Owners meeting: a whole new league (4 March 2014)
The QFL is to undergo major changes for its upcoming third season as the league expands to a 12-team format with almost half the participating teams making their debuts or comebacks.The league has also confirmed to adopt a two-conference format with each conference consisting of two divisions of three teams.
The owners of the returning QFL franchises including comebackers Lübeck Bay Seagulls have given green light for four expansion franchises to join the league: Leinfelden Lawyers (fka Buvag's Lawyers during QFL Cup tournaments), Niners Sparrows, Flash 80s and Eagle Eyes.
The Seagulls are a QFL charter member who sat out Season II but have elected to return to QFL action this upcoming season.
Three other charter members have chosen to sit out Season III: Australian Division champions zugschefz dieselz as well as Ice Bowlers MoRe's Moles and the Mighty Beagles of Angedair.
The twelve teams competing for a spot at the biggest stage of Football Fever™ have been aligned to the conferences and divisions as follows:
Alpine Football Conference
AFC Australia
Dicey Beasts
igorz malfunxionistz
Eagle Eyes
AFC South
silentsound's Silentknights
Leinfelden Lawyers
Niners Sparrows
Nordic Football Conference
NFC Central
duffeldoffel's Reds
Prussian Warriors
frontmodes Kobras
NFC North
Moderate Drinkers
Lübeck Bay Seagulls
Flash 80s
The regular season will again consist of six weeks with each team having two interdivisional games, two intraconference games and two interconference games.
Three teams (two divisional champions, one wild card) from each conference will make the conference playoffs with the top seed automatically qualifying for the conference championship game. The AFC and NFC champions will play each other at Fever Bowl III.
Furthermore, five of seven rule-change proposals have been passed by the owners of the non-expansion franchises that will take part in Season III. Those rule changes concern no-huddle modes and place-kicks-from-scrimmage.