OFL to debut on NBC Sports Network Summer of 2015
October, 30, 2015 Today the Offshore Fishing League (OFL) makes history launching the world’s first professional, saltwater, sport fishing league. The OFL, which debuts on NBCSN in 2015, will assemble a maximum of 30 elite teams comprised of anglers, captains and deckhands for a 14-location circuit that will compete from May through March.
“With more than 45 million anglers in the U.S. alone, the Offshore Fishing League is poised to attract the largest fan base of any sports league in the world,” said Carlos Suito, CEO of the OFL. “The OFL is ready for primetime: tough battles on the high seas, adrenaline-pumping action and huge blue marlin pulled from the depths, all set in the sport’s finest destinations. At the end of each season, one team will be crowned the Offshore Fishing League World Champion.”
The intense competition, held in 14 of the world’s best fishing locations, will be telecast on NBCSN starting Summer 2015 and offers fans a front row seat to the excitement of every hook, line and sinker in big-game sport fishing. NBCSN is home to some of the best outdoor programming on television and is available in more than 85 million homes across the United States.
Led by an expert team of renowned and legendary captains and anglers, the OFL will set a new standard for professional sport fishing competition. Telecast on NBCSN, the OFL will represent a new vehicle for sponsors and advertisers to reach the vast number of fishing enthusiasts and fans, including a complementary online fan zone.
Unique angling rules will encourage the use of lighter line classes to increase point value resulting in accurate, real-world skill demonstration by the captains and anglers. And with an average boat length of more than 60 feet, the OFL fleet will be an impressive sight as they fish a tournament circuit that encompasses over 5,000 nautical miles throughout the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. In addition, the OFL will launch a new benchmark for boat performance and put each team’s boats to the test.
World-renowned angling authority Capt. Peter B. Wright has been named commissioner of the OFL, where he will take an active role in managing the relationship between the league and the participating teams. Serving as advisors are a cadre of the sport’s top names, including International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Legendary Captains Ron Hamlin, Bark Garnsey and Charles Perry, as well as Capt. George Sawley. Sam White serves the league as championship director.
With a strong commitment to marine conservation, the Offshore Fishing League will feature a 100-percent catch and release format. A portion of the League’s proceeds will support the IGFA and The Billfish Foundation to help ensure a bright future for sport fishing and all billfish species.
“The OFL will be an advocate for billfish,” said Suito. “Our goal is to share the wonder of sport fishing with the world.” For more information, please visit www.OFL.com and join us on Facebook, Twitter (@OFL), Instagram and YouTube.
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You ready cappy!!