It has been suggested that Indoor Football League Offensive Player of the Year Award be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2024. |
Upcoming season or competition: 2024 Indoor Football League season | |
Sport | Arena football |
---|---|
Founded | 2008 |
First season | 2009 |
Commissioner | Todd Tryon [1] |
Claim to fame | America's longest continuously running indoor football league |
No. of teams | 14 |
Country | United States |
Most recent champion(s) | Arizona Rattlers (2nd title) |
Most titles | Sioux Falls Storm (7) |
TV partner(s) | YouTube CBS Sports Network |
Related competitions | Direct: XFL/UFL, IFL, UIF Other: AF1, NAL, TAL |
Official website | goifl.com |
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 league has operated continuously under the same name and corporate structure longer than any other current indoor football league. With the closure of the original Arena Football League in 2019, the IFL is the oldest active professional indoor football league in North America, and can trace its history to 2003 (as the Intense Football League).
IFL players earn US$250–500 (before taxes) per game played, [2] [3] with a $25 bonus given to players on the winning team each week. [4] Additionally some teams provide housing for their players during the season. [5]
The IFL has a player personnel partnership with the UFL, to function as their de facto minor league. [6]
Season | # Teams |
---|---|
2009 | 19 |
2010 | 25 |
2011 | 22 |
2012 | 16 |
2013 | 9 |
2014 | |
2015 | 10 |
2016 | |
2017 | |
2018 | 6 |
2019 | 10 |
2020 | 13 |
2021 | 12 |
2022 | 14 |
2023 | |
2024 | 16 |
The league was formed as a merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football, announced the day before the 2008 National Indoor Bowl Championship, a game which pitted the champions of the two leagues against each other. The Sioux Falls Storm (United) defeated the Louisiana Swashbucklers (Intense) 54–42.
Of the 17 teams involved in the two previous leagues, 14 moved over to the new organization's 2009 season. An additional three teams came over from the CIFL and two expansion teams began their life in the new IFL. In the United Bowl, the Billings Outlaws (Intense Conference) took the league championship by defeating the RiverCity Rage (United Conference) by a score of 71–62.
After losing two teams to attrition after the end of the 2009 season, and a third in January 2010, the IFL then added another nine franchises to boost its membership to 25 for the 2010 season. Three of the new teams were expansion franchises. Two moved over from the Southern Indoor Football League and Continental Indoor Football League. After playing nine games of the 2010 season the Alaska Wild suspended operations, leaving only 24 teams to finish the year. In the United Bowl, the Billings Outlaws (Intense Conference) took the league championship by defeating the Sioux Falls Storm (United Conference) by a score of 43–34.
Seven new teams were added to the IFL for the 2011 season. Some of these were new expansion teams, and others moved to the IFL from the AIFA. The IFL also lost nine teams during the offseason, bringing the total number to 22 for 2011. In the United Bowl, the Sioux Falls Storm (United Conference) took the league championship by defeating the Tri-Cities Fever (Intense Conference) by a score of 37–10.
The league had 16 teams that played the 2012 season. For the 2012 season, the IFL switched to a two-conference format with no divisions, [7] due in large part to the loss of all the Texas-based teams (except the Allen Wranglers) to the newly formed Lone Star Football League. The Wranglers brought attention to the league for offering a $500,000 contract to unemployed wide receiver Terrell Owens to become the team's part-owner and wide receiver. Owens accepted the contract. ESPN3 carried Owens's debut game against the Wichita Wild, but his association with the team and the league proved to be short-lived. The front office of the league saw changes as well, as Commissioner Tommy Benizio resigned. [8] The league appointed assistant commissioner Robert Loving as the interim Commissioner. [8]
On October 12, 2012, the Bloomington Edge announced that the team had been sold to the owners of the Bloomington Blaze hockey franchise and would relocate to the new Champions Professional Indoor Football League for the 2013 season. [9] On January 21, 2013, the league announced that the owner of the Cheyenne Warriors had died and that the team would not be entering the league this season as planned.
The league added the Minnesota-based Bemidji Axemen to expand to 10 teams but the Chicago Slaughter were sold and changed leagues, returning the IFL to nine teams for the 2014 season. In February 2014, the league announced that it would return to Montana in 2015 with the new Billings Wolves franchise. [10]
On July 27, 2014, Iowa Barnstormers president Jeff Lamberti hinted at joining the league by telling a local TV station that the franchise will explore "all options" in the off-season of their continuance to play, including leaving the Arena Football League and going to the IFL for 2015. [11] They joined the IFL in August 2014, becoming the fourth active AFL/af2 franchise to leave for the IFL since the Texas Revolution (formerly the Arkansas Twisters), the Tri-Cities Fever and the Green Bay Blizzard. (The Revolution left the IFL for Champions Indoor Football before ceasing operations in May 2019.)
This was the first season the IFL utilized roster restrictions which call for all teams to carry no more than seven players with three or more years' experience in Indoor/Arena football. [12] For the second consecutive season, an AFL team was strongly rumored to join the IFL, as Spokane Shock owner Nader Naini said on August 10, 2015, that he was considering all options for the team. [13] On September 1, the Shock officially joined the IFL, becoming the fifth active AFL/af2 franchise to leave for the IFL since the aforementioned Barnstormers, Fever, Blizzard and Revolution. [14] The Shock, however, would have to enter the IFL under a new identity as the Arena League announced on October 12 that they would retain the rights to the Shock logos and name, possibly for future use by another franchise in the state of Washington. [15] The team subsequently held a name-the-team contest, which resulted in their new identity as the Spokane Empire. [16] [17]
On September 9, the Minnesota Havok (based in Mankato) were announced as an IFL team. [18] However, on January 29, just four weeks before the 2016 season was to kick off, the Havok were terminated by the league for failing to meet operational standards. [19]
On November 25, the Minnesota Axemen folded due to the team "Not fulfilling their commitments to the league." [20] Commissioner Mike Allshouse called the move a proactive one to prevent the team having to fold mid-season. [21]
On June 30, 2016, the IFL announced that the Tri-Cities Fever franchise would be dormant, but in good standing with the IFL, for the 2017 season. [22]
Project FANchise, a group aiming to create a professional sports team where fans help run the day-to-day operations, announced they would operate a new team, the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles in Salt Lake City. A fan vote determined the team's name and logo, and select fans will have access to player personnel decisions and in-game play calling. Project FANchise also bought the Colorado Crush in October and began operating the team in the same manner.
During the 2016 season, the Billings Wolves' website was hacked, was never completely fixed, and was non-operational for months. Several former staff members claimed that the team had folded after the completion of the season. On October 24, 2016, the Wolves announced they had left the IFL because of state regulations and failing to find new ownership for the team. [23]
On October 17, 2016, the IFL announced it had added the Arizona Rattlers, previously of the Arena Football League, for the 2017 season. [24] The Rattlers were the third team in three consecutive seasons to leave the AFL for the IFL. The league rejected the bid of another former AFL franchise, the Jacksonville Sharks, who are located outside the IFL's regional territory. They subsequently announced their charter membership in an entirely new league, originally to have been called the Arena Development League but actually beginning play under the name National Arena League. [25]
After the 2017 season came to a close, the website for the Colorado Crush was shut down with no formal announcement on the franchise's future. Project FANchise, which also ran the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles, had announced they would start their own league and left the IFL, with both teams going up for sale. [26] No buyers for either team were subsequently found and the teams folded. On July 12, 2017, the Spokane Empire announced that they would be suspending operations effective immediately. [27]
On July 25, 2017, the IFL announced that only the Arizona Rattlers, Cedar Rapids Titans, Green Bay Blizzard, Iowa Barnstormers, and Nebraska Danger had committed to play for 2018. [28] However, expansion clubs and current member clubs had until September 1 to commit to the 2018 season. [29] On August 30, the Sioux Falls Storm announced that they had joined Champions Indoor Football for 2018 after winning six consecutive championships from 2011 to 2016. The Storm was shortly followed by the Wichita Falls Nighthawks.
The IFL then added the Bloomington Edge and West Michigan Ironmen from the CIF on September 12. [30] The CIF apparently then attempted to sue the IFL, Edge, and Ironmen for leaving the CIF after the two teams had already signed league affiliation agreements with the CIF for 2018. The IFL then threatened to sue the CIF, Storm, and Nighthawks in return despite neither former IFL team signing an affiliation agreement with the IFL for 2018. [31] The CIF then retracted their lawsuit with the IFL but also removed the Storm and Nighthawks from their 2018 schedule. [32] After the IFL meetings in October 2017, the Storm returned to the IFL [33] but the Nighthawks had to suspend operations. [34] While the CIF did drop the lawsuit against the IFL, it filed for an injunction against the Edge and Ironmen teams from participating in the IFL for breaking the terms of their signed affiliation agreements. A temporary injunction from participation in the league was granted on January 31, 2018, with the court ruling determining that both teams had been offered bribes from the owner of the Arizona Rattlers to break their contract with the CIF. [35] [36] The schedule was revised in February for the six participating teams stating the Edge and Ironmen were to return in 2019.
During the season, the Cedar Rapids Titans' ownership announced the team was for sale with hopes of selling to new local ownership. [37] In June 2018, it was announced that the Titans had been sold to Roy Choi, a California-based businessman, with the intentions of keeping the team Cedar Rapids but would rebrand the team. [38] [39]
In August 2018, the IFL announced that the expansion Tucson Sugar Skulls, owned by Rattlers' coach Kevin Guy, were joining the league after being rumored to have joined the CIF. On September 7, the IFL announced that the Quad City Steamwheelers would join the league from the CIF. [40] The Cedar Rapids team announced their rebrand as the Cedar Rapids River Kings on September 22. [41] On October 5, the Bismarck Bucks of the CIF announced their move to the IFL. [42] On November 19, the IFL announced another expansion team, the San Diego Strike Force, owned by the new Cedar Rapids owner Roy Choi to bring the league back up to ten teams. [43] The addition of the Sugar Skulls and Strike Force gave the Rattlers geographic rivals, reducing that team's travel expenses in a league otherwise centered in the upper Midwest.
On August 20, 2019, the Duke City Gladiators joined the IFL after winning back-to-back CIF championships. [44] On September 10, the Oakland Panthers, co-owned by former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch, joined the IFL for the 2020 season. [45] 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 Empire's folding in 2017. [46] [47] The Bosselman family were looking to sell the Nebraska Danger, [48] 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. [49] 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, known as the Columbus Wild Dogs. [50] [51]
Two games into the 2020 season, the league postponed the rest of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 13, 2020, the season was fully cancelled. [52]
On June 26, 2020, the Columbus Wild Dogs announced it would not begin play until 2022. [53] On August 19, 2020, the Massachusetts Pirates, formerly of the National Arena League, were added to the IFL for the 2021 season as the league's first East Coast-based team. [54] On August 25, the league added the Northern Arizona Wranglers in Prescott Valley, Arizona, for the 2021 season, joining the Arizona Rattlers and Tucson Sugar Skulls as the third IFL team to be based in Arizona for 2021. [55] On November 6, the Louisville Xtreme of Louisville, Kentucky, was added. [56] The 2020 expansion Oakland Panthers, [57] as well as the Cedar Rapids River Kings, Quad City Steamwheelers, and the San Diego Strike Force withdrew from the season due to the effects of the pandemic. [58] [59] On May 11, 2021, the IFL announced as broadcast partnership with Stadium to air the IFL Game of the Week beginning May 15, 2021. [60] On June 14, the IFL terminated the Xtreme's membership after five games played due to failing to maintain the league's minimum obligations and did not finish the season. [61]
On May 11, 2021, the IFL announced that Bill Foley and the Vegas Golden Knights had purchased a 2022 expansion franchise to be based in the Las Vegas Valley called the Vegas Knight Hawks. [62] In October 2021, the league updated its website, removing the Cedar Rapids River Kings and Columbus Wild Dogs. [63] On February 24, 2022, the Spokane Shock were removed from the league after the team lost its lease for their home arena. [64] [65]
On July 26, 2022, the IFL announced that Andy Scurto and the Tulsa Oilers had purchased a 2023 expansion franchise to be based in Tulsa, which would also be called the Tulsa Oilers. The Bay Area Panthers won the 2023 Championship defeating the Sioux Falls Storm 51–41 after going 1–15 in the previous year. [66] [67] On October 7, the Bismarck Bucks announced they will suspend operations for the 2023 season. [68]
For the 2023 season, the league signed a player personnel partnership with the XFL, to function as their de facto minor league. [69]
For the 2024 season, the league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the Jacksonville Sharks and San Antonio Gunslingers from the National Arena League. [70] The Sharks were added to the Eastern Conference and the Gunslingers were added to the Western Conference. [71] While the Bismarck Bucks will stay idle for another season, the Scheels Arena will host the "Fargo-IFL Gridiron Classic" between Sioux Falls Storm and Massachusetts Pirates. [72]
On October 24, 2023, the IFL announced that its first expansion team for 2025 would be based in Indianapolis and would play at the new Fishers Event Center in nearby Fishers. [73] On December 15, the team announced they would be known as the Fishers Freight. [74]
Starting in 2024, the league has a theme song for all games – "The Indoor War" by Sioux Falls-based musician Denham. The song was released on March 10, 2024. [75]
On October 16, 2024, the IFL announced that the Duke City Gladiators and Frisco Fighters would sit out the 2025 season, both looking to return to play in 2026. The season schedule is set to be announced on October 31, 2024. [76]
On October 30, 2024, the Sioux Falls Storm announced they would sit out the 2025 season after their home arena did not renew the team's lease. [77]
For the 2024 season, the league is split into two conferences. [71]
Team | Location | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dakota Bucks | Bismarck, North Dakota | Bismarck Event Center | 10,100 | 2016 | 2019; 2026 [78] | Vacant |
Duke City Gladiators | Rio Rancho, New Mexico | Rio Rancho Events Center | 6,000 | 2015 | 2020; 2026 [76] | Fred Griggs |
Frisco Fighters | Frisco, Texas | Comerica Center | 3,500 | 2019 | 2020; 2026 [76] | Vacant |
Sioux Falls Storm | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Denny Sanford Premier Center | 10,678 | 2000 | 2009; 2026 [77] | Andre Fields |
The IFL Championship Game (formerly the United Bowl) has been played every season since 2009. The current IFL champions are the Arizona Rattlers, who won the championship game in 2024 defeating Massachusetts in Las Vegas.
The IFL continued to use the "United Bowl" name originally used by United Indoor Football. The UIF used this name before they merged with Intense Football League to form the Indoor Football League. The UIF held United Bowl I, II, III, and IV in 2005 through 2008, with all four being won by the Sioux Falls Storm. Although the name "National Indoor Bowl Championship" was used for the 2008 contest between the UIF and the Intense Football League, the "United Bowl" name was used for the combined league's championship instead up through 2021. Starting in the 2022 season the league started a three-year deal to play the now named IFL National Championship Game in the Lee's Family Forum (formerly the Dollar Loan Center) in Henderson, Nevada.
Game | Date | Winning team | Losing team | MVP | Site | Attendance | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | August 15, 2009 | Billings Outlaws | 71 | RiverCity Rage | 62 | Chris Dixon | Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark | 8,351 | ||
2010 | July 17, 2010 | Billings Outlaws | 43 | Sioux Falls Storm | 34 | Chris Dixon (2) | Billings Sports Plex | 2,500 | ||
2011 | July 16, 2011 | Sioux Falls Storm | 37 | Tri-Cities Fever | 10 | Chris Dixon (3) | Sioux Falls Arena | 4,696 | ||
2012 | July 14, 2012 | Sioux Falls Storm | 59 | Tri-Cities Fever | 32 | Jeremiah Price | Sioux Falls Arena | 4,901 | ||
2013 | June 29, 2013 | Sioux Falls Storm | 43 | Nebraska Danger | 40 | Terrance Bryant | Sioux Falls Arena | 5,202 | ||
2014 | June 28, 2014 | Sioux Falls Storm | 63 | Nebraska Danger | 46 | Chris Dixon (4) James Terry | Sioux Falls Arena | 4,500 | ||
2015 | July 11, 2015 | Sioux Falls Storm | 62 | Nebraska Danger | 27 | Brandon Johnson-Farrell | Denny Sanford Premier Center | 9,245 | ||
2016 | July 23, 2016 | Sioux Falls Storm | 55 | Spokane Empire | 34 | Lorenzo Brown | Denny Sanford Premier Center | 9,000 | ||
2017 | July 8, 2017 | Arizona Rattlers | 50 | Sioux Falls Storm | 41 | Justin Shirk | Denny Sanford Premier Center | |||
2018 | July 7, 2018 | Iowa Barnstormers | 42 | Sioux Falls Storm | 38 | Ryan Balentine | Wells Fargo Arena | |||
2019 | July 13, 2019 | Sioux Falls Storm | 56 | Arizona Rattlers | 53 | Lorenzo Brown (2) | Gila River Arena | 14,635 | ||
2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||||
2021 | September 12, 2021 | Massachusetts Pirates | 37 | Arizona Rattlers | 34 | Alejandro Bennifield (1) | Footprint Center | 6,385 | ||
2022 | August 13, 2022 [98] | Northern Arizona Wranglers | 47 | Quad City Steamwheelers | 45 | Jaquan Artis (1) | Dollar Loan Center | 4,149 | ||
2023 | August 5, 2023 [99] | Bay Area Panthers | 51 | Sioux Falls Storm | 41 | Dalton Sneed | Dollar Loan Center | 3,674 | ||
2024 | August 17, 2024 | Arizona Rattlers | 53 | Massachusetts Pirates | 16 | Davontae Merriweather | Lee's Family Forum | 1,977 |
Teams in italics are no longer active in the IFL.
Appearances | Team | Wins | Losses | Win % | Year(s) Won | Year(s) Lost | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | Sioux Falls Storm | 7 | 4 | .636 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 | 2010, 2017, 2018, 2023 | |
4 | Arizona Rattlers | 2 | 2 | .500 | 2017, 2024 | 2019, 2021 | |
3 | Nebraska Danger | 0 | 3 | .000 | 2013, 2014, 2015 | ||
2 | Billings Outlaws | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2009, 2010 | ||
2 | Tri-Cities Fever | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2011, 2012 | ||
1 | RiverCity Rage | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2009 | ||
1 | Spokane Empire | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2016 | ||
1 | Iowa Barnstormers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2018 | ||
1 | Massachusetts Pirates | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2021 | 2024 | |
1 | Northern Arizona Wranglers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2022 | ||
1 | Quad City Steamwheelers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2022 | ||
1 | Bay Area Panthers | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2023 |
On May 11, 2021, the IFL announced a national television partnership with Stadium, in which Stadium will air the IFL Game of The Week nationally each week for the rest of the season. The deal was negotiated by The Team Management, LLC, and each game will be produced exclusively by BEK Communications. [100] In 2023, IFL announced a new broadcasting agreement with CBS Sports Network ensuring that the next three IFL National Championship games will air on the network. The deal also allows for additional games to be aired on CBS Sports Network throughout the agreement. [101]
All other games will still be streamed through YouTube. Some teams also have individual contracts with local or regional TV and radio channels.
The Indoor Football League Hall of Fame is the official Hall of Fame of the IFL. The creation and inaugural class for this Hall was formed in 2014 and consisted of three inductees. All classes between 2014 and 2019 have consisted of three inductees which have contributed to the league in a significant way. There were no inductees for 2020; however, the 2021 class included four inductees. The Hall of Fame is the highest honor for players, coaches, and contributors involved in the IFL. The league was formed out of the merger of two indoor football leagues United Indoor Football and Intense Football League, which qualifies players who have also contributed at a high level to these former leagues prior to the merger. This Hall of Fame only incorporates contributors to the IFL, and its former leagues, so no other indoor or arena football leagues factor into the inductions. The Arena Football League has its own corresponding Hall of Fame. There is currently no physical location for the Indoor Football League Hall of Fame. Unlike the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Canadian Football Hall of Fame, there is no museum to view the inductees. Instead, it is more similar to the Arena Football Hall of Fame in that the inductees are enshrined online and without a physical location.
In order to be nominated for the Indoor Football League Hall of Fame, a candidate must have contributed in some significant fashion to be enshrined in the Hall. There is no official criteria that must be met other than the self-explained significant contributions to the league. Unlike other football Hall of Fames, the IFL Hall of Fame is far more new and laxed. To qualify, a member would need to significantly contribute to a franchise that played in the IFL, United Indoor Football, or Intense Football League during their tenure.
Starting with the 2021 season, the league added a new tradition of a Hall of Fame game. Similar to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, the first game of the season will now commemorate and recognize the hall of fame class for that year. Before this, the inductees were celebrated during the United Bowl championship game. [102]
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 Omaha Beef are a professional indoor football team based in Omaha, Nebraska. The Beef plays their home games at Liberty First Credit Union Arena in nearby Ralston. The Beef competes in the National Arena League (NAL). The Beef has been a member of several leagues, including being a charter member of Champions Indoor Football (CIF).
The Sioux City Bandits are a professional indoor football team based in Sioux City, Iowa, and compete as a member of National Arena League (NAL). The team was founded in 1999 as the Sioux City Attack. In 2001, the team assumed their current name of the Bandits. The Bandits play their home games at the Tyson Events Center.
The Sioux Falls Storm are a dormant professional indoor football team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Storm joined the original Indoor Football League as an expansion team in 1999 as the Sioux Falls Cobras, and first took the field for the 2000 season. They currently participate in another iteration of the Indoor Football League; prior to that, the Storm were in United Indoor Football (UIF), where they won all four of the league's championship games. In the newer IFL, the Storm have won seven of the eleven championships in the league as of 2019.
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 Bloomington Edge was a professional indoor football team based in Bloomington, Illinois. While it was in operation, the team hosted home games at Grossinger Motors Arena. Originally named the Bloomington Extreme, the team was a member of United Indoor Football (UIF), and joined the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 2009 during the UIF and Intense Football League merger. They left the IFL for the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) in 2013, and in 2015 the CPIFL merged with the Lone Star Football League (LSFL) to create Champions Indoor Football (CIF), where Bloomington did not follow and joined X-League Indoor Football (X-League). Following the 2015 season the Edge joined the CIF. The Edge then announced it had rejoined the IFL for the 2018 season, but a court ruling prevented the team from joining the league until 2019, however, they were not included in that season's schedule.
Marvin Maurice Jones is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons during the 1990s and early 2000s. Jones played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was recognized as a consensus All-American twice. He was selected in the first round of the 1993 NFL draft by the New York Jets and he played his entire professional career for the Jets. In 2018, Jones was the head coach for the Cedar Rapids Titans in the Indoor Football League (IFL) and served as head coach of the Omaha Beef in the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) from 2020-2022. Beginning in 2023, Jones will be the head coach of the IFL's Tulsa Oilers.
The Cedar Rapids River Kings are a professional indoor football team based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They are members of American Indoor Football and play their homes at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse.
The 2013 Sioux Falls Storm season was the team's fourteenth season as a professional indoor football franchise and fifth in the Indoor Football League (IFL). One of just nine teams competing in the IFL for the 2013 season, the Sioux Falls Storm were members of the United Conference.
The 2014 Green Bay Blizzard season was the team's twelfth season as a professional indoor football franchise and fifth in the Indoor Football League (IFL). One of nine teams competing in the IFL for the 2014 season, the Green Bay Blizzard were members of the United Conference. The team played their home games at the Resch Center in the Green Bay suburb of Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.
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 Wichita Falls Nighthawks were a professional indoor American football team. They were based in Wichita Falls, Texas. The team was headquartered in Wichita Falls and played its home games at Kay Yeager Coliseum. The Nighthawks first joined the Indoor Football League as an expansion team in 2015. The Nighthawks were announced as a member of Champions Indoor Football (CIF) for 2018, however, due to litigation, the team ceased operations for the season.
The IFL National Championship is the Indoor Football League's championship game. It has been played every year since 2009, except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current champions are the Arizona Rattlers, who won their seventh indoor National Championship, defeating the Massachusetts Pirates.
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.
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 Bismarck Bucks were an indoor American football team based in Bismarck, North Dakota. The Bucks joined Champions Indoor Football (CIF) as an expansion team in 2016, and began play for the 2017 season. The team moved to the Indoor Football League (IFL) beginning with the 2019 season. The team played its home games at the Bismarck Event Center in Bismarck. The team suspended operations in 2022; the team's owners indicated it would attempt to return in 2025 under a new brand, the Dakota Bucks, once the regulatory issues that prevented the team from playing in 2023 were resolved. The issues, as of November 2024, remain unresolved, and the IFL left the team off its 2025 schedule.
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 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 Bay Area Panthers are a professional indoor football team based in San Jose, California. They are a member of the Indoor Football League (IFL) and were to begin play in 2020 at Oakland Arena as the Oakland Panthers. Due the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Panthers' inaugural season was cancelled and then the team withdrew from the following 2021 season. Prior to the 2022 season, the Panthers announced they would instead play their home games at the SAP Center in San Jose and were renamed after the Bay Area.
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