OFF-SEASON UPDATE FROM COMMISSIONER IRVINE

SAN ANTONIO - SFL fans, the countdown has begun. We are now under a month until the start of the pre-season! January 3 is the kickoff date when we get to see two new identities - the Cleveland Vipers and Honolulu Legends - go head-to-head.

The league is working on multiple projects this month to ensure we provide a better sim experience than ever before and the best around. I wanted to take some time today to catch you up on what's been happening behind the scenes.

First off, our social media platforms have grown. Our SFL Network is approaching 100 subscribers, our Facebook page still holds strong with nearly 150 likes. Our Twitter account is up to nearly 50 likes while our YouTube page has eclipsed that number. We will be revamping our YouTube and Twitch pages to reflect our new #earnyourstripes identity, which we hope will draw more followers of our great league. If you haven't done so, like, follow and subscribe.

Already, our new play-to-win challenges have been announced, with prize giveaways happening every month with a grand prize of up to $200 in football merchandise/memorabilia/tickets being awarded to one lucky player. The setup is all ready to go behind the scenes and contest rules are posted in the play-to-win section of our site. It's free to play!

We have already begun the process of updating our news page with archived stories from all of our previous seasons. It's an undertaking, but it is underway. All news stories are tagged by team so if you're a history buff, it's easy to search away.

On Monday, Dec. 8, we will be doing a broadcast test to ensure we can provide the best quality live stream to our owners and fans, while finding a balance to ensure most if not all fans can view our games without streaming hiccups. We'll get to unveil some new broadcast graphics as well! When the project is complete, the SFL Network will have hundreds of new graphics on display during our broadcasts.

After the broadcast test, we will begin taking new photos of all 80 of our stars. They'll be utilized on team web pages, on our leaderboards and in our new SFL Fantasy Football competition, along with social media posts. It'll be our first opportunity to present players in their new colors in action.

Following player photos, the league will complete our bi-annual Media Guide project, where we provide owners and fans with the most in-depth coverage of the league to get you prepared for what to expect come January. The Media Guide is expected to be released just prior to Christmas, as our holiday gift to you!

Other projects include new team sponsorships, sponsorship commercials gathering, final uniform changes, playbook submissions and team uniform customization submissions.

Thanks to Chromecast, the Amazon Fire Stick, the PS4 and other TV plug-in devices, you can watch the SFL on your TV easier than ever before. We are so proud to be partnered with Twitch and part of the stream-to-tv revolution.

We look forward to another fantastic SFL season and hope you are with us watching and having a good time every step of the way.

#baltimore #cleveland #honolulu #minneapolis #newyork #oklahomacity #orlando #sanfrancisco