The 2021 Fan Controlled Football season is the first season of the

Fan Controlled Football Fan Controlled Football (FCF) is a professional 7-on-7 Indoor football league created in 2017 as the first sports league controlled by fans. All games are played at the Pullman Yards in Atlanta, Georgia and broadcast on Twitch, NBCLX, DAZN, Fub ...

(FCF), a professional indoor football league. The FCF, which sees itself as "Esports and traditional sports colliding together" is unique because the league leans heavily on fan interaction to make important decisions, such as play-calling, drafts, rules, team names and seasonal awards with voting done through a mobile app, a concept the owners first tested in the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...

when they owned the

Salt Lake Screaming Eagles The Salt Lake Screaming Eagles were a professional indoor football team based in West Valley City, Utah, near Salt Lake City. The Screaming Eagles started as an expansion team in the Indoor Football League (IFL) and began play in 2017 with home ...

, later giving up ownership of the team when they started the FCF. The Fan Controlled Football League's (FCFL) first season initial start date was originally in 2018 but was postponed. It was later slated to start in summer 2020 in Las Vegas with eight teams, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league shortened its name to Fan Controlled Football (FCF) and announced it would play with four teams in February 2021 in a bubble environment at the Infinite Energy Arena in

Duluth, Georgia Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, Duluth had a population of 31,873, and the United States Census Bureau estimated the po ...

. (FCF thus became the third different high-profile professional football league to play in the weeks immediately following the Super Bowl in as many years, following the

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and the XFL in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

; FCF was the first of those to complete its inaugural season as scheduled.) The league began play on February 13, 2021, with four teams competing in a 12-game-format over six weeks. The league uses Internet streaming as its main television platform and is streamed on Twitch and VENN on Saturdays, with reruns on FTF; the league championship is carried on the digital subchannel network LX. The FCF saw a steady increase in its viewership through its first five weeks, from 735,000 in the first week to 2.1 million in the playoffs. Following a four-game season where the Beasts took home the regular season championship, the playoffs concluded with the #1 seed Beasts losing to the #4 seed Glacier Boyz in an upset and #2 seed Wild Aces easily defeating the #3 seed Zappers. The Wild Aces beat the Glacier Boyz 46–40 in the final, named the People's Championship, as voted by the fans, on March 20, 2021. Players were paid weekly minimum of $400 to $750 plus room and board, while coaches got paid $3,500 per month with housing and meal plan.

Teams

The 2021 season was originally said to have eight teams, which was reduced to four due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All teams have no geographic location that they are based in, similar to ESports teams. All teams share position coaches, doctors and trainers, marketing staffs and practice squad.

2021 Beasts season

The Beasts won their first franchise game 48–44 against the Zappers and former

Heisman The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

winner

Johnny Manziel Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a me ...

on February 13, 2021. On March 5, 2021, to load up for the Playoffs, The Beasts signed

Robert Turbin Robert James Turbin (born December 2, 1989) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Utah State Aggies, and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seahawks. With the Seahawks, he won ...

, a former teammate of team owner Marshawn Lynch. The Beasts finished the regular season 3–1, securing the #1 seed in the playoffs, but ultimately ended up losing to the #4 seed Glacier Boyz 38–20 in the semi-finals, Finishing the 2021 Fan Controlled Football season 3–2.

2021 Glacier Boyz season

2021 Wild Aces season

The Wild Aces won their first franchise game 30–22 against the Glacier Boyz on February 13, 2021. The Aces finished the season 2–2 and earning 2nd-place in the league's regular season standings. Their week two franchise-tagged super back Ladarius Galloway was given the regular season Offensive MVP and Joseph Putu was given the Defensive MVP. The Beasts (3–1) finished 1st, the Zappers (2–2) finished 3rd, and the Glacier Boyz (1–3) finished 4th. They ultimately ended up winning against the #3 seed Zappers 32–6 in the semi-finals, advancing to The People's Championship. Right before the game, it was revealed that former Baylor and XFL defensive end

Shawn Oakman Shawn Michael Oakman (born April 7, 1992) is a Canadian football defensive end for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears. Oakman has been a member of the Triangle Torch and t ...

had signed with the Wild Aces. The Wild Aces won the People's Championship v1.0 game against the #4 seed Glacier Boyz 46–40, finishing the 2021 Fan Controlled Football season 4–2 and earning their 1st championship in franchise history. Dual-threat quarterback Ed Crouch was named People's Championship Gatorade MVP. Crouch went 4 for 9 with 72 yards and 1 passing touchdown. He also rushed 6 times for 53 yards and added a rushing touchdown. His rushing touchdown came on the last play of the game where he faked a run to Galloway and outran a defender to touch the pilon with no time left on the clock.

Final roster

2021 Zappers season

On December 30, 2020, It was announced that former Heisman Trophy winner

had signed with the Zappers. The Zappers lost their first franchise game 48–44 against the Beasts on February 13, 2021. On February 27, 2021, it was announced that

Josh Gordon Joshua Caleb Gordon (born April 13, 1991) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He previously played for the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Tennessee Titans. Nicknamed ...

had signed with the Zappers after being suspended indefinitely by the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

. The Beasts finished the regular season 2–2, securing the #2 seed in the playoffs, but ultimately lost to the #2 seed Wild Aces 32–6 in the semifinals, finishing the 2021 Fan Controlled Football season 2–3.

Players

The FCF started its combines and scouting for players as early as January 2019, starting originally with asking fans to recommend players and then later holding combines in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

and then

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

. Following the cancellation of the Summer 2020 season, the league held further combines in October 2020 in Houston and Pittsburgh then another in Atlanta in November 2020. In December 2020, the FCF signed former Heisman trophy winner and NFL first round pick, quarterback

and Florida State quarterback

Deondre Francois Deondre Francois (born February 12, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Orlando Guardians of the XFL. He played college football for Hampton University and Florida State University. Early life and background When Francois was ...

. They also signed former NFL player Quinn Porter, Douglas McNeil III, Jeremiah Poutasi and former XFL players Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi and Quinton Flowers. The league has no set teams with all players being drafted to teams before the first week of the season. This draft is done via voting by fans in the FCF app. The same is done every week until the playoffs. To stop a player from being drafted by other teams, fans can vote on using a "franchise tag" which will permanently attach the player to the team for the entire season. Players can be selected by their own team in the draft to stop them from being drafted by another team. Josh Gordon signed with the FCF on March 6, 2021 after being released by the Seattle Seahawks, entering the bubble soon after to appear in Week 4 as his FCF debut with the Zappers. Robert Turbin also signed at the same time though entered the bubble later, making his debut appearance for the Beasts in the playoffs.

Franchise Players

Franchise Players are players that were voted to be "protected" from other teams in the draft.

Beasts

* Quinton Flowers (QB/RB) * T.J. Edwards II (QB) * Troy Evans Jr. (WR) * Christian Saulsberry (WR) * Marloshawn Franklin Jr. (CB)

Glacier Boyz

* David Pindell (QB) * Calen Campbell (RB) *

Andrew Jamiel Andrew Joseph Jamiel (born May 1, 1997) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. Jamiel played college football for the Stonehill Skyhawks in Easton, Massachusetts, and high school football for Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High S ...

(WR) *

KaVontae Turpin KaVontae Turpin (born August 2, 1996) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at TCU before joining the second iteration of the New ...

(WR) * Dominick Sanders (CB)

Wild Aces

* Jackson Erdmann (QB) *LaDarius Galloway (RB) * Raphael Leonard (WR) * Richaud Floyd (WR) * Joseph Putu (CB)

Zappers

(QB) * Logan Marchi (QB) *

(WR) * Travis Toivonen (WR) * Marquill Osborne (CB)

Notable players

* Jackson Erdmann (QB) * Quinton Flowers (QB/RB) *

(QB) *

(WR) *

Madre London Madre London (born January 27, 1996) is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at Michigan State and Tennessee. High school career London original ...

(RB) *

(QB) * Douglas McNeil III (WR) *

(DL) * Quinn Porter (RB) *

Jeremiah Poutasi Cedrick Jeremiah Poutasi (born August 7, 1994) is an American football guard for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Utah. Early years Poutasi attended Desert Pines High School in ...

(OL) *

Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi (born February 15, 1995) is an American football wide receiver and kick returner who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Phoenix College. Early life After growing up in Lake Havasu City, Arizona and ...

(WR) *

(RB) *

(WR)

Regular season standings

:Bold indicates top seed

Playoffs

Fans voted for which team would face the top-seeded Beasts in the semifinal.

Statistical leaders

Records reflect statistics through six weeks of games.All statistics can be found on fcf.io. Click on the "Teams + Players tab", click on a team and then scroll to "Games", click on any game to get the boxscore and individual statistics.

Awards

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

Fan Controlled Football, 2021

Events in Duluth, Georgia Sports competitions in Georgia (U.S. state)