2020 IFL season | |
---|---|
League | Indoor Football League |
Sport | Indoor football |
Duration | Scheduled March 7 – July 25 |
Number of teams | 13 |
The 2020 Indoor Football League season was the twelfth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL) and the first season of being the top indoor football league, after the folding of the Arena Football League. The league was set to play the season with thirteen teams, up from ten the previous season, by adding three expansion teams, one team from Champions Indoor Football, and one team folding.
After playing two games, the season was initially postponed on March 12 due to social distancing measures closing venues during the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] On April 13, the league cancelled the rest of the season due to the uncertainty that they would be able to play in any venues in the near future. [2]
On August 20, 2019, the Duke City Gladiators joined the IFL after winning back-to-back CIF championships. [3] On September 10, the Oakland Panthers, co-owned by NFL running back Marshawn Lynch, joined the IFL for the 2020 season. [4] On November 1, the league added the Spokane Shock after it was resurrected by former NFL player Sam Adams, with the Spokane team reacquiring the Shock brand following the Spokane Empire's folding in 2017. [5] [6] The Bosselman family were looking to sell the Nebraska Danger, [7] but no owner was found before the deadline for participating in the 2020 season. On November 24, 2019, the IFL added a thirteenth team in Frisco, Texas, owned by the Germain family called the Frisco Fighters. [8] The Germain family also purchased the sponsorship rights for the IFL, the management rights of the league's communications and marketing department, as well as a second expansion for the 2021 season in Columbus, Ohio. [9] [10]
The season began on March 7, 2020, and the league played two games before postponing the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 Indoor Football League | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | PCT | PF | PA | GB | |||
Quad City Steamwheelers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 54 | 39 | — | ||
San Diego Strike Force | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 50 | 36 | — | ||
Arizona Rattlers | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | ||
Duke City Gladiators | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | ||
Frisco Fighters | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | ||
Green Bay Blizzard | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | ||
Iowa Barnstormers | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | ||
Oakland Panthers | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | ||
Sioux Falls Storm | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | ||
Spokane Shock | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | ||
Tucson Sugar Skulls | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | ||
Bismarck Bucks | 0 | 1 | .000 | 36 | 50 | 1 | ||
Cedar Rapids River Kings | 0 | 1 | .000 | 39 | 54 | 1 |
y – clinched regular season title
x – clinched playoff spot
Last updated: March 18, 2020
The top eight teams would have made the IFL playoffs, with the quarterfinals consisting of the top seed hosting the eighth seed, the second seed hosting the seventh seed, the third seed hosting the sixth seed, and the fourth hosting the fifth seed. In the semifinals, the highest remaining seed would host the lower remaining seed and the next-highest hosts the next-lowest from the quarterfinals. The semifinal winners were to meet in the 2020 United Bowl on the weekend of July 25. [12]
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional indoor American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League and were the third oldest active franchise in the AFL until their departure in 2016. They play their home games at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. They previously played at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.
The Texas Revolution were an American professional indoor football team and a founding member of Champions Indoor Football (CIF). The Revolution were based in Allen and Frisco, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
The Spokane Shock were a professional indoor American football team based in Spokane, Washington, that played their home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The team was initially a member of arenafootball2 (af2), the Shock won division titles in all four seasons and ArenaCups in 2006 and 2009 before they joined the Arena Football League (AFL) in its 2010 relaunch. The team advanced to the playoffs three times after joining the AFL, winning ArenaBowl XXIII in their first season, making them the only arena football franchise to win both the ArenaCup and the ArenaBowl.
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 among indoor football leagues. As of the 2024 season, the league consists of 16 teams in two conferences with each team playing 16 games over 19 weeks.
The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional indoor football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, playing their home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. As of 2024, they are members of the Indoor Football League (IFL).
The 2014 Indoor Football League season was the sixth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). Playing with nine teams in two conferences spread across the United States, the league's regular season kicked off on February 21, 2014, when the reigning league champion Sioux Falls Storm played host to the Nebraska Danger. The regular season ended 17 weeks later on June 21, 2014, with the Nebraska Danger visiting the Texas Revolution.
Champions Indoor Football (CIF) was a professional indoor American football minor league created in 2014 out of the merger between the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) and Lone Star Football League (LSFL), plus one team from the Indoor Football League and two expansion teams.
The Duke City Gladiators are an inactive professional indoor football team based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a suburb of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They began play in March 2015 as members of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league. The Gladiators played at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque from 2015 to 2019, but are playing the 2021 season at Rio Rancho Events Center in nearby Rio Rancho due to availability during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team played the entire 2022 Indoor Football League season at Rio Rancho Events Center. After winning back-to-back CIF championships in 2018 and 2019, the Gladiators left the CIF for the Indoor Football League (IFL) in the 2020 season. They went dormant for the 2025 season, but plan on returning for 2026.
The 2016 Indoor Football League season was the eighth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). Playing with ten teams in two conferences located primarily in mid-level cities in the central United States, the league's regular season kicked off on February 20, 2016 and ended on June 24, 2016. The playoffs were held in three rounds, with the top seed in each conference receiving a first-round bye as the second and third seeds facing each other in the conference semifinal, with the winner of that game facing the top seed in a conference championship game followed by the winners of those games meeting in the United Bowl.
The West Michigan Ironmen are a professional indoor football team based in Muskegon, Michigan, the Ironmen play their home games at Trinity Health Arena. The team joined American Indoor Football (AIF) in 2016. The AIF ceased operations following the 2016 season, leaving the Ironmen without a league. They joined Champions Indoor Football for the 2017 season. For the 2018 season, the team was originally announced to have joined the Indoor Football League, however, the team was forced to sit out the 2018 Indoor Football League season. The team was then sold and played in the regional Midwest Professional Indoor Football for the 2018 season until they could rejoin the CIF in 2019. However, they were not among the list of members for the 2019 CIF season and instead joined the American Arena League.
Ernesto Lacayo is an American football placekicker for the Duke City Gladiators of the Indoor Football League (IFL).
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. As of the end of the 2024 season, the league consisted of five teams.
The 2018 Indoor Football League season was the tenth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The league played with six teams, after the suspension of operations of three teams, the departure of another two teams, and the addition and subsequent suspension of two teams.
The Massachusetts Pirates are a professional indoor football team of the Indoor Football League based in Lowell, Massachusetts, with home games at the Tsongas Center. The Pirates began play in the 2018 season as a member of the National Arena League (NAL).
The Carolina Cobras are a professional indoor football team in the National Arena League (NAL) and that began play for the 2018 season. Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Cobras play their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.
The 2018 Champions Indoor Football season was the fourth season of the CIF. The regular season began on March 3, when the Wichita Force traveled to Salina Liberty, losing 17–15. The regular season concluded on June 10. This was the second season in which four teams per conference advanced to the Champions Bowl playoffs, with the top seed in each conference hosting their conference's fourth seed, and second seeds hosting third seeds in the first round.
The Frisco Fighters are an inactive professional indoor football team based in Frisco, Texas. A member of the Indoor Football League, the Fighters play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team was set to participate in the 2020 season, but were unable to play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team will sit out the 2025 season, but plan to return for 2026.
The 2021 Indoor Football League season was the thirteenth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The league played the season with twelve teams, down from thirteen the previous season, by adding one expansion team, one team from the National Arena League, one team from the American Arena League, and four teams going on hiatus. In addition, three existing teams made their IFL on-field debut after the 2020 season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2022 Indoor Football League season was the fourteenth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The league played the season with 14 teams, up from 11 teams the previous season. The Bay Area Panthers, Quad City Steamwheelers, and San Diego Strike Force, returned from dormancy after electing not to play during the 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vegas Knight Hawks joined the league as an expansion team. The Cedar Rapids River Kings did not return and the announced 2022 expansion Columbus Wild Dogs never returned. The Spokane Shock were removed from the league in February 2022 after the team lost its lease for their home arena.
Adam Shackleford is an American professional indoor football coach who is the assistant head coach and director of scouting for the Nashville Kats of Arena Football One (AF1).