Heading into our 11th season it’s only fair that I made sure to meet with the CEO of A7FL Sener Korkusuz to discuss the upcoming season and the changes being made the rules.
Q: We are just a few days away from entering our 11th season, which is pretty historic for a any amateur league. What are your ultimate goals to the season?
A: We are bringing more hard hitting American 7s Football action to even more fans this year with our upgraded video coverage. We now have fans across the world who want more access to the entertainment A7FL has to offer and we plan to give it to them. We’ll be more interactive on our social media channels and are urging our amazing fans, whom we are grateful for, to spread the word. The more people who watch, the better the chance you will see A7FL on TV some day soon.
Q: Last year it seemed as we were doing what we could to get us on the map. This year, there are a lot of new things happening with NJIT and additional video production efforts. What are some of the intricate behind the scenes things going on to help us take the next step?
A: In 2016 we set out on phase 2 of our journey to prove American 7s Football is a safer way to play football as it relates to the CTE epidemic. We’ve partnered with the New Jersey Institute of Technology and i1Biometrics and together we are pioneering a study into the effects of playing football without helmets AKA American 7’s Football, and we will be talking a lot more about in the coming months.
Q: If all goes well, what’s next?
A: The A7FL’s ultimate goal is to establish American 7s Football as a national sport with teams located in the major metropolitan areas. Interested team owners should contact us at www.a7fl.com and join the revolution.
Q: What are your thoughts on the new rules of the league? Specifically the kick off rule, the “new” holding rule. And how do you plan on holding both the players and the referees accountable for the calls or “none calls” they make?
A: The whole foundation of American 7s Football is that this is how football was intended to be played without helmets and hard pads. We’ve made key changes in our sport to further increase safety for athletes first and foremost and will continue to make changes in an on-going effort to give fans of American 7s football more of the fast paced, non stop, hard hitting action, they’ve come to expect.
By: Justin Mandaro
