clarinews@clarinet.com (02/04/90)
DALLAS (UPI) -- The World League of American Football is expected to announce next week it has signed a two-year contract with ABC-TV to televise the first regular-season, inter-continental football games in history. Sources close to the negotiations said another deal is likely to be signed within the next few weeks with a cable television network. The total package could involve the showing of as many as 30 WLAF games -- three a week for 10 weeks of the regular season -- to the United States. The WLAF, a league funded by the members of the NFL with offices in Dallas, New York and London, will field 12 franchises in Europe, the United States, Canada and Mexico. There will be three divisions, one made up of four European teams, another made up of three American teams and one in Canada and another made up of three American teams and one in Mexico City. A 10-week regular season will begin in late March, 1991, followed by two weeks of playoffs. The champion from each division will enter the playoffs along with one wild card team. Those familiar with the television contract said half the games originated by ABC-TV will be played in Europe. Those games will be played on Sunday evenings in Europe so they can be shown during the afternoon in the United States. The signing of a television deal was the last major hurdle the league had to clear before selecting the franchise cities. Of the six franchises in the United States, only New York has been confirmed.