terrell-owens-who-is-48-just-got-traded-in-the-fan-controlled-football-league-144653669.html|title = Terrell Owens — who is 48 — just got traded in the Fan Controlled Football league|date = 12 May 2022}} On May 20, it was reported that Michael Vick will join him in the league,{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/exclusive-american-football-former-nfl-quarterback-vick-coming-out-retirement-2022-05-20|title = Exclusive: Former NFL quarterback Vick coming out of retirement| newspaper=Reuters |date = 20 May 2022 | last1=Pingue | first1=Frank }} but he later denied those rumors.{{Cite web|title=Former NFL QB Michael Vick Shoots Down FCF Rumors, Says He Will Stay Retired|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10036576-former-nfl-qb-michael-vick-shoots-down-fcf-rumors-says-he-will-stay-retired|website=Bleacher Report|language=en-US}} In the championship game the Zappers would beat the Bored Ape FC to win the 2022 FCF Championship.

In February 2023 the league announced the postponement of the 2023 season with intent of adapting the Fan Controlled concept to basketball.{{Cite web|title=Fan Controlled Sports Announces Changes To 2023 Schedule, FCF Moves To Fall of 2023|url=https://xflnewshub.com/alt-football/fan-controlled-football/fan-controlled-sports-announces-changes-to-2023-schedule-fcf-moves-to-fall-of-2023/|website=xflnewshub.com|date=9 February 2023 |language=en-US}} In June, Farudi granted an interview to Sports Business Journal stating that it was pausing the league for the time being due to a loss of capital funding that hit the company in late 2022, as most of its funding was tied to the cryptocurrency bubble; the company will remain active as Fan Controlled Sports & Entertainment with the intention of licensing their intellectual property and technology to other leagues, in the hopes that the league could be revived if buyers could be found for each of the league's eight teams. Farudi noted that he had brought on Jerry Kurz, a former Arena Football League executive, to lead the efforts to find franchise owners.{{Cite web|title=Operator of Fan Controlled Football League plans to license software and move to franchise model|url=https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2023/06/19/Upfront/fan-controlled-football-league.aspx|website=xflnewshub.com|date=19 June 2023 |language=en-US}} Kurz had returned to the AFL by June 2024, before such owners could be found.{{Cite web |last=Chetty |first=Chris |date=2024-06-04 |title=Jerry Kurz Joins Arena Football League as General Counsel and Senior Advisor of Player Operations |url=https://theafl.com/jerry-kurz-joins-arena-football-league-as-general-counsel-and-senior-advisor-of-player-operations/ |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Arena Football League |language=en}}

In December 2023, it was reported that the league plans to return in 2024. This time the FCF plans to play in several locations, with six-to-eight teams for the v3.0 Season, and aim to expand to 20 teams within the next five years. According to the report, a formal announcement was to be expected in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, but that never materialized.

Source:{{Cite web|url=https://www.fcf.io/how-it-works|title = Fan Controlled Football is where FANS call the shots}}

• Games consist of two 20-minute halves, with the league aiming to complete each game in approximately one hour. There is a 6-minute halftime interval. The clock runs continuously except in the final 30 seconds of each half and overtime, when the clock stops after each play. There is a 10-minute overtime period in case of a tie; each team getting one possession to start the period. The winner is the team leading after one possession; it's sudden death thereafter.
• Rock, paper, scissors replaces the coin toss.
• Seven players play on each side of the ball, with three men on the offensive line. (This is less than Arena Football's 8 players on each side of the ball.)
• Each team has one timeout. Teams have access to three "power-ups:" a fifth down (giving an offensive team an extra play to avoid a turnover on downs), Flip the Field (moving the ball back to the offensive team's 10-yard line), or a power play (which forces the opposing team to play the next play with only six players).
• There is no kicking or punting. All offensive possessions that do not result from turnovers begin on the 10-yard line.
• The FCF uses the onside conversion option introduced in the Alliance of American Football. A team may attempt one play to gain ten yards from their own 10-yard line to retain possession. Through most of the season, teams could use the rule after any touchdown; after a team attempted to abuse the rule in a week 4 contest, it was revised so that only a trailing team could use the onside conversion.
• The two-point conversion is played one on one between a wide receiver and a defensive back from the five-yard line, with the quarterback having 3.5 seconds to throw the football. There is a one-point conversion option where the ball is placed at the ten-yard line.
• Team rosters are reset and dispersed every week in a draft, with the exception of two players who are given a franchise tag and remain on a team's roster throughout the season. Defensive and offensive lines are drafted as groups and play together through the entire season to improve team chemistry and quality of play. Franchise-tagged players can be traded only with supermajority approval in a fan vote.{{Cite web |last=Gavin |first=Mike |date=May 11, 2022 |title=T.O. traded in Fan Controlled Football after fans approve deal |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/terrell-owens-traded-fan-controlled-football-after-fans-approve-deal |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=NBC Sports Bay Area |language=en}}
• The backup quarterback on each squad must play at least one possession for every two that the starting quarterback plays, unless one of the two is injured. This rule has been dropped after the first season.
• Fans vote on all offensive plays in real time and decide the outcomes of instant replay reviews.
• Teams are split into two divisions, the OGs and the Ballerz, playing every division rival twice, along with one nondivisional matchup per season. The top two teams from each division make the playoffs.

{{reflist|30em}}

• [https://fcf.io/ Official website]

{{American football in the United States}}

{{Professional American football leagues}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2017 establishments in the United States

Category:Indoor American football leagues in the United States

Category:Sports leagues established in 2017