Cozy Confines Part Of Charm
Indoor game's charms not limited to Smaller Arena.

Every game is indoors with eight players on the field per team. The field is 50 yards long and those are hardly the only differences between the Arena Football League and the NFL.

" The Arena football player is a different kind of player," said Ron Jaworski, leader of a group that is close to bringing a franchise to Philadelphia. " He's got to be an athletic guy because six of the eight players have to play both ways. The quarterback and the offensive specialist come out and two defenders come in. Basically, six of the eight guys are Chuck Bednarik."

With 24 players active for games, the roster is 28 deep. A 60 minute long game that has a running clock for all but the last minute of each half, an Arena game lasts about 2 hours, some 30 minutes less than its NFL counterpart.

Another twist is that nets hang behind each end zone and ball that carom off the nets are in play, be they kicks or forward passes.

Some similarities are that the teams have four downs to gain 10 yards for a first down and touchdowns are six points, extra points one. There are also two-point conversions and field goals.

Every team plays in confines more cozy than NFL stadiums and the league's average attendance is about 10,000. With smaller facilities it does allow fans to be physically much closer than they would ever be at an NFL game.

" Playing indoors is definitely more comfortable for the team, the coaches and the fans," said Indiana receiver/defensive back Van Johnson, a Temple product. " You don't get rained on. You just come, drink beer, yell or boo, whatever."

Other fan-friendly touches offered by the AFL are mandatory post game player autograph sessions and one quirk that Jaworski really loves.

" When the ball goes into the stands, the people keep the football," he said. " I've been to the games and people go nuts to get a football. They keep it in the Arena League."