2024 American Indoor Football season

Last updated

2024 American Indoor Football season
League American Indoor Football
Sport Indoor football
DurationMarch 17 – June 14
Number of teams6
2024
Playoffs
AIF seasons

The 2024 American Indoor Football season was the twelfth season of American Indoor Football (AIF) and the first season after a eight-year hiatus. The league will play the season with six teams, including the last league champions Columbus Lions.

Contents

Offseason

On July 3, 2023, John Morris announced that the league would indeed relaunch in 2024 with four new teams: Cedar Rapids River Kings, Corpus Christi Tritons, RiverCity Rage and West Virginia Miners. [1] On August 4, 2023, the league announced that the Columbus Lions, the last team to win the AIF Championship in 2016, were returning to the league. [2] On August 24, 2023, the league announced that the Amarillo Venom would return and join the AIF for the 2024 season. [3] On September 11, 2023, the league announced that an expansion team to be based in Albany, Georgia, would also join the AIF for 2024 as its eighth franchise. [4] On September 29, 2023, the league announced the Beaumont Renegades as their ninth team for the 2024 season, [5] but on October 30, the league announced that the Renegades will play an exhibition schedule only in 2024, and will join the league full time in 2025, while the AIF granted West Virginia Miners release from the league after change in the team ownership group. [6]

On February 21, 2024, the league announced that the Flint Rivergators would not play in the 2024 season and would re-evaluate the team's future. [7] Prior to their game on March 24, 2024, the league announced that the Mississippi Raiders would be removed from the league’s schedule due to financial problems involved in the change in ownership during the offseason. The future of the team is unknown. [8]

Teams

TeamLocationArenaCapacityFoundedJoinedHead coach
Amarillo Venom Amarillo, Texas Amarillo Civic Center 4,91220032024Rick Kranz
Cedar Rapids River Kings [lower-alpha 1] Cedar Rapids, Iowa Alliant Energy PowerHouse 9,00020112024 Daron Clark
Columbus Lions Columbus, Georgia Columbus Civic Center 7,57320062024 Damian Daniels
Corpus Christi Tritons Corpus Christi, Texas American Bank Center 10,00020232024Bradly Chavez
Harrisburg Stampede Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center 2,40020082024Bernie Nowotarski
Mississippi Raiders [lower-alpha 2] Batesville, Mississippi Batesville Civic Center 3,20020192024Eddie Strong
  1. ↑ Cedar Rapids were granted their release from league play after two matches following the suspension of co-owner Dominic Montero. [9] [10]
  2. ↑ Mississippi was removed from the schedule due to financial struggles with change in ownership. [8]

Standings

2024 American Indoor Football Standings [11]
TeamWinLossPCTGBPFPASTK
(1) Columbus Lions 501.000–320106W5
(2) Corpus Christi Tritons 41.8001.0214160L1
Harrisburg Stampede 13.2503.595227L3
Amarillo Venom 14.2004.0175276W1
Mississippi Raiders†01.000–02L1
Cedar Rapids River Kings†02.000–67102L2
Legend
(1) – hosts Championship game
(2) – clinched Championship game
† – Did not finish the season
All other teams eliminated from postseason

Season schedule

Regular season

All times shown are local to the home team.

Week 1

DateTimeAway TeamResultHome TeamStadiumNotesRef
March 177:00 p.m. CT Columbus Lions 4726 Amarillo Venom Amarillo Civic Center

Week 2

DateTimeAway TeamResultHome TeamStadiumNotesRef
March 236:00 p.m. CT Corpus Christi Tritons 20 Mississippi Raiders Batesville Civic Center Mississippi forfeited this game before folding. [8]

Week 3

DateTimeAway TeamResultHome TeamStadiumNotesRef
March 307:00 p.m. CT Amarillo Venom 5076 Corpus Christi Tritons American Bank Center

Week 4

DateTimeAway TeamResultHome TeamStadiumNotesRef
April 67:00 p.m. ET Cedar Rapids River Kings 2944 Harrisburg Stampede Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center

Week 5

DateTimeAway TeamResultHome TeamStadiumNotesRef
April 127:00 p.m. ET Amarillo Venom 2774 Columbus Lions Columbus Civic Center
April 143:00 p.m. CT Cedar Rapids River Kings 3858 Corpus Christi Tritons American Bank Center

Week 6

DateTimeAway TeamResultHome TeamStadiumNotesRef
April 187:00 p.m. ET Harrisburg Stampede 1973 Columbus Lions Columbus Civic Center

Week 7

DateTimeAway TeamResultHome TeamStadiumNotesRef
April 277:00 p.m. ET Columbus Lions 4234 Harrisburg Stampede Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center
April 277:00 p.m. CT Corpus Christi Tritons 4834 Amarillo Venom Amarillo Civic Center

Week 8

No games were played this week.

Week 9

DateTimeAway TeamResultHome TeamStadiumNotesRef
May 117:00 p.m. CT Corpus Christi Tritons 3038 Amarillo Venom Amarillo Civic Center

Week 10

The Harrisburg Stampede and the Cedar Rapids River Kings were due to play this week, but the River Kings opted to conclude their regular season and instead play exhibition matches. This move also affected the previous week's match against the Columbus Lions, a rematch with the Stampede on June 1, and a match against the Corpus Christi Tritons on June 6. [12] The news came amid a scandal involving River Kings co-owner Dominic Montero. [9] [10]

Week 11

DateTimeAway TeamResultHome TeamStadiumNotesRef
May 257:00 p.m. ET Harrisburg Stampede 083 Columbus Lions Columbus Civic Center

Week 12

The match between the Amarillo Venom and the Corpus Christi Tritons this week was cancelled for unknown reasons. The Tritons instead played the Dallas Falcons of American Arena League 2. [13]

Championship Game

On May 7, AIF announced a revised playoff format: the top two teams will play in a single championship game on June 14. [14] The Lions were confirmed to host the game after winning over the Harrisburg Stampede on May 25.

DateTimeAway TeamResultHome TeamStadiumNotesRef
June 147:00 p.m. ET Corpus Christi Tritons 2046 Columbus Lions Columbus Civic Center

Media

AIF team media deals
TeamTV Station(s)Radio Station(s)
Amarillo Venom KFDA-TV [15] None
Cedar Rapids River Kings NoneNone
Columbus Lions NoneNone
Corpus Christi Tritons NoneNone
Harrisburg Stampede YouTube [16] None

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intense Football League</span> U.S.-based indoor football league

The Intense Football League (IFL) was a professional indoor football minor league that began operations in 2004. Its focus was in Texas, but it was notable for being the first professional football league to place a franchise in Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi Fury</span> American indoor football team

The Corpus Christi Fury, was a professional indoor football team based in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. The Fury played its home games at the American Bank Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarillo Venom</span> American indoor football team

The Amarillo Venom are a professional indoor football team based in Amarillo, Texas. They play their home games at the Amarillo Civic Center. The Venom began play in 2004 as the Amarillo Dusters, a charter member of the Intense Football League, a small indoor football league based in Texas. They won the championship in their first and only season with the Intense Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Indoor Football</span> Professional indoor football league

American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Lions</span> American indoor football team

The Columbus Lions are a professional indoor football team based in Columbus, Georgia, and are a member of the National Arena League (NAL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indoor Football League</span> Indoor American football league founded in 2008

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrisburg Stampede</span> American indoor football team

The Harrisburg Stampede are a professional indoor football team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Stampede participated in several different leagues over their history: the American Indoor Football Association in 2009 and 2010, the Southern Indoor Football League in 2011, American Indoor Football in 2012 and 2013, and the Professional Indoor Football League in what became their final season of play in 2014. The team suspended operations on December 30, 2014. In 2024, the team returned to play in the American Indoor Football league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedar Rapids River Kings</span> American indoor football team

The Cedar Rapids River Kings were a professional indoor football team based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They were previously members of American Indoor Football and play their homes at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Star Football League</span> American indoor football league

The Lone Star Football League (LSFL) was a regional professional indoor football minor league that played three seasons from 2012 to 2014. All of the LSFL's charter teams were based in the state of Texas, with five teams coming from the Southern Indoor Football League, three from the Indoor Football League, plus one expansion team. The LSFL played three seasons to completion before merging with the Champions Professional Indoor Football League in August 2014 to form Champions Indoor Football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Arkansas Diamonds season</span> Indoor Football League team season

The 2010 Arkansas Diamonds season was the franchise's eleventh season as a football franchise, first in the Indoor Football League, and only season as the "Arkansas Diamonds". The team, led by head coach Danton Barto, played their home games at the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Diamonds finished the regular season with an 11–3 record and first place in the 2010 Lonestar East Division. The team's playoff run ended with a loss to the Billings Outlaws in the Intense Conference Finals. For the 2011 season, the team relocated to Texas as the Allen Wranglers.

Daron Clark is an American football coach and former wide receiver. He played college football at Stillman College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Champions Indoor Football</span> Indoor American football league

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Michigan Ironmen</span> Sports team

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Arena League</span> American indoor football league

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 consists of five teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Saxelid</span> American gridiron football player (born 1995)

Kyle Erickson Saxelid is a Canadian football offensive lineman for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Muhammad</span> American gridiron football player (born 1995)

Brad Hyman-Muhammad is an American professional football defensive back for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Florida International. Muhammad has also been a member of the Cedar Rapids River Kings, Albany Empire, Ottawa Redblacks, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Texas Desert Hawks</span> Professional indoor football team

The West Texas Desert Hawks were a professional indoor football team and an inaugural member of the relaunched Arena Football League. The Desert Hawks were based in Odessa, Texas, with home games at the Ector County Coliseum. The team played their first several seasons as the West Texas Warbirds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arena Football Association</span> American sports league

The Arena Football Association (AFA) was a professional indoor football league based in Texas, Kansas and Mississippi, United States. The league began operation in June 2021 with five teams, known that season as the Lone Star Series. The league was founded by three African-American entrepreneurs and is "built upon the pillars of diversity, equity, and inclusion," placing its teams in underserved markets with populations from 200,000 to two million people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeling Miners</span> Indoor football team in Wheeling, WV, US

The Wheeling Miners are an indoor football team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are current members of the American Arena League 2 and play their home games at the WesBanco Arena starting in 2024. They replaced the now-defunct West Virginia Roughriders. On June 21, 2024, it was announced that they will join the National Arena League for 2025 and beyond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi Tritons</span> Indoor football team based in Texas, US

The Corpus Christi Tritons are a professional indoor football team based in Corpus Christi, Texas. They are current members of American Indoor Football and will play their home games at the American Bank Center starting in 2024. The team follows in the history of indoor football in the city with the now-defunct Corpus Christi Hammerheads/Fury, who played in several leagues between 2003 and 2016, the Corpus Christi Sharks from the af2 from 2007 to 2009 and the Corpus Christi Rage, who folded halfway through their lone season in the National Arena League in 2017.

References

  1. ↑ "AIF announces return to the field in 2024- First 4 Teams Announced". aif-proindoorfootball.com. American Indoor Football. July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Colombus Lions Join American Indoor Football (AIF) for the 2024 Indoor Season". aif-proindoorfootball.com. American Indoor Football. August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  3. ↑ "American Indoor Football (AIF) Expands Ownership; Amarillo Venom to play in the AIF for the 2024 Indoor Football season". aif-proindoorfootball.com. American Indoor Football. August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  4. ↑ "American Indoor Football (AIF) Welcomes Albany, GA as 8th Franchise for the 2024 Indoor Season". aif-proindoorfootball.com. American Indoor Football. September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Beaumont Renegades: A Dynamic Addition to American Indoor Football (AIF)". aif-proindoorfootball.com. American Indoor Football. September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  6. ↑ "AIF Announces 2024 Indoor Season Schedule". American Indoor Football.
  7. ↑ "AIF Suspends Albany Rivergators". American Indoor Football.
  8. 1 2 3 "Mississippi Raiders Update". American Indoor Football.
  9. 1 2 "News: AIF Issues Formal Statement Regarding Recent Developments - American Indoor Football (AIF)". www.aif-football.com. May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  10. 1 2 "News: Final Decision Regarding Cedar Rapids River Kings Organization - American Indoor Football (AIF)". www.aif-football.com. May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  11. ↑ "American Indoor Football 2024 Season Standings". www.aif-proindoorfootball.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  12. ↑ "News: AIF Reflects Adaptability in Schedule - American Indoor Football (AIF)". www.aif-football.com. May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Corpus Christi Tritons announce change in final game". KRIS 6 News Corpus Christi. May 31, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  14. ↑ "News: AIF Announce Adjustment to Championship Format - American Indoor Football (AIF)". www.aif-football.com. May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  15. ↑ "NewsChannel 10 partners with Amarillo Venom". American Indoor Football. March 12, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Stampede to Stream Games Live". American Indoor Football. March 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.