Well you are wanting to shoot some of the hardest sport shooting there is.
I will detail my experience and setup and a few examples. After shooting 4 plus years of night H.S football I just was not pleased with the results of shooting at 2.8 at ISO 1600.
As far as lens go you if you are goign to shoot without a flash you will need a f 2.8. As far as focal length goes I would recommend a 300 2.8. Less than that and cropping at the high ISO produces some bad results.
My setup I am using now consist of a D2X with a 300 2.8 mounted on a monopd. to this I attach a SB29 flash cord. I use a bogen super clamp to mount the flash about 15 - 18 inches below the lens and attach the SB800 to it.
this setup eliminates the ugly red eye one gets with using a flash on the cam, it also gives a nice even light. I also use the nikon battery pack for quicker recharge times, bring a ton of AA's with you Here are a few examples from on of the PA State playoff games
These were shot ISO 800, f 2.8 s 1/320 s
Again this is just my technique and my opinion I am sure others will offer so very good ideas also.
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