American football in the United States the Fall Experimental Football League played two seasons in 2014 and 2015). Two professional football leagues are pending launch: the Alliance of American Football is scheduled to debut in February 2019, while the XFL, a revamp of a league of the same name that played one season in 2001, is set to return in February 2020. There are several professional indoor football leagues, played at basketball-sized arenas. The oldest one is the Arena Football League, which had several teams co-owned by several NFL owners but is officially independent from the NFL. Indoor football leagues play by significantly different rules that
Black players in professional American football Black players in professional American football Details of the history of black players in professional American football depend on the professional football league considered, which includes the National Football League (NFL); the American Football League (AFL), a rival league from 1960 through 1969 which eventually merged with the NFL; and the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), which existed from 1946 to 1949. Charles Follis is believed to be the first black professional football player, having played for the Shelby Steamfitters from 1902 to 1906. Follis, a two sport athlete, was paid for his work beginning in 1904. From its inception in