What You Need To Know Before The Minnesota Monsters’ First Home Game This Year

This year marks a lot of "new" occasions in the world of arena football in Duluth. This Friday night, we really get to enjoy all of those new things for the first time!

The Minnesota Monsters are playing their first season in the AF1 (Arena Football One) Football League. Going along with this new league, they are playing their games in a new home - AMSOIL Arena in Duluth.

Duluth's Minnesota Monsters are off to a pretty good start, despite playing their first 4 games on the road. The Monsters are 3-1 coming into this weekend, with their only loss coming opening weekend in April, falling to last year's league champions in New York.

Fresh off a bye last week, the Monsters will host the Nashville Kats as their first home opponent at AMSOIL Arena. That game will be played at 6 pm.

READ MORE: See Photos From Minnesota Monsters Uniform Reveal Event

Here's a look at some of the new things to be on the lookout for at their first home game and the rest of this season's games at AMSOIL Arena - including some new food offerings the DECC has in store for fans this season.

Gameplay differences of note

If you went to any arena football games in Duluth over the last couple of years, you got a feel for what arena football is like, but the AF1 has some different angles on the games.

One of the most notable is that there is kicking in this league's version of the game. Much like traditional football, there are kickoffs, field goals, and extra points.

One unique kicking scoring element to be on the lookout for is "the deuce", which is when a kickoff goes through the uprights. As you guessed, it is worth two points.

Another notable difference is that there are rebound nets around the field of play, and players can play the ball off the net. This adds a whole different element of strategy to the game.

This league has 8 men on the field for each team, with the breakdown as follows:

Offense: 1 Quarterback, 1 Fullback, 3 Wide Receivers, 3 Linemen (one of which can report as eligible)

Defense: 3 Defensive Backs, 3 Defensive Linemen, 1 "Mac" Linebacker, 1 "Jack" Linebacker

You can see more about the league's rules here.

The DECC has some 'Monster' food offerings for this season

It's only fitting that the all-new Monsters have a new menu waiting for fans at concessions stands around AMSOIL Arena, right?

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The DECC has cooked up some fun team-themed menu items fans can enjoy while at the game. They include:

• "Winner Winner" Chicken Sandwich - We're all hoping our hometown team is a winner each week, but you're definitely a winner with this chicken sandwich with BBQ, coleslaw, and pickles
• "The Big Dill" pizza - The Monsters are definitely a "big dill" for fans, and so is this pizza, with bacon, ranch, and pickles
• MN Nachos - While the Monsters represent Minnesota, so do these nachos, with Ruffles chips and Top the Tater - how much more Minnesota can you get?
• M&M Cookie - Minnesota Monsters...M&M...get it? Delicious
• Monster Dog - A hot dog with a Monsters twist, it comes with mac & cheese, BBQ, and jalapenos

The DECC says to be on the lookout for more fun menu items during the season!

What else should I know?

Much like previous arena football experiences you may have been to, there will be lots of crowd interaction, entertainment, music, and fun all mixed into the gameday experience, making it much more than just a "sit in the stands" type of situation.

The Monsters' home games at AMSOIL Arena this year are:

• Friday, May 22: Monsters vs. Nashville Kats @ 6 pm
• Saturday, May 30: Monsters vs. Kentucky Barrels @ 5 pm
• Monday, June 22: Monsters vs. Michigan Arsenal @ 6 pm
• Sunday, July 5: Monsters vs. Kentucky Barrels @ 6 pm
• Saturday, July 11: Monsters vs. Washington Wolfpack @ 6 pm
• Saturday, July 18: Monsters vs. Beaumont Renegades @ 6 pm

Any applicable playoff games will be announced later. You can see the entire home & away schedule here.

All home and away games will also be broadcast on the FAN 106.5 FM and 560 AM, and streaming via the FAN 106.5 mobile app.

Also, every Wednesday, join the team at Lyric Kitchen Bar at 5:30 pm for a recording of our weekly show "Monsters on the Mic", where you can meet players and coaches and watch the recording of each week's show, which is aired on Thursday nights at 7 pm and right before each game on the FAN 106.5.